Accessibility

Accessibility means enabling IT hardware, software and services to be used by people with physical limitations. Users affected by such limitations include people with disabilities, or the loss of hearing, eyesight or motor control due to aging.

At IBM, accessibility means more than removing barriers. It means enabling human capabilities through innovation so that everyone regardless of age or ability can maximize their potential.

Unfortunately, most university students majoring in computer science, IT, software engineering, and similar fields graduate today without learning about designing software for people with disabilities or aging users.

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The population of software users with some sort of physical impairment is larger than most people realize:

• Almost 500 million people worldwide have some type of disability.
• According to the American Foundation for the Blind, approximately 1.5 million American computer users are blind or visually impaired.
• About 5.5% of the Web-surfing population is color blind, based on the proportion of the general public that is color blind.
• Approximately 420 million people worldwide are age 65 or older, and this number is expected to increase dramatically over the next two decades. Because vision and hearing decrease with time, older people often have technology needs similar to people with disabilities. This maturing population represents the first generation to have grown up with computers, who expect to continue to use computers in their daily lives.

Businesses today recognize the need to offer accessible products to:

• Meet the needs of their disabled or older customers.
• Enable older workers to continue employment if they choose.
• Hire and keep disabled employees.
• Meet legislation and purchasing requirements.

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Start by understanding the problem and its solutions, then arm yourself with the best resources for teaching your students this critical skill.

• Join: Establish your membership in the Academic Initiative and take full advantage of the program.
• Learn: Explore accessibility resources that will help you learn more about the topic and teach it easily.
• Teach: Get resources that were created and used successfully by other professors to help you teach design for the disabled and aging in your classes.
• Connect: Stay connected to new materials and updates through newsletters and forums.

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