Accessibility is a concept that essentially applies to the customization of products, services, appliances and environments in a way that enables them to be used by people who have various types of disabilities. Effectively speaking, these products and services are designed in such a manner that enables people with special needs to gain both ‘direct’ as well as ‘indirect’ access to them. At the same time, the benefits of accessibility also extend to a wider category of individuals such as senior citizens and medical patients. Assistive technology is a term that is closely associated with the concept of accessibility. For instance, the application of assistive technology is what makes electronic equipment such as computer screen readers accessible to all categories of end users, including those with disabilities or special needs. The concept of accessibility extends to a wide range of facilities that are a part of our everyday usage such as elevators, Braille signage and sound-enabled signals at pedestrian crossings. The overall aim of this concept is to enable people with special requirements to gain access to aspects of everyday life that include transportation, education, employment, housing, entertainment and so on. …show more content…
Some examples of devices that make use of assistive technology include newly developed computer programs, traffic signals and electric wheelchairs. At the same time, the concept of accessibility also involves the application of adaptive technology which refers to the modification of already existing devices to enable various categories of people such as the disabled to use them in everyday life. For instance, any modifications made to a wheelchair or listening device such as a wheelchair would fall in the realm of adaptive technology. Global