Accessibility what is it and how can YourLink help?
Accessibility - You may have heard the term but not known exactly what it means or how it relates to you.
Accessibility refers to how products, devices, services and environments are designed to ensure it can be used or accessed by people who experience various forms of disabilities.
Some common examples you may encounter in your everyday life is seeing ramps to enter and exit buildings, braille on the ATM buttons or seats at the front of a bus that have room for wheelchairs.
When it comes to technology, there are many features and functions as well as complementary equipment that can make technology more accessible for the broader community. With nearly 20% of the Australian population having some form of limiting physical, learning or mental ability, access to digital devices can have its challenges.
YourLink believes that all people should have a quality of life that includes happiness, sense of purpose and a feeling of being valued. Part of our goal is to build an inclusive community for our ageing loved ones.
Our recent article about tips and tricks with the iPad showed some accessibility features that can help individuals and we look forward to sharing more in the coming months.
Some practical ways we use our accessibility skills to make a difference.
Educate teams and clients on features that make everyday activities a little easier;
Champion how technology can support all people, regardless of abilities;
Work with technology partners including Apple;
Partner with the aged care and community sector to create a greater change across the sector.
Accessibility is continuously improving and we are always looking for how we can stay up to date with this. With the latest wave of smart home assistants like Apple HomePod, Google Home and Amazon Echo as well as voice assistants like Siri (Apple), Google Assistant and Alexa (Amazon) the potential for further ways to embed accessibility in technology becomes even greater.
Apple takes great pride in its’ strong accessibility pedigree. You can view more about this on the Apple website. And watch this video below to see accessibility in action.