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Disability accessibility challenges essay
Disability accessibility challenges essay
Disability accessibility challenges essay
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Accessibility is strongly related to universal design when the approach involves "direct access." This is about making things accessible to all people (whether they have a disability or not). An alternative is to provide "indirect access" by having the entity support the use of a person's assistive technology to achieve access (for example, computer screen readers). As per its dictionary meaning ‘approach-ableness’. In that sense it could refer to access to many aspects of life i.e. education, accessibility issue for persons with disabilities, we refer to their access/mobility within the built environment- both internal and external i.e. their movement within building, in markets, parks, on footpaths and roads etc. Barrier Free Environment …show more content…
The built environment is designed to enable the disabled and elderly, the able bodied users will find it even more friendly and easy to use. Thus, every built environment should be designed for its easy usage by persons with diverse bodily capabilities through a successful implementation of standards. There is a great need to create awareness among the policy makers, engineers, architects local bodies and to make them understand the needs and analyze why we do not come across persons with disabilities in our schools, colleges, work environments or in social gatherings. Education and training of professionals on this issue plays a significant role in promoting a barrier-free world.
References
Balram, S. (2003). Universal Design: A New Paradigm. National Consultation on Biwako Millenium Frmeworkfor Action Towards an Inclusive Barrier Free and Rights Based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific.
Bednar, Michael J, Barrier-Free Environments. Community Development Series. Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, Inc.
Shakespeare, T. (1993) Disabled people's self-organisation: a new social movement?, Disability, Handicap & Society, 8, pp. 249-264 .
Historically, we have been taught that people with disabilities are different and do not belong among us, because they are incompetent, cannot contribute to society or that they are dangerous. We’re still living with the legacy of people with disabilities being segregated, made invisible, and devalued. The messages about people with disabilities need to be changed. There needs to be more integration of people with disabilities into our culture to balance out the message. Because of our history of abandonment and initialization, fear and stigma impact our choices more than they would if acceptance, community integration, and resources were a bigger part of our history.
The treatment of individuals with disabilities has changed dramatically since the 1800’s. Reynolds 1988, describes, Progressive inclusion, the evolution of services provided to those with various disabilities. In the early 1800’s residential institutions, or asylums were seem as common place accommodations for individuals with hearing, visual, mental or emotional impairments. Institutions remained the primary educational support until a century later in the early 1900’s. The parents of students with disabilities brought upon a legislation change. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, these parents pressured courts and legislatures to introduce a change in educational services. Reynolds (1988), discussed the birth of The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. This act mandated that all children, regardless of disability, had the right to a free, appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. As a result, resource and self-contained classrooms expanded in public schools. In 1991 the Individuals with Disabilities Act was inducted. As a result professionals in the field of special education are giving more consideration to placing students in the least restrictive environment.
Disability is everywhere; sometimes it is visible and other times it is not. When asked to look for it you can often find it in places you frequently visit but just never have paid enough attention to notice it. According to the world health organization disability is, “any restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered ‘normal’ for a human being” (2004). I currently work at a fast-food restaurant. The doors to this restaurant are not accessible to people with disabilities because they do not open automatically. One day while I was working, a costumer seemed to be having difficulties coming in to place an order, the problem appeared to be that he was unable to open the door while trying to operate his wheelchair. He was frustrated and seemed embarrassed because he required another costumers help to do the task of opening the door, which is often seen as a simple everyday routine. The costumer who was unable to come inside the restaurant is considered to be
Marshall, C. A., Kendall, E., Banks, M. E., & Gover, R. S. (2009). Disabilities Vol. 2. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
The purpose of The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 was to protect the civil rights of disabled Americans, as well as put an end to discrimination, and to make adjustments to better accommodate the disabled. When presented to Congress, the Act surpassed party lines and gained support and popularity very quickly. While in theory the ADA seems revolutionary and helpful; in practice it presents the disabled with numerous problems, most of these arise in the form of red tape.
If everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedom that is set forth in the Declaration, disabled people should not be robbed of their rights. However, they are still devalued from conducting common tasks which puts them at the bottom of the priority list as an employee and even so as a friend. In search to solve this problem, according to “The Disabled” by Bender, D. on July 26, 1990, President G...
“The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, or gender, but people with disabilities were not included under such protection” (Department of Justice). It was not until 1973 when the Rehabilitation Act came to fruition that people were officially by law protected against discrimination on the basis of either mental or physical disability. The Architectural Barriers Act implemented in 1968 helped people with disabilities have access to buildings and facilities by companies, agencies complying with federal standards for physical accessibility. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act was renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). This Act allows people with disabilities into public schools and also requires the school to develop (IEP’s) Individualized Education Programs to be developed and fit individualized needs for the student. Another very important piece of legislation is the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) in which “prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, state and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation and telecommunications services” (A Brief History, p.1).
The first principle of universal design is to make sure that the product is usable by persons with disabilities. Equitable design means products should be created in a way equivalent to products used by persons without special needs and does not alienate the user with special needs in anyway. Not only should the design be appealing, but also meet safety and privacy needs of the user (Connell, Jones, Mace, et al, 1997). The second principle also focuses on the use of the product. Flexibility in the design should accommodate a range of physical abilities, e.g. right or left handedness, and usage options (Connell, Jones, Mace, et al, 1997). Likewise, the design should facilitate the varying intellectual and physical skills of the intended user. Prompting and information should be simply arranged to meet user expectations.
Physical barriers can happen in many places from offices to health care organisation, this can affect people who may have a disability and may need to use ramps, may need wide doors or may even need lifts in certain areas for example in schools they would need to have wide doors, ramps and lifts. But this can also be a barrier if the building were built from a long time ago but it can be overcome is in school they rearrange the time table and have the lesson in a different area of the school building where the wheelchair can access.
Provided with the viewpoints on both the medical model and social model of disability, it is clear that these two concepts differ in terms of the definition of disability as well as the attitude of society towards people with disabilities. It is evident that people with disabilities veer towards the social model rather than the medical model. It is essential to acknowledge that Deafness is categorised as a medical disability within the individual as well as a societal disability, as society is not equipped enough to deal with the communication barriers that stem from hearing impairments.
Sotoa, S., & Kleiner, K. (2013). How to Accommodate Common Disabilities in the Workplace. Nonprofit World, 31(3), 11.
On April 1st of 2016, Japan passed the “Law to Eliminate Discrimination against People with Disabilities,” in order to make the nation’s 7.8 million people with disabilities have easier lives. This law bans “unjust discrimination,” paired with private businesses and governments to create “reasonable accommodations.” Accommodations can be seen as illustrations to communicate, along with making areas more accessible. Organizations can be fined around two hundred thousand yen (one thousand, seven hundred and eighty-seven dollars) for unreported practices.
...eglected social issues in recent history (Barlow). People with disabilities often face societal barriers and disability evokes negative perceptions and discrimination in society. As a result of the stigma associated with disability, persons with disabilities are generally excluded from education, employment, and community life which deprives them of opportunities essential to their social development, health and well-being (Stefan). It is such barriers and discrimination that actually set people apart from society, in many cases making them a burden to the community. The ideas and concepts of equality and full participation for persons with disabilities have been developed very far on paper, but not in reality (Wallace). The government can make numerous laws against discrimination, but this does not change the way that people with disabilities are judged in society.
This act established old age benefits and funding for assistance to blind individuals and disabled children and the extension of existing vocational rehabilitation programmes. In present day society, since the passage of the ADA (American with Disabilities Act of 1990) endless efforts of the disability rights movement have continued on the focus of the rigorous enforcement of the ADA, as well as accessibility for people with disabilities in employment, technology, education, housing, transportation, healthcare, and independent living for the people who are born with a disability and for the people who develop it at some point in their lives. Although rights of the disabled have significantly gotten better globally throughout the years, many of the people who have disabilities and are living in extremely undeveloped countries or supreme poverty do not have access nor rights to any benefits. For example, people who are in wheelchairs as a transportation device have extremely limited access to common places such as grocery stores, schools, employment offices,