Accessibility Basics

What is accessibility?

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, accessibility can be measured by “how successfully a person with a disability can locate, get to, and understand a desired service or piece of information.” Section 508 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act notes that accessible products, services, environments, and facilities can be used by everybody “to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaption or specialized design.” Universal design is an approach to creating or designing products to be usable by all people. The goal of accessibility initiatives is to remove physical, digital, and communication barriers to ensure equal access and participation for all individuals.   

Physical accessibility

Physical accessibility refers to the design of built environments, public spaces, transportation, and products in a way that enables people to access and use such spaces and products independently. Physical accessibility features include curb cuts, accessible restrooms and parking spaces, elevators, Braille on signs, automatic doors, grip-friendly designs, and much more. It can also involve making physical spaces accessible to people with sensory needs, such as sensitivity to harsh lighting or sound. See the Northeast ADA Center’s resources related to physical accessibility for more information.

Digital/web accessibility

Digital accessibility refers to technical design that makes digital interfaces, content, and tools perceivable, operable, and navigable by people using assistive technologies or other alternative input methods. Digital accessibility features include keyboard navigation support, screen reader compatibility, captions or transcripts for audio, alternative text for images, sufficient color contrast, and accessible form controls. See Digital Accessibility @ HHS for more information about digital accessibility.

Digital accessibility includes web accessibility. The World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) offers a helpful article on accessibility, usability, and inclusion, which explains the distinct meanings of these terms in web design. 

Cognitive accessibility

Cognitive accessibility refers to the design of information and interactions in a way that supports comprehension, decision-making, and task completion for people with cognitive, learning, or neurological differences. Cognitive accessibility strategies include using plain language, providing clear instructions, allowing extra time for tasks, maintaining predictable navigation, and minimizing cognitive load. For more information about cognitive-accessible web design, see the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative’s Cognitive Accessibility resources page.

What should I know about disability history?

Accessibility is a common topic of discussion in library spaces today. But accessibility concerns aren’t just a current trend. A rich history of disability activism has led us to our contemporary moment, and knowledge of the past can help us understand current laws, practices, and conversations around accessibility. The following information will help your library’s accessibility work to be grounded in understanding of the disability community’s past and present.

Check out this Disability History Timeline for a brief overview of important events. The Equal Access and Disability Rights Commission provides greater detail in their Disability History Overview. 

Historically, disability has been conceptualized through different lenses. These models represent different frameworks for understanding disability. 

  • The medical model
    Views disability as pathological, like a medical impairment that needs to be fixed or cured. This model is frequently criticized for its failure to recognize the impacts of societal barriers. History of institutionalization often makes disabled communities untrusting of medical institutions.
  • The social model
    Views disability as a result of environmental and systemic barriers. It is the environment that creates disability, rather than any condition being inherently disabling. This model is more popular today because it recognizes the need for accommodation and removal of barriers. However, some disability scholars have criticized its implication that disability is entirely the result of social oppression.
  • The renewed social model
    The renewed social model modifies the original social model. First proposed by Jenny Morris and Liz Crow in 1992, it acknowledges that even in a world without systemic barriers, disabilities would still cause negative impairments.
  • The holistic model
    Views disability as a result of complex intersections of inherent and societal factors. A disability can be disabling by itself or in interaction with other factors, and it is up to each individual person to view their disability as neutral, positive, or negative. This model is less widely known and was created in 2021 by autistic self-advocate Autistictic,

Want to learn more about models of disability? Check out these resources:

How can I stay up to date with issues as they relate to accessibility in libraries? 

The toolkit’s training and accessibility networks page includes resources for training, listservs, conferences, and general information to help you connect and stay informed.

Some of the most relevant issues right now include:

  • Web content accessibility and guidelines
  • Accessibility for patrons and employees with cognitive, developmental, and intellectual disabilities, including the neurodivergent community
  • AI tools for accessibility
  • Collaborating with or engaging with vendors

Where can I find more information on accessibility best practices?

Disability represents a diverse community with a variety of needs, and in some cases, those needs may appear in conflict with each other. As such, accessibility guidance and best practices continue to evolve as technology, standards awareness and user experiences change. The context of content, products and audience will influence which best practices are most applicable. 

Below are resource guides that help address best practices for libraries to support the needs of their community:

What questions or feedback do you have? 

Let us know using our DUX Accessibility Toolkit feedback form.