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Why do businesses bother designating handicapped spaces, installing elevators, or building ramps in addition to stairs? One reason is to allow everyone, regardless of ability, to access the building equally. Another reason, perhaps, is to offer alternative methods of access for everyone. Whatever the reason, it stems from accessibility. If all people are created equal, then all people should have equal rights to access the physical world. This is especially true in higher education, specifically related to the rise of virtual classrooms. How could a vision-impaired student access the course notes and illustrations if the online classroom is not accessible for screen readers?
The World Wide Web has opened so many doors for the dispersion and retrieval of information, but its effectiveness has been limited because of a lack in accessibility. For example, a large grocery store chain has recently implemented an online shopping feature on its website so that disabled, immobile, or elderly people can now shop online and order groceries directly to their home. However, because the site has not been designed to be accessible for people with disabilities, a visually-impaired customer cannot interact with the site and thus cannot order groceries online.
It is obvious, in this example, the inability for users to access the site defeats the purpose of the grocery store's mission for online shopping. Though, the store probably does offer handicapped spaces, accessible ramps, and elevators in stores with more than one floor. These are the type of accessibility issues that people and businesses deal with in the real world. Businesses make the effort for their building to be accessible but, as of yet, most do not make their electronic information, digital technology, or multimedia accessible. Accessibility advocates offer this fundamental question, if information and multimedia can be made accessible then why not make it accessible?
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