Accessibility - Handicap International

Why work in the field of accessibility?
Throughout the world, and in particular in developing countries, people with disabilities are
faced with the problem of limited access to basic services such as health services, schools,
training and employment facilities, transport, water supply and sanitation etc. Ensuring
this access is however fundamental to enable people with disabilities full social participation
3 to the life of their community.
In order to work on the different elements for improving access to these services, it is
important to work on their physical accessibility.
There are three main reasons for this:
SITUATIONAL DISABILITY AS THE BASIS FOR THE INTERVENTION
The introduction of environmental factors
into the conceptual Handicap Creation
Process (HCP) model, allows us to introduce
the notion of “situational disability”. Indeed,
an individual can be considered to be in
a disabling situation when the interaction
between the personal factors and
environmental factors prevents them from
continuing to carry on as normal in their
daily life.
This is why the projects developed by
Handicap International target not only
the person themselves but also their
environment. Human beings, more than
any other species, strongly influence their
own physical and social environment and
are therefore well placed to adapt this
environment.
Actions to improve accessibility change
both the physical environment and the
means of information and communication
available. In doing so, they reduce in turn
the number of obstacles or environmental
factors for handicap creation. It is therefore
the environment which must be adapted
to the person’s aptitudes, and not the
other way round.
The environment:
Buildings,
road systems,
facilities,etc.
Requires action:
to move around,
to reach objects,
to read texts, to
hear messages,
to understand
signposting, to find the
right direction
Difficulty:
Difficult and/or
dangerous
If no
connection
Disabling
situation
or
The users
Have skills:
motor – ambulation,
prehension, visual,
auditory, cognitive,
communication, cardiorespiratory
capacity
Impossibility
Exclusion,
marginalisation
Source: Learning kit - Accessibilité de la voirie aux
personnes handicapées - CERTU - 2004
3. This document refers to the “social participation situation” as opposed to the “handicap situation”, as explained in the Disability
Creation Process (P. Fougeyrollas): “A social participation situation refers to the total accomplishment of life habits, resulting from
the interaction between personal factors (impairments, disabilities and other personal characteristics) and environmental factors
(facilitators and obstacles)”.
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