What is a barrier
A barrier is anything that prevents a person with a disability from fully participating in all aspects of society because of his or her disability.
There are many kinds of barriers.
Architectural barriers may result from the design of the building, shape of rooms, size of doorways, or width of hallways, for example.
Physical barriers refer to objects added to the environment, such as doors, windows, elevators, furniture, bathroom hardware, etc.
Information or communication barriers make it difficult for people to receive or send information. For example, a person with a visual disability may not be able to read printed materials, read signs, locate landmarks, or see a hazard. A person with an intellectual disability may not understand information that is not expressed in plain language.
Attitudinal barriers refer to persons who do not know how to communicate with people with disabilities, or persons who display discriminatory behaviours.
Technology barriers refer to devices such as computers, telephones, inadequate or inappropriate assistive technologies.
Systemic barriers can result from an organization’s policies, practices and protocols if they restrict persons with disabilities.
Does your organization present barriers to people with disabilities? How can you tell?
One way of identifying barriers that may exist in your organization is to make a chart.
| Examples of disabilities |
Examples of what you can do |
|
Physical |
Are your customer service counters too high for people in wheelchairs? |
|
Deaf or hard of hearing |
Do you have TTY service so that you can communicate with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing? |
|
Vision disability |
Are your printed materials designed using large, high contrast typefaces? Are your signs displayed in contrasts and typefaces as recommended by CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind)? Is the information on your website easy to read and easy to access? |
|
Mental health disability |
Have you trained your employees in understanding and being sensitive to the needs of people with a mental health disability? |
|
Learning/intellectual disability |
Are your publications in plain language and easy to read?
Are your signs clear (easy to see and understand), concise (simple, short and to the point) and consistent (signs meaning the same thing should always appear the same. For example, fire exit signs should be in red not green)? |
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