These are my thoughts on accessibility.
It seems people use accessibility as a broad term to describe the ability to access any thing.
The following list are some statements I noticed over the years.
- I want to make a game accessible to everyone
- I want to make fine-dining accessible to everyone
- I want to make information accessible to everyone
One thing is clear.
Accessibility is an attempt to eliminate exclusion.
The ability to access has to begin somewhere
The ability to access anything relevant to me in life is a constant struggle.
Perhaps this quote is a good starting point.
People often include screen reader users in the much larger group of keyboard-only users. Whilst this is correct (most screen reader users don’t use a mouse), it also creates a false impression of the way screen reader users navigate content.
Léonie Watson. The difference between keyboard and screen reader navigation (new tab)
A false impression
Let me reframe my earlier impression of accessibility.
The ability to access any thing can create a false impression.
As a Deaf person, I identify with using sign language as my preferred source of information.
As a computer user, I use both keyboard and mouse at the same time and separately to navigate content. How can I use both? It’s simple as using my left hand on the keyboard while using my right hand on the mouse.