Chapter 23., Section 5. Increasing Access for People with Physical Disabilities — Main Section | Community Tool Box

• What do we mean by increasing access?

• Why should you make your organization or initiative more accessible?

• When should you make your organization or initiative more accessible?

• Who can help you increase access?

• How do you go about increasing access?

Disability is a common part of human experience. In the United States, more than one in four adults reports having a disability, and worldwide an estimated 1.3 billion people experience significant disability.

People with disabilities are a diverse group. Disabilities may be physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, developmental, neurological, or related to mental health or chronic health conditions. Some disabilities are apparent, while others are not. A person's experience of disability is also shaped by the accessibility of the environments, systems, services, technologies, and communities around them.

Despite progress in disability rights and accessibility, people with disabilities continue to encounter barriers to education, employment, health care, transportation, communication, civic participation, recreation, and other aspects of community life. Increasing access means identifying and removing those barriers and designing organizations and communities in ways that support full and equitable participation.

Accessibility issues can take many forms. For example:

• Jamahl had long been interested in volunteer work and was excited to attend a community lecture on volunteerism. Jamahl uses American Sign Language, but no interpreter or other effective communication support was available. Because he could not fully access the presentation, he left before information about volunteer opportunities was distributed.
• Katrina wanted her son Ricky to participate in a citywide afterschool tutoring program. Transportation was provided for students, but the vehicles were not wheelchair accessible. Ricky wanted additional support with math, but the transportation barrier prevented him from participating.
• After Emilio's wife died, he began attending a local grief support group. The facilitator regularly distributed articles that participants found useful, but the materials were not available in a format Emilio could read with his low vision. After repeatedly being unable to access the same information as other participants, he stopped attending.

These examples illustrate an important point: people are often excluded not because of disability itself, but because services, environments, transportation, information, or communication were not designed to include them.

Some accessibility improvements are simple, while others require more planning, expertise, or resources. Accessibility is most effective when it is built into an organization's regular planning and decision-making rather than addressed only after someone encounters a barrier.

What do we mean by increasing access?

Increasing access means creating environments, programs, services, information, and opportunities that people with disabilities can use and participate in equitably.

Accessibility is often associated only with physical features such as ramps, elevators, or accessible restrooms. Physical access is essential, but true accessibility is broader. It also includes communication, digital technology, information, transportation, organizational policies, attitudes, program design, and opportunities to participate in decision-making.

Increasing access may involve:

• Building disability inclusion into the attitudes, practices, and culture of your organization or initiative
• Providing effective and accessible communication
• Making physical spaces accessible
• Making websites, documents, registration systems, social media, videos, and other digital information accessible
• Reviewing policies and procedures that may unnecessarily limit participation
• Providing reasonable accommodations and other supports when individual access needs arise
• Including people with disabilities in planning, leadership, implementation, and evaluation

Accessibility and accommodation are related but not identical. Accessible or universal design tries to reduce barriers for as many people as possible from the beginning. Individual accommodations address access needs that remain. Strong organizations plan for both.

Why should you make your organization or initiative more accessible?

Accessibility supports equity, participation, and community inclusion. It allows more people to use services, attend events, volunteer, work, lead, contribute ideas, and take part in community life.

In the United States, organizations may also have legal responsibilities under disability-rights laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and, in some settings, other federal, state, or local requirements. The specific requirements depend on the type of organization, program, facility, and activity involved.

Accessibility also strengthens organizations. When people with disabilities can participate fully, organizations benefit from a broader range of experiences, knowledge, skills, perspectives, and leadership.

When should you make your organization or initiative more accessible?

Accessibility should be considered from the beginning and throughout the life of an organization, initiative, program, or event. It should not depend on whether you already know that a person with a disability will participate.

Accessibility is especially important to consider:

• When developing a new program, service, or initiative
• When choosing, building, renovating, or moving into a physical space
• When planning a conference, meeting, training, retreat, public event, or other gathering
• When creating or redesigning a website, app, online registration system, document, video, or other digital resource
• When developing organizational policies and procedures
• When recruiting staff, volunteers, board members, participants, or community partners
• When participants identify barriers or request accommodations

An organization may have few known participants with disabilities precisely because barriers have prevented people from participating. A lack of visible participation should not be interpreted as evidence that accessibility is unnecessary.

