Digital accessibility

Accessible use of language

eAccessibility. Digital accessibility. Barrier-freeness. All of these terms mean the same thing – that websites, web applications, smartphone apps, machines with touchscreens, etc. should be usable for everyone regardless of whether they have disabilities or impairments.

We usually use the term “accessibility” since this places the focus on the goal of making digital interfaces usable and accessible for all users. The concepts of “universal design” or “design for all” meet the requirements of accessibility.

A11y and AX are common accessibility abbreviations: a11y (pronounced like “ally”) stands for the “a” and the “y” in accessibility and the 11 letters in between. AX is a reference to UX (user experience) and stands for accessibility experience; it is sometimes used as a synonym for accessibility in general.

Inclusion instead of integration

The idea of integration presupposes that society is a homogenous group into which another group integrates. Integration accommodates differences and expects that the integrated group adapts to the majority in order to fully belong. Integration includes people in the existing system, but the system itself doesn’t fundamentally change.

Inclusion, in contrast, takes the existing diversity and heterogeneity of society into account. It sets up a framework in which everyone is an equal part of society. Inclusion strives for a common system for everyone without exclusion or stigma.