This is a conversation I’ve had many times over the years, whenever I’ve had the chance to speak with businesses or public administrations: “Is implementing accessibility a cost or an opportunity for profit?”
The immediate answer is often that accessibility is a cost—an obligation to follow rules and implement structures. Ramps to build, bathrooms to enlarge, just to give a few basic examples. This is usually the starting point of every conversation, and it stems from a fairly simple concept: who is accessibility for? Many believe that implementing accessibility only serves a limited category of people: those in wheelchairs, who are mostly elderly. Therefore, they are seen as few, and often less inclined to leave their homes.
In reality, this is a narrow perspective, but as I mentioned, it is the starting point from which we can begin to explain that no, that’s not the case.
I believe the first thing we all need to start understanding is the difference between disability and limited mobility. An accessible place is not just exclusively for a person with a disability, but for all those people who, for one reason or another, find themselves in a condition of “limited mobility.”
Limited Mobility It is often confused with disability, and consequently, the “accessibility of a place” is interpreted as “a series of elements that make the place accessible to people with disabilities.” While it is indisputable that most people with physical disabilities have limited mobility, it is equally true that this condition applies to a much larger audience. Consequently, accessibility makes a place usable for many more users than just those associated with disability. This does not mean penalizing disability. On the contrary, expanding the user base means having many more accessible spaces available.
The most basic example is families with young children and strollers, but we could also talk about the elderly who find stairs challenging, or people who have undergone surgery and find their mobility limited for a certain period.
Which place would these people choose for shopping or a vacation? A store with automatic doors, or one where you have to push the door? From the image below, a beach like the ones on the left, or like those on the right?
The answer seems obvious, right? Yet, it’s not obvious to everyone. And often, it’s especially not obvious to those who should be in charge of accessibility. That’s why I always try to explain to businesses: Accessible Place = More Customers.
Many businesses have understood this and, speaking of beaches, more and more are making accessibility the key to gaining more customers. Some examples:
- Camping Village Dei Fiori has created a beach that is completely accessible to people with limited mobility.
- Stabilimento Balneare Marefelice offers changing rooms, reserved spots, and beach wheelchairs. Upon reservation, they will pick you up with a special wheelchair directly from the parking lot.
- The Muir Woods Visitor Center provides special wheelchairs for visitors upon request.
The above are examples I always try to give to both businesses and local administrations. Why? Imagine you have a limited mobility issue and want to go on vacation. How do you choose your destination? By only looking for an “accessible” hotel, or by also looking for a destination where the places to visit are accessible? I would opt for the second option; I wouldn’t go on vacation just to stay locked in a hotel, but to move around and explore as much as possible.
Below, you can see me presenting these concepts during a sustainable development event. During the event, we also showcased special bicycles for transporting people with disabilities, including those in wheelchairs. In the image on the top right, the town’s mayor wanted to be transported personally to see their functionality for himself. They have now purchased some of these bicycles and are working on expanding bike paths and general accessibility in public spaces. This is because they realized that greater accessibility—not just of businesses but of the entire territory—is an investment for the future.
Below is the link to the map of their park, created by me for Accessible Life:
Villa Guidini - Villa e Parco Accessibili
I leave you with a couple of videos on accessibility. They are a bit long but, in my opinion, absolutely worth watching. The first one is published by Google (the protagonist, by the way, is a dear friend of mine) and will make you reflect while bringing a smile to your face: Exploring Inclusion | Googlers meet USA Wheelchair Rugby Team
The second is a recording of a Live event by Geo for Good (Google Earth) in which I was invited as a panelist. It’s a bit long, but it delves deeper into the concepts I wanted to express in this topic:
“Leaders of four diverse, worldwide Accessibility and Disability Inclusion (ADI) initiatives will join Google’s Sasha Blair-Goldensohn and Page Ive to discuss how mapping technology can advance disability equity and help People With Disabilities explore, navigate and get things done in the world.”
Before closing, a few reading tips for some recent Connect topics that absolutely fascinated me:
- Accessibility on Google Maps: What It Really Means by @AnshukMitra
- Seeing The World Differently: My Experience as a Temporary Disability by @sejuta_pelangi
- Mapping ♿ Accessibility at Gerhagen, a Nature Reserve in Belgium 🇧🇪 by @Katarina_Cibikova
I also recommend the important virtual meet-up taking place in three days: Virtual January 31 - Accessibility without Borders: Understanding Accessibility. I hope to be there, and I hope many of you will participate as well!
Thank you for reading, and I look forward to your comments.
Ermes
accessibility as a true investment for the future.