Imagine that a public building can be reached only by climbing a long flight of stairs. Staff members might say that they rarely see wheelchair users there. But the stairs themselves may be the reason wheelchair users have not been able to enter. Accessibility should be evaluated by looking at barriers, not simply at who has managed to participate despite them.

Who can help you increase access?

Accessibility can involve many different areas -- physical design, communication, technology, policy, transportation, accommodations, and organizational practices. You do not have to figure everything out by yourself.

One of the most important resources is people with disabilities themselves. People who experience barriers have firsthand knowledge of what works, what does not, and what organizations often overlook. Include people with disabilities meaningfully in planning, decision-making, evaluation, and leadership rather than asking for input only after decisions have already been made.

Useful sources of assistance can include:

• Centers for Independent Living (CILs) -- community-based organizations led by people with disabilities that provide advocacy, information and referral, peer support, independent living services, and expertise on disability access
• The ADA National Network -- regional centers that provide information, training, and technical assistance related to the Americans with Disabilities Act
• The U.S. Access Board -- a federal resource for accessibility standards and guidance related to the built environment, transportation, and information and communication technology
• The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) -- a resource for workplace accommodations and disability employment questions
• Disability-led community organizations and advocacy groups
• Accessibility consultants, architects, web accessibility specialists, interpreters, captioners, and other professionals with relevant expertise
• Attorneys or other qualified professionals when you need guidance about specific legal requirements

When possible, compensate people with disabilities for substantial consultation, training, accessibility review, or other professional contributions rather than assuming they should provide this expertise without compensation.

How do you go about increasing access?

Build disability inclusion into your organizational culture and practices.

Accessibility begins with recognizing people with disabilities as full members, leaders, employees, volunteers, participants, customers, and partners in community life.

Examine whether assumptions about disability affect who is invited to participate, whose input is taken seriously, who is considered for leadership, or how your organization defines competence and independence.

Reach out to people with disabilities who are already involved in your organization and to disability-led organizations in the community. Ask where barriers exist and what changes would make participation more equitable.

Representation matters, but meaningful inclusion goes beyond representation. A person with a disability should not be expected to represent every disabled person or serve as the organization's unpaid accessibility expert simply because of their identity. People with disabilities should have real influence over decisions that affect them.

Staff, board members, volunteers, and leaders may also benefit from training on disability inclusion, ableism, accessibility, accommodations, and respectful communication. Whenever possible, involve trainers with lived experience and relevant expertise.

Use respectful and responsive communication.

Respectful disability language changes over time and preferences differ among individuals and communities. Rather than relying on one universal rule, listen to how people describe themselves and use the language they prefer.

• Treat adults as adults and communicate directly with the person rather than automatically speaking to a companion, interpreter, aide, or support person.
• Don't make assumptions about what assistance someone needs. Ask before helping and respect the person's answer.
• Remember that two people with the same disability may have very different experiences and access needs.
• Remember that many disabilities are non-apparent. Do not assume that someone does or does not have a disability based on appearance.
• Hold staff members and volunteers to relevant performance expectations while also providing reasonable accommodations and avoiding assumptions about what people with disabilities can or cannot do.
• Respect mobility devices, communication devices, service animals, and other disability-related equipment as part of a person's personal space. Do not move or handle them without permission.

Use language that respects people's preferences and identities.

Person-first language, such as "person with a disability," is preferred by many people. Others prefer identity-first language, such as "disabled person," "autistic person," or "Deaf person." Preferences can vary by person, community, and context.

When writing about a specific person, use the terminology that person prefers whenever possible. When communicating with a broader audience, use respectful contemporary terminology and recognize that no single style is universally preferred.

Avoid outdated or stigmatizing expressions such as "the handicapped," "crippled," "wheelchair-bound," or describing someone as a "victim" of or as "suffering from" a disability unless the person uses that language for themselves. Avoid using "normal" as the opposite of disabled; terms such as "nondisabled" may be more appropriate when the distinction is relevant.

