Inclusion: access & interaction of people with disabilities with the physical & digital environment

Abstract

It is crucial to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access and interaction opportunities with both physical and digital environments. This includes providing accessible facilities, technologies and platforms that accommodate different types of disabilities, such as visual, hearing, mobility, or cognitive impairments. The issue of making it easier for people with disabilities to access and interact with their environment: living spaces, working spaces and public spaces has been a major priority for designers, architects, engineers and even society in general for many years. Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, sensory, or a combination of multiple factors. For every single type of disability we will see that there is a different set of measures that need to be taken into consideration when designing accessible tools, furniture, transportation, communication means, spaces, a.s.o. We have created ways to communicate with people that are unable to speak or hear, we are enabling individuals with impaired mobility to access all types of structures and pathways, to drive cars and manipulate complex machinery. In this context, the access to the digital world becomes more and more a necessity for any individual in our society in order to be able to communicate, to work, to get access to information, private and public services, a.s.o. By creating inclusive environments, we can promote independence, empower individuals, and enhance their overall quality of life.