There are so many ways that *we* erect barriers and create disability.
Molly E. Holzschlag @mholzschlag
28 Feb 2022
Accessibility first. If we cannot access a reference freely available due to location, language, belief, government limitations, literacy, economy and digital divide? That which is between us and that reference is what disables inclusion and fosters exclusion. That is disability.
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Accessibility is far bigger than the science and practice of making a website compliant to a law or a condition we believe to be human when all humans are conditional. The web, its sites much less applications are useless to anyone who can't get to them even with the best #a11y
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I could not agree more.
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To that end: noti.st/aarongustafson/nqpS6…

Delivering Critical Information & Services by Aaron Gustafson

Early on, Internet access was considered a luxury. Those times have passed and the Internet, especially the Web, has become a necessity. Whether your users are trying to access their money, gather...

presentations.aaron-gustafson.com
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Replying to @AaronGustafson
As a thought argument it would be fun to debate whether it's really true that the web is a necessity if it is for whom? Maslow's laws of basic need yeah necessary but the web? Not even. 3.5 billion of 7. 9 billion humans are not online. At all. It isn't a need. Is it a benefit?

Feb 28, 2022 · 9:27 PM UTC

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Replying to @mholzschlag @AaronGustafson
The moment that some government transactions can only be done from the web. In that moment, if someone is offline they're off the society.
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Also excellent points and still not need what we are doing in that instance is shutting out people who are already accessing web. For anyone, esp. government to offer one access means to a service is foolish. When the need is greater than access that system fails. Great example.
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Replying to @mholzschlag @AaronGustafson
it's been made a need because it gates access to government services in many locations; try ordering a covid test in the UK or filing taxes without access to the web
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It feels as if it is a need it is definitely an incredible benefit in situations such as you're describing but if half of the human population can survive without it the threshold of literal need. But a compelling question now is do we want this to be a need I sure don't.
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Replying to @mholzschlag
As always, context is key, right? Example: In Lowes yesterday, I saw they added a quarter-a-cart checkout system (I’m guessing to reduce theft). No quarter = no cart (a situational disability to those us us who no longer carry cash, but need to purchase bulky/heavy things).
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Context is everything until we hit that existential plateau of lies lies more lies and statistics! LOL statistically you have half of the human population not online. Not a threshold of need as per Maslow's hierarchy. Those carts at Lowe's are going to cause cashiers a nightmare!