Disability does not always need to be mentioned. Include it when it is relevant to the topic or when the person identifies it as important, rather than treating disability as either something that must always be emphasized or something that should never be discussed.

Provide effective communication.

People communicate in many different ways. The most effective approach is to ask what communication method or support works for the individual and consider the nature, length, complexity, and context of the communication.

Depending on the situation, effective communication may include:

• Qualified sign language interpreters
• Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) or other real-time captioning
• Captioned video
• Assistive listening systems or devices
• Large-print or Braille materials
• Accessible electronic documents that work with screen readers and magnification software
• Audio versions of written information
• Augmentative and alternative communication
• Plain-language or Easy Read materials when appropriate
• Additional time for communication

Do not assume that every Deaf or hard-of-hearing person uses sign language, every blind person reads Braille, or every person with the same disability communicates in the same way.

Qualified interpreters or other appropriate communication supports may be necessary for complex communication. Organizations covered by disability-rights laws should understand their responsibilities for providing effective communication rather than expecting participants to supply their own interpreters or other supports.

Make physical spaces accessible.

Inclusive attitudes and communication matter, but they cannot substitute for physical access. If people cannot enter, navigate, or use a space safely and independently, they cannot participate equitably.

Accessibility should be included in budgets and planning from the beginning whenever possible. Retrofitting inaccessible environments later can be more difficult and expensive than incorporating accessibility during initial design or renovation.

When building or renovating facilities, use current accessibility standards and qualified professionals. Consider universal design approaches that make spaces usable by people with a wide range of abilities, ages, and circumstances.

Consider universal and inclusive design.

Universal design is an approach to creating environments and products that can be used by as many people as possible without requiring specialized adaptation. Its traditional principles include:

• Equitable use: The design is useful to people with diverse abilities
• Flexibility in use: The design accommodates a wide range of preferences and abilities
• Simple and intuitive use: The design is understandable regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, or concentration
• Perceptible information: Important information is communicated effectively in more than one way when appropriate
• Tolerance for error: The design reduces hazards and the consequences of accidental actions
• Low physical effort: The design can be used comfortably and efficiently
• Size and space for approach and use: People have sufficient space to approach, reach, use, and move through the environment

Universal design can reduce many barriers, but it does not eliminate the need for individual accommodations. Continue providing ways for people to identify access needs that have not been addressed through general design.

Evaluate the accessibility of meeting and event spaces.

When holding meetings, trainings, conferences, retreats, or public events away from your own facility, evaluate accessibility before committing to the location. Do not rely only on a venue's statement that it is "ADA accessible" or "wheelchair accessible."

Ask specific questions and, when possible, review the space using a current accessibility checklist and input from people with disabilities. Consider:

• Accessible parking and routes from parking or public transportation
• Entrances, doorways, elevators, ramps, and interior routes
• Accessible restrooms
• Seating and table arrangements
• Accessible stages, podiums, microphones, and presentation areas
• Emergency evacuation procedures
• Lighting and acoustics
• Service-animal access
• Availability of assistive listening systems, captioning, or interpretation
• Accessible virtual participation when hybrid options are offered

Event announcements and registration materials should explain available accessibility features and provide a clear way for participants to request accommodations or ask accessibility questions. Avoid requiring people to disclose more medical or personal information than is necessary to arrange the accommodation.

Basic Logistics:

• Make presentation materials available in advance when possible, particularly for participants who use screen readers, interpreters, captioners, assistive technology, or other communication supports.
• Integrate accessible seating throughout the room rather than limiting wheelchair users to one area.
• Keep aisles, routes, doorways, and access to seating wide enough and free of obstacles.
• Make sure doors and entrances can be used independently whenever possible. If a temporary barrier cannot immediately be removed, provide appropriate assistance while working toward a more permanent accessible solution.
• Caption prerecorded videos and provide appropriate access for live audiovisual content.
• Make microphones, tables, podiums, stages, and the routes to them accessible to speakers and participants with disabilities.
• Prepare accessible versions of materials far enough in advance to allow participants to use them at the same time as everyone else.
• Provide interpreters and captioners with presentation materials, names, technical terminology, and other relevant information in advance whenever possible.
• Confirm assistive listening systems, microphones, captioning equipment, internet connections, and other accessibility technology before the event begins.
• Check all accessibility arrangements before participants arrive rather than assuming they have been put in place correctly.
• Make sure staff and volunteers know how participants can request assistance or report an access problem during the event.

