While disability exists, so does possibility.

Introduction

The word "disability" means something different to everyone, but a disability is generally defined as a condition that limits the activities you can do or be involved in.

It's about how much something affects your life and what you can do. For example, being blind doesn't just mean you can't see anything ever again — it just means that some things will be harder than they would be if you weren't blind. And even though they're harder, they're still possible!

Universal Design

If you’re like me, you probably already know about the concept of “universal design.” It’s what makes buildings wheelchair accessible, lifts grocery stores and airplanes to heights compatible with wheelchairs, makes highways and sidewalks wide enough for strollers and wheelchairs. But what if we applied these principles to our own lives? What if everyone was able to live in a way that didn’t require adaptation or specialized design?

Universal design means making things usable by all people—to the greatest extent possible—without having to adapt them first. Most products and environments aren't built this way because it costs more money than building something with only one specific use case in mind (i.e., not being able to accommodate people with disabilities). However, when designers thoughtfully consider how they want their products and spaces used by as many people as possible—even those who don't look like them or match their needs exactly—they usually end up creating something better overall than they could have without doing so.

Inclusive Design

Inclusive design is a concept that guides the design of products, systems and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible. Inclusive design considers the diverse needs of people with disabilities when developing products, services and environments.

An inclusive product might have adjustable controls that make it easy for everyone to use regardless of their physical abilities or limitations. Inclusive signage will be accessible regardless of whether you're looking at it on your smart phone or holding up your tablet in front of your face (or perhaps even not holding anything at all). You might even see an inclusive service take place in an environment where everyone's needs were considered from start to finish: from how well-lit a room was lit during a meeting or presentation; how many chairs there were available for someone who uses a wheelchair; whether there was adequate space for someone who uses crutches or canes comfortably walk around; how easy it was for someone who uses hearing aids and cochlear implants hear what was being said by presenters; how long lines were at water fountains so no one had to wait too long after eating lunch; etc..

Assistive Technology

• Assistive technology is a generic term for any device or product that helps an individual with a disability access and use mainstream products, services, and technologies.
• Assistive technology can be used to help people with disabilities access and use mainstream products, services, and technologies.

People First Language

People First Language (PFL) is a technique that uses descriptive terms to identify people with disabilities. For example, “person with autism” or “child with Down syndrome.” PFL helps to emphasize that disability is not an identity; it's something that exists alongside our identities as humans, not something we should define ourselves by. Using PFL also keeps our language from being patronizing—which is important because it can often lead to feelings of invalidation and self-doubt in those who are disabled.

People First Language isn't just about what we say; it's also about how we say it. This means that phrases like "special needs" or "the retarded" aren't acceptable ways of speaking about people with disabilities—even if they were used out of ignorance rather than malice!

Best Practice Guidelines for Accessible Websites and Web Applications

The W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 are a set of technical standards for making web content more accessible. The WCAG 2.0 is an international standard, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It provides guidelines for designing and developing websites that are compatible with all people, whatever their hardware or software configuration, disability, language or culture.

The WCAG 2.0 covers four areas: perceivable; operable; understandable; robust. These four areas refer to both content and design of web pages/applications:

• perceivable - Ensure that all information conveyed by a website is perceivable by users
• operable - Ensure that all controls used within a website are operable using different input devices such as keyboard, mouse etc., as well as touchscreens on mobile devices
• understandable - Ensure that any error message(s) generated by a web page/application are understandable without requiring additional information from the user to make sense (eg “We’re sorry this service isn’t available at this time” versus “An unknown error has occurred.")
• robust – Ensure that your website works well across different browsers and operating systems which can be significantly different in terms of support for HTML5 features such as video playback

Conclusion

I hope you’ve enjoyed my little tour through the world of disability and web accessibility. I know it’s not a glamorous topic, but it is an important one. We live in a diverse world where some people have disabilities and others don’t, so we should all take some time to think about how we can make our products accessible for everyone.