Accessibility

Accessibility refers to the German language, a design of the built environment in such a way that it can be used by people with disabilities and older people in the same way as people without disabilities. In the non- German language, this state rather than "accessibility" (English: Accessibility, Spanish: Accesibilidad, French: Accessibilité ) refers. An older and increasingly uncommon expectant wording in German-speaking countries of the facts, the term " disabled " is not comprehensive enough to express the universal accessibility and usability for all people.

In a broader sense, the principle of accessibility aims, however, that not only people with disabilities, but also for example the elderly and people with young children in the open-access use of structurally designed environment are included. This further perspective does not distinguish between different groups of people, but rather the needs of all people should be taken into account. This understanding of accessibility is also called " Design for All " or " Universal Design ". Therefore, increasingly plays the demographic development since the 1990s, a role for the importance of barrier-free environment design. The number of 80 -year-olds and older will nearly triple by 2050 as in Germany after forecasts of the Federal Statistical Office, is currently just under four million to ten million.

An extension to the cultural aspect describe the measures of the concept of inter- culture, with which cultural accessibility is created and thus institutions for dealing with individuals of a society of multiplicity are enabled.

• 5.1 General
• 5.2 Barriers in air transport

Legal regulations in Germany

The German Act on Equal Opportunities for Disabled People in § 4 states: Accessible are structural and other facilities, transportation, technical consumer goods, information processing systems, acoustic and visual information sources and communication facilities as well as other designed areas of life, if they are available for disabled people in the generally customary manner, without any particular difficulty and accessible and usable without assistance.

This further understanding of accessibility can be found in Germany, for example, in the national building regulations of the federal states. Laws concerning public transport, often speak of people with disabilities and those with other mobility impairments, such as § 3 of the Federal Highway Act, § 8 of the Passenger Transport Act, § 19d and § 20b of the Aviation Act.

Legal regulations in Switzerland

In Switzerland, took effect on 1 January 2004, the Disability Discrimination Act, in detail Federal Law of 13 December 2002 on the Elimination of Discrimination against people with disabilities, abbreviated BehiG (SR 151.3 ) in force. The law applies here also for age-related limitations to adoption by a person with a disability is defined as a person, which makes it difficult or impossible to carry out everyday activities, to socialize, to get around to face off an expected duration physical, mental or psychological impairment and further training or gainful employment. The law requires for publicly accessible buildings and facilities, residential buildings with more than eight residential units and buildings with more than fifty workstations, where they will be built or renovated after the entry into force of the Act, the Accessibility. Next publicly offered services, education and training, as well as the working conditions of the covenant must be designed in a non-discriminatory. Finally, the law requires that all public transport within 20 years after entry into force of the Act, ie 31 December 2023 disabled. The recent court practice shows that among the independent use of public transport is to be understood by people with a disability, unless this is prevented by technical or topographical conditions or the implementation of disproportionate (expensive) would be.

Standardize

• CEN / CENELEC Guide 6 Guidelines for standards developers to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities
• ISO / IEC Guide 71 Guidelines for standards developers to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the United Nations regulates in more detail than the previously existing human rights conventions, must guarantee the rights of the State people with disabilities. The Disability Convention relates, such as the Disability Equality laws of the federal and state only people with disabilities, not all people. However, unlike the German disability equality legislation she knows also regulations regarding the usability of items, equipment, products, etc. for all people. She makes it clear that accessibility is indivisible.

Surroundings of the term is used in the guidelines for barrier-free facilities of buildings ( residential and working environment )

• VDI 6008 Sheet 1: barrier -free living; General requirements and planning criteria ( 2012-12 )
• VDI 6008 sheet 2: barrier -free living; Possibilities of Sanitary Engineering ( 2012-12 )
• VDI / VDE 6008 Sheet 3: barrier -free living; Possibilities of electrical engineering and building automation ( 2014-01 )

Construed. Here is the goal, with various limitations (motor, sensory, cognitive) to achieve the greatest possible independence in buildings for people of all ages.

Applications

Accessible buildings, outdoor and traffic facilities

Important ideas about should be such as disabled buildings, can be found in the notes to the standard DIN 18030, which has never entered into force.