Fragrance and chemical sensitivities

Some people experience health effects from fragrances, cleaning products, smoke, or other environmental exposures. When relevant to participants' access needs, organizations can reduce barriers by avoiding unnecessary scented products, choosing lower-fragrance cleaning practices, maintaining appropriate ventilation, and asking attendees to limit fragrances when an accommodation has been requested.

Avoid promising a completely "scent-free" environment unless you can actually control all possible exposures. A fragrance-reduced environment and clear communication about what the organization can reasonably provide may be more accurate.

Accessible formats for information

Accessible communication does not mean creating one alternative format for everyone. Different people use different formats and technologies, so ask what will provide effective access.

Sign language interpretation can provide communication access for people who use sign language. Use qualified interpreters who can interpret accurately, effectively, and impartially. Depending on the situation, interpreters may participate in person or through video remote interpreting when that method provides effective communication.

Sign languages are complete languages with their own grammar and structure. American Sign Language (ASL), for example, is distinct from English and from sign languages used in many other countries. Do not assume that every Deaf or hard-of-hearing person uses ASL or any sign language.

Accessible electronic documents can be used with screen readers, screen magnification, refreshable Braille displays, text-to-speech software, and other assistive technologies. Websites, forms, presentations, PDFs, and other electronic materials should be created with accessibility in mind rather than relying on older physical media or inaccessible scanned documents.

Audio versions of written materials may be useful for some people with vision, reading, cognitive, or other disabilities. Whenever possible, provide accessible electronic text as well, since it allows people to use their own preferred assistive technology.

Large-print materials may be useful for people with low vision and others who benefit from larger text. Ask participants about their preferred text size and format. Use readable fonts, good contrast, uncluttered layouts, and sufficient spacing.

Braille may be requested by people who read Braille. Do not assume that all people who are blind use Braille; accessible electronic text, audio, or another format may be preferred.

Assistive listening systems and devices can improve access to spoken information for some people with hearing loss. The appropriate system depends on the venue, communication needs, and equipment being used.

Captioning makes spoken information and other meaningful audio available as text. Prerecorded video should include accurate captions, and live events may use real-time captioning such as CART. Captions should identify speakers and include meaningful non-speech audio when relevant.

Relay, text, and video communication can provide telephone access for people who are Deaf, hard of hearing, DeafBlind, or have speech disabilities. Telecommunications relay services, video relay services, captioned telephone services, text communication, and other technologies may be used depending on the person's preferences.

Don't forget digital accessibility.

Organizations increasingly communicate and provide services through websites, social media, online forms, mobile apps, virtual meetings, videos, electronic documents, and other digital tools. These resources can create barriers just as physical buildings can.

Digital accessibility may include:

• Providing text alternatives for meaningful images
• Captioning video and providing transcripts when useful
• Ensuring websites and forms can be navigated by keyboard
• Using clear headings, labels, and form instructions
• Creating documents that work with screen readers
• Using sufficient contrast and avoiding communication that depends on color alone
• Making virtual meetings accessible to people using interpreters, captioning, screen readers, and other assistive technology

Use current accessibility standards and guidance when creating or purchasing digital systems. Accessibility should be considered during design and procurement rather than added only after problems are reported.

In Summary

Accessibility is an essential part of meaningful community participation. People with disabilities should be able to use community services, attend events, obtain information, work, volunteer, lead, and participate in organizations on an equitable basis.

Increasing access requires more than modifying buildings. Organizations should also examine communication, digital technology, transportation, policies, organizational culture, program design, and decision-making. Universal and inclusive design can prevent many barriers, while individual accommodations help address access needs that remain.

Most importantly, involve people with disabilities in the process. People who experience barriers bring essential knowledge about what accessibility looks like in practice. By identifying barriers, planning proactively, providing effective communication, and sharing decision-making with people with disabilities, organizations can build communities in which more people are able to participate, contribute, and lead.