'False Accessibility' by Jess Burkinshaw (she/her)

Accessibility is a massive issue and often a debate in society. The disability community is constantly advocating for more accessibility, yet it often feels like there is very little reward. Establishments are labelling themselves as accessible on their website, but are they actually accessible? Often not. There is so much that goes into accessibility that often isn’t thought about, because having complete accessibility requires thinking about lots of different disabilities which isn’t often done. Labelling your establishment accessible on the website with no further explanation and often with little thought behind it, is something I like to think of as false accessibility. 

False accessibility can exist in so many different circumstances, first I’d like to cover wheelchair users; manual, electric and power chairs. I am going to discuss this from my perspective as a manual wheelchair user. I have had many experiences where websites have claimed to be wheelchair accessible and that they have a ramp to get in however, when I get there I am faced with a step and trying to get the attention of someone inside. Eventually a ramp will get brought out, sometimes this causes no issue, it is the right length of ramp for the height of the step (1:12 or even 3:12 at a push if the space is that limited). However there have been instances where the ramp has been far too short for the height of the step meaning it is impossible for me to enter independently, and my safety is at risk as I get dragged in by workers trying to get me up a ramp that is way too steep. From the perspective of a manual wheelchair user it is far less than ideal and I feel as though I have lost my dignity and bodily autonomy having to be dragged up a ramp, however I was able to get in. For an electric or power chair user this would’ve been simply impossible as it is incredibly unsafe and there is much less ability to be pushed/dragged in due to electric and power chairs being much heavier. Just because there is a ramp it does not mean it’s accessible. 

Wheelchair accessibility requires much more than just a ramp to get in though, doorways need to be wide enough to accommodate for all widths of wheelchairs. Inside the establishment there needs to be enough room for wheelchair users to get around, this can mean that tables have enough room in between them in restaurants or there’s not an abundance of shelves or clothing racks in a shop with too tight of a gap to get by. If there is a general public use toilet for able bodied people then there also needs to be a disabled access toilet with extra space, grab bars, easy use taps, sanitary waste bins and regular bins, and also a red pull cord in the case of an emergency. 

However wheelchair accessibility isn’t the only thing that is important when it comes to accessibility. It is important to have accessibility in place for a range of other disability access needs to be able to actually claim to be “accessible” on your website. In order to help blind/visually impaired individuals access your establishment it is important to think more deeply about what we can see and provide that for them. This can include having braille on a menu or a qr code that they can scan which will take them to your website that is accessible for a screen reader to be used. There should also be space for a guide dog and/or cane, all whilst making sure the floor stays clear of obstructions to avoid trip hazards. Accessibility for Deaf or hard of hearing people may look like having a sign language interpreter within the staff to break any barriers that are made difficult by misunderstandings with lip reading. For some Deaf/HOH people using sign language is also an important part of Deaf culture so having that inclusivity will feel amazing to so many individuals. 

To conclude, in order to avoid false accessibility it is important to actively communicate and include disabled people when designing and checking accessible parts of a business/establishment. Having multiple differently disabled people with lived experiences on board to make decisions about accessibility is going to ensure that the accessibility will actually be accessible without any of the guesswork that it takes for an able bodied person to make those decisions. 

By Jess Burkinshaw (@rolling_with_jess)