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<li><a href="/WAI/about/participating/">Get Involved</a></li> <li><a href="/WAI/about/">About W3C WAI</a></li> <li> <form action="/WAI/search/" role="search"> <div> <label for="header-search"> <span class="visuallyhidden">Search:</span> <input id="header-search" type="search" name="q" placeholder="Search" aria-label="Search"> </label> <button class="button button-icon button-nobg button-noborder"><span><svg focusable="false" aria-label="Submit Search" class="icon-search "><use xlink:href="/WAI/assets/images/icons.svg#icon-search"></use></svg></span></button> </div> </form> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </header><nav class="mainnav" aria-label="Main" lang="en"><ul><li><a lang="en" href="/WAI/fundamentals/"><span>Accessibility Fundamentals</span></a></li><li><a lang="en" href="/WAI/planning/"><span>Planning & Policies</span></a></li><li><a lang="en" href="/WAI/design-develop/"><span>Design & Develop</span></a></li><li><a lang="en" href="/WAI/test-evaluate/"><span>Test & Evaluate</span></a></li><li><a lang="en" href="/WAI/teach-advocate/"><span>Teach & Advocate</span></a></li><li><a lang="en" href="/WAI/standards-guidelines/"><span>Standards/<wbr>Guidelines</span></a></li></ul></nav><nav class="default-grid breadcrumb" aria-label="Breadcrumb" lang="en"> <ul style="align-self: center;"> <li><a href="/WAI/" lang="en">Home</a></li><li><a lang="en" href="/WAI/fundamentals/"><span>Accessibility Fundamentals</span></a></li><li><a lang="en" href="/WAI/people/" aria-current="page"><span>Accessibility is About People</span></a></li></ul> </nav> <div class="default-grid with-gap leftcol"> <div class="sidenav"><nav class="sn-contents" aria-label="Secondary"> <ul class="sidenav--list"> <li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/fundamentals/" class="page-link"><span>Accessibility Fundamentals</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/" class="page-link"><span>Introduction to Accessibility</span></a><ul><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/videos/standards-and-benefits/" class="page-link"><span>Video Introduction</span></a></li></ul></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people/" aria-current="page" class="page-link"><span>Accessibility is About People</span></a><ul><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/perspective-videos/" class="page-link"><span>Perspectives Videos</span></a><ul><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/perspective-videos/keyboard/" class="page-link"><span>Keyboard Compatibility</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/perspective-videos/contrast/" class="page-link"><span>Colors with Good Contrast</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/perspective-videos/layout/" class="page-link"><span>Clear Layout and Design</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/perspective-videos/speech/" class="page-link"><span>Text to Speech</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/perspective-videos/controls/" class="page-link"><span>Large Links, Buttons, and Controls</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/perspective-videos/captions/" class="page-link"><span>Video Captions</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/perspective-videos/customizable/" class="page-link"><span>Customizable Text</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/perspective-videos/voice/" class="page-link"><span>Speech Recognition</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/perspective-videos/understandable/" class="page-link"><span>Understandable Content</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/perspective-videos/notifications/" class="page-link"><span>Notifications and Feedback</span></a></li></ul></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/" class="page-link"><span>How People with Disabilities Use the Web</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/user-stories/" class="page-link"><span>Stories of Web Users</span></a><ul><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/user-stories/story-one/" class="page-link"><span>Ade's Story</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/user-stories/story-two/" class="page-link"><span>Ian's Story</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/user-stories/story-three/" class="page-link"><span>Lakshmi's Story</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/user-stories/story-four/" class="page-link"><span>Lexie's Story</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/user-stories/story-five/" class="page-link"><span>Sophie's Story</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/user-stories/story-six/" class="page-link"><span>Dhruv's Story</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/user-stories/story-seven/" class="page-link"><span>Marta's Story</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/user-stories/story-eight/" class="page-link"><span>Stefan's Story</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/user-stories/story-nine/" class="page-link"><span>Elias' Story</span></a></li></ul></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/abilities-barriers/" class="page-link"><span>Diverse Abilities and Barriers</span></a><ul><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/abilities-barriers/auditory/" class="page-link"><span>Auditory</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/abilities-barriers/cognitive/" class="page-link"><span>Cognitive and Learning</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/abilities-barriers/physical/" class="page-link"><span>Physical</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/abilities-barriers/speech/" class="page-link"><span>Speech</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/abilities-barriers/visual/" class="page-link"><span>Visual</span></a></li></ul></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/tools-techniques/" class="page-link"><span>Tools and Techniques</span></a><ul><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/tools-techniques/perception/" class="page-link"><span>Perception</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/tools-techniques/presentation/" class="page-link"><span>Presentation</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/tools-techniques/input/" class="page-link"><span>Input</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/people-use-web/tools-techniques/navigation/" class="page-link"><span>Interaction</span></a></li></ul></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/older-users/" class="page-link"><span>Older Users and Accessibility</span></a><ul><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/older-users/developing/" class="page-link"><span>How WCAG 2 Applies</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/older-users/literature/" class="page-link"><span>Literature