key sociological concepts to understand accessibility

The social Model of disability

This is a concept coined by British sociologist, Mike Oliver. The social model of disability emphasizes the role of societal factors in disabling people, rather than a person’s impairments or differences as the medical model of disability indicates. In other words, the social model of disability focuses on how society is structured to prevent people with disabilities from fully participating in society through disabling environments and barriers existing in society. This framework shifts the focus of the responsibility from individuals to society, thus encouraging us to find solutions to rectify the social environment by removing barriers and providing universal accessibility to all.

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In this cartoon illustration, a person stands on the left under text reading “Medical Model of Understanding Disability.” Around their neck are big tags reading, “Legs don’t work properly,” “Needs Medication,” “Unable to Climb Stairs,” and “Has Special Needs.” Below their feet is text that reads “The problem is the disabled person” to reiterate the problematic idea of the Medical Model of Understanding Disability. To the right is a person in a wheelchair with the text “Social Model of Understanding” above their head. To their right are blocks of text including, “Physical and Environmental Barriers,” Institutional and Organisational Barriers,” “Information and Communication Barriers,” and “Attitudinal Barriers.” The text below their feet reads “The problem is the barriers within society.” There’s a person in the middle with a speech bubble that reads “So you see it’s the barriers within society that disables you.”

Universal design

This is a concept that demonstrates the process of designing an environment that can be accessed, understood and used by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.

The image describes 7 principles of universal design. The first one is equitable use: the design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. The second principle is Flexibility in use: the design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. The 3rd principle is simple and intuitive use: use of the design is easy to understand regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills or education level. The 4th principle is perceptible information: the design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities. The 5th principle is tolerance for error: the design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. The 6th principle is low physical effort: the design can be used efficiently and comfortably with a minimum of fatigue. The last 7th principle is size and space for approach and use: appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation and use regardless of user's body size, posture, or mobility.
© Center for Universal Design, NC State University.
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Description of the image: The image describes 7 principles of universal design. The first one is equitable use: the design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. The second principle is Flexibility in use: the design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. The 3rd principle is simple and intuitive use: use of the design is easy to understand regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills or education level. The 4th principle is perceptible information: the design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities. The 5th principle is tolerance for error: the design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. The 6th principle is low physical effort: the design can be used efficiently and comfortably with a minimum of fatigue. The last 7th principle is size and space for approach and use: appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation and use regardless of user’s body size, posture, or mobility.