Accessible Design: Problems and Solutions
A Literature Review to Support the
ITTATC Needs Assessment
April 2001
This is a publication of the Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center which is
funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of
Education under cooperative agreement #H133A000405. The opinions contained in this publication are
those of the grantee and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Education. For questions
or comments, please contact Brad Fain at brad.fain@gtri.gatech.edu.
A pervasive lack of accessible information technology and telecommunications equipment in today's
marketplace serves to perpetuate the digital divide between people with and without disabilities,
particularly as technology advances without the inclusion of people with disabilities in its
conceptualization and design. This divide, however, can be removed by the consistent practice of
accessible design.
In industry, the primary barrier to the implementation of accessible design principles is a lack of
understanding regarding the goals of accessible design and the misperception that accessible design is
overly time consuming and cost prohibitive. In addition, there is a lack of specification in the literature
defining what makes a product accessible.
The primary purpose of the Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center (ITTATC) is to
provide information and training materials that would assist in the development of information technology
and telecommunications equipment that is accessible to people with disabilities. In order to develop and
implement training materials related to accessible design, a formal needs assessment is being conducted.
This needs assessment will document the extent of the accessibility problems in the information technology
and telecommunications industries and provide an understanding of what project stakeholders perceive as
possible solutions.
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