Review</span></a></li></ul></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-usability-inclusion/" class="page-link"><span>Accessibility, Usability, Inclusion</span></a></li></ul></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/fundamentals/components/" class="page-link"><span>Components of Web Accessibility</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-principles/" class="page-link"><span>Accessibility Principles</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/research/" class="page-link"><span>Research</span></a><ul><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/research/user-requirements/" class="page-link"><span>User Requirements</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/research/ai2023/" class="page-link"><span>AI and Accessibility</span></a></li></ul></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/courses/" class="page-link"><span>Digital Accessibility Courses</span></a><ul><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/courses/foundations-course/" class="page-link"><span>W3C Foundations Online Course</span></a></li><li> <a lang="en" href="/WAI/courses/list/" class="page-link"><span>Course List</span></a></li></ul></li></ul></nav> </div> <main id="main" lang="en"> <header> <h1> Accessibility: It’s About People </h1></header> <p><img src="/WAI/content-images/people/still-dog-outside.png" alt="" class=" normal right" /></p> <p>Accessibility is about ensuring that digital technology is usable by people with disabilities. Checklists, standards, and laws are important tools to help achieve accessibility — yet sometimes they get the focus instead of the fundamental goal of accessibility: meeting the needs of disabled people in the real world. Accessibility is an important aspect of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).</p> <p>Many WAI resources cover the organizational, technical, and standards aspects of accessibility. The following WAI resources help you understand the <strong>people</strong> aspects:</p> <div style="float:right; margin-left:1em; clear:both;"> <img src="/WAI/content-images/people/two-smiling.png" alt="" class=" mini" /><br /> <img src="/WAI/content-images/people/low-vision.png" alt="" class=" mini" /><br /> <img src="/WAI/content-images/people/older-user-laptop.png" alt="" class=" mini" /><br /> <img src="/WAI/content-images/people/sip-puff.png" alt="" class=" mini" /><br /> <img src="/WAI/content-images/people/hearing-aid.png" alt="" class=" mini" /><br /> <img src="/WAI/content-images/people/low-vision-pizza.png" alt="" class=" mini" /><br /> <img src="/WAI/content-images/people/mobile-outside.png" alt="" class=" mini" /> </div> <dl> <dt><a href="/WAI/perspective-videos/">Web Accessibility Perspectives: Explore the Impact and Benefits for Everyone</a></dt> <dd>Videos that illustrate <strong><em>Accessibility: essential for some, useful for all</em></strong>. Learn about the impact of accessibility on people with disabilities and the benefits for everyone in a variety of situations. Pages include supporting information. Ten 1-minute videos, and a 7-minute compilation <img src="/WAI/content-images/video.svg" alt="" class=" icon" /></dd> <dt><a href="/WAI/people-use-web/">How People with Disabilities Use the Web</a></dt> <dd>Provides user stories (“personas”) of people with different disabilities. Describes tools and approaches that people use to browse the web and the barriers they encounter due to poor design. Includes videos that illustrate <strong><em>Accessibility: It’s about people.</em></strong> <img src="/WAI/content-images/video.svg" alt="" class=" icon" /></dd> <dt><a href="/WAI/older-users/">Older Users and Web Accessibility: Meeting the Needs of Ageing Web Users</a></dt> <dd>Explains that designing products that are easier for older people to use is similar to designing for people with disabilities. Links to: <a href="/WAI/older-users/developing/">Developing Websites for Older People: How Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Applies</a> and <a href="/WAI/older-users/literature/">Web Accessibility for Older Users: A Literature Review</a>.</dd> <dt><a href="/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-usability-inclusion/">Accessibility, Usability, and Inclusion</a></dt> <dd>Explains the distinctions and overlaps between accessibility, usability, and inclusive design; encourages increased coordination across research and practice in these disciplines; and points out the importance of maintaining the focus of accessibility on people with disabilities.</dd> </dl> <p>Related resources:</p> <ul> <li><strong><a href="/WAI/cognitive/">Cognitive Accessibility at W3C</a></strong> introduces existing guidelines and additional work on accessibility for people with cognitive and learning disabilities.</li> <li><strong><a href="/WAI/planning/involving-users/">Involving Users in Web Projects for Better, Easier Accessibility</a></strong> describes how project managers, designers, and developers can better understand accessibility issues and implement more effective accessibility solutions.</li> </ul> <aside class="box box-icon box-space-above" id="helpimprove" aria-label="feedback"><header class="box-h box-h-icon box-h-space-above box-h-icon"> <svg focusable="false" aria-hidden="true" class="icon-comments "><use xlink:href="/WAI/assets/images/icons.svg#icon-comments"></use></svg> <h2> Help improve this page </h2></header><div class="box-i"><p>Please share your ideas, suggestions, or comments via e-mail to the publicly-archived list <a href="mailto:wai@w3.org?body=%5Binclude%20a%20relevant%20email%20Subject%5D%0A%0A%5Bput%20comment%20here...%5D%0A%0AI%20give%20permission%20to%20share%20this%20to%20a%20publicly-archived%20e-mail%20list.">wai@w3.org</a> or via GitHub.</p> <div class="button-group"> <a href="mailto:wai@w3.org?body=%5Binclude%20a%20relevant%20email%20Subject%5D%0A%0A%5Bput%20comment%20here...%5D%0A%0AI%20give%20permission%20to%20share%20this%20to%20a%20publicly-archived%20e-mail%20list." class="button"><span>E-mail</span></a><a href=" https://github.com/w3c/wai-website/edit/main/pages/fundamentals/people/index.md " class="button"><span>Fork & Edit on GitHub</span></a><a href="https://github.com/w3c/wai-website/issues/new?template=content-issue.yml&wai-resource-id=wai-people-intro&wai-url=https://www.w3.org/WAI/people/" class="button"><span>New GitHub Issue</span></a></div></div></aside> <a class="button button-backtotop" href="#top"><span><svg focusable="false" aria-hidden="true" class="icon-arrow-up "><use xlink:href="/WAI/assets/images/icons.svg#icon-arrow-up"></use></svg> Back to Top</span></a> </main> </div> <footer id="wai-site-footer" class="page-footer default-grid" aria-label="Page"> <div class="inner"><p><strong>Updated:</strong> 3 March 2023.</p><p><strong>Editor:</strong> <a href="https://www.w3.org/People/Shawn/">Shawn Lawton Henry</a>.</p> <p>Developed with input from the Education and Outreach Working Group (<a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/eowg">EOWG</a>). 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