Summary

In this chapter we saw some definitions of accessibility and the concepts of usability and universality. We will examine these ideas in greater detail in the next chapter.

We explored the need to understand your users, accommodate diversity, and deal with change. We saw the benefits of accessibility and examined some legislations from around the world.

Although legislation is certainly an effective stick to drive business to create accessible services, some may be of the opinion of paying the fine and ignore users with disabilities, as they are only a small part of the market. If you work for a government department or other public sector agency, bear in mind that your clients are ordinary citizens who have the same right to access information and services as everyone else. The technology to make this a reality already exists!