What is ICT Accessibility?

ICT accessibility is a term used to describe the degree to which ICT is accessible by as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" the functionality, and possible benefit, of some system or entity. Accessibility is often used to focus on people with disabilities and their right of access to entities, often through use of assistive technology. Impairments affect the user's ability to perceive, understand or physically manipulate things. They can occur for many different reasons, including medical conditions, injury, the environment or simply old age. Accessibility barriers occur when the design of ICT fails to allow for the variation in users' abilities. Accessibility is not to be confused with usability which is used to describe the extent to which a product (e.g. device, service, environment) can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use. Accessibility is ...  more