In the Federal Republic of Germany shall apply to this section currently the DIN 18024-1 accessible buildings - Part 1: streets, squares, paths, public transport and parks and playgrounds; Planning principles and the DIN 18040-1 accessible buildings - Part 1: Publicly accessible buildings ( replaces DIN 18024-2 ) and accompanying standards DIN 32984 soil indicators, conducting strips etc and DIN 32975 design information in public space. In progress is the draft of DIN 18070: Barrier-free construction - public transport and open space to replace the DIN 18024-1. Based on the experiences of the past no longer measures, but goals are formulated. This is to prevent that, although individual requirements of DIN are met, the overall result, however, is not a practical possibility.

Accessible Communication and Information

Accessible work on and with the computer

To enable people to a barrier-free working in the digital world, various aspects have to be considered: first, software and the Internet become indispensable today not need to be barrier-free. On the other hand some people operating a computer with a disability must in the first place made ​​possible by assistive technologies. This can be, for example eyes and mouth control mouse with physical disabilities, or screen readers and Braille in blind. Other examples are technologies in the field of augmentative communication, making communication in some cases at all possible.

Various organizations have been concerned for some years, as more of the topic, such as the foundations communicate accessible! and Digital Opportunities and the project BIK - Disability Access inform and communicate.

In politics, the subject of increasing relevance, such as the Accessible Information Technology Regulation 2.0 of 2011 illustrates. Above all, however, is to call the UN Disability Rights Convention, which as Austria and Germany (but not Switzerland ) ratified.

To comply with the Convention, adopted by the German Government in 2011 a National Action Plan (NAP ), which is to actively promote the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Boundaries of accessibility

Generally

There are the most diverse disabilities, accessibility is only one ideal that reality can only approximate. In particular, the nature itself always manages barriers that are difficult to overcome even by non-disabled people. To compensate all caused by performance limitations handicaps through technical measures is impossible, also contrary to other ideals (eg, the closeness to nature: All trails could prepare for disabled people are also rated as disfigurement of nature).

The use of barrier-free deals is partly hampered by lack of information on both barrier- free and disabling devices. So existing barriers are often not indicated by standardized travel brochures for example in entrance areas and inside buildings.

Barriers in aviation

A person with reduced mobility (PRM ) has no way to go to a toilet, as airlines neither an on-board wheelchair still provide a barrier-free toilet cubicle available on the European continental flights. The new Regulation ( EC) No 1107/ 2006 concerning the rights of disabled passengers and passengers with reduced mobility, which entered into force on 26 July 2008 contains no clause to barrier-free sanitary areas in aircraft.

With the help of an online petition " Public Air Law - Accessibility in air traffic " is now to be made ​​aware of this state of affairs and a renewed political discourse are brought in transition. Also Bundestag and Euro parliament politicians have taken of the concern. So asks the European Parliament MEP Angelika Beer airlines to " enable the rapid implementation of the EU Regulation a Barrier-Free Travel ".

The petition accessibility in air travel is not yet complete. As the first company Lufthansa responded. On request of the insured Lufthansa speaker January Bärwalde that even on so-called short-and medium -haul flights in advance now on-board wheelchairs are carried. This oral statement has so far not recorded in writing.

Although otherwise the expansion of accessible infrastructure in India is not yet widespread, the Indian airline IndiGo is with the regular use of ramps to start a pioneer in wheelchair - friendly air transport.

Goal setting as a way to better accessibility

The tool of the target agreement opened disability organizations in Germany the chance to join with municipalities, public institutions and companies in negotiations to conclude agreements on the production of accessibility. It is thus achieved that designed for all areas of life can be made available.

The first target agreement was with the target agreement between the Kreishandwerkerschaft Rureifel, the Federal Working Group self-help for people with disabilities and chronic illness and their families eV and the social VdK Nordrhein Westfalen eV, for example, concluded with a public corporation in Germany on compliance with web accessibility and only the second ever in the area of ​​computer accessibility. A target agreement expires after a certain predetermined procedure and will be certified according to target agreement negotiations by written agreement.

The contents of the specified in the source target agreement may be (and is even ) are of course used as a pattern for clubs and institutions for the disabled in Germany.