Navigation

When people think of disability they usually picture the ADA logo --- an icon of a person using a wheelchair. This image is so iconic because a wheelchair user has a significantly different approach to and experience of navigation than does one who gets around primarily by walking. Ease of navigation for people using a wide variety of methods of transportation is the essence of accessibility in the physical world.

This concept holds true in the virtual world as well. Navigation is essential to independence and self-sufficiency, and because the web is so malleable it has great potential for universality. On a building with a wheelchair ramp next to the main stairway, there is by necessity a spatial separation between walkers and non-walkers entering the building. On the Internet, however, you can build in accessibility enhancements without obstructing those for whom they are not helpful. It's as if you can build a ramp that is invisible to those who can walk. Or rather, you can build a ramp that feels like stairs to those who want stairs. Contrary to the common misconception, there is no need to build separate "accessible" versions of websites off to the side of the "normal" ones. The beauty of the virtual medium is that everyone can enter through the same door.