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Accessibility: from Philosophical Perspectives

Introduction

This article aims to examine the concept of accessibility from some philosophical principles: Utilitarianism and the principle of ‘one and many.’ Doing this will bring to the fore the reason why accessibility is the cynosure of inclusivity.

Understanding Accessibility

Accessibility refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments that are usable for everyone. It ensures that everyone, regardless of their abilities or limitations, can effectively interact with and benefit from a product, technology, environment, or service.

The term ‘accessibility’ has its origin in French. It can be said to be borrowed from the French “accessibilite,” meaning “the quality of being able to be reached or accessed.” This French term might have been influenced by the late Latin accessibilis, from Latin accessus (past participle of accēdere, meaning “to approach”, “to enter”, “to access”, or “to log in.”

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the first known use of the word was in the 15th century, in the sense of the adjective ‘accessible’ meaning “capable of being reached” or “easy to speak to or deal with.” In essence, accessibility has evolved into a great multidisciplinary concept that aims to remove barriers and provide equal access to information and functionality for every user.

Digital accessibility concerns itself with ensuring that digital content and interfaces can be easily used by people with disabilities. Therefore, it advocates for designs, websites, and applications to consider different and potential users who may have disabilities, such as hearing, cognitive, neurodiverse, dexterity, or vision-related challenges.

Universal design concerns itself with ensuring that created products are usable by the greatest number of people in various situations. If that is the case, it suggests that such a product is also useful, and enjoyable. It is satisfactory and caters to a delightful user experience.

Let’s consider how accessibility relates to utilitarianism in maximizing happiness for multiple users.

Showing icons of people in many colors with raised hands, and a wheelchair on a blue ground and the caption "Utilitarianism and Accessibility, One and Many."

Accessibility vis-à-vis Utilitarianism

A prominent 19th-century philosopher, John Stuart Mill advocated in his consequentialist ethical theory called utilitarianism that “an action is deemed right if it increases the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.” His “principle of utility” emphasizes that the ethical value of an action is measured by its total effect on human well-being and happiness, where he defines happiness as a combination of pleasure and the absence of pain.

Mill expanded his theory to include human rights arguing that certain rights and liberties add significantly to overall happiness. He, therefore, advocated that to increase the overall happiness in a society, you must promote actions that benefit the greatest number of people and respect individual rights and well-being.

Accessibility can be viewed as occupying the space in this 21st century, the type once occupied by utilitarianism in the 19th century. The difference between them is that accessibility suggests guidelines of design praxis in technology and society while utilitarianism is just a theory. Accessibility aims to remove barriers that users face while interacting with different User Interfaces (UI) and increases user engagement and joyful experience.

The concept of accessibility seeks answers to these questions:

  • Can a product or service be used by everyone, no matter how they interact with it?
  • Is your design able to accommodate all potential users in a variety of contexts of use cases?
  • Can your design benefit everyone and not just those with disabilities?

The concept of accessibility considers whether all users, including those with disabilities, can have the same user experience. It promotes accessible designs that lead to a more equitable and user-friendly world, where no one is discriminated against because of their disabilities.

The Seven Accessibility Greatness

Accessibility is a great inclusive concept; the greatest of 'all' inclusive concepts, because it makes light every design burden, and distributes equitably all that is unequal. Accessibility caters to seven remarkable things for the greatest number of people. They can be identified thus:

  1. Accessibility maximizes the greatest happiness.
  2. It eliminates the greatest pain points.
  3. It anticipates the greatest edge cases.
  4. It lays out the greatest golden path.
  5. It adjures the greatest equity of design.
  6. It distributes the greatest right to ease of use.
  7. It directs the greatest designers.

Accessibility and the Philosophical Principle of ‘One and Many’

The philosophical principle of one and many addresses one of the most important questions in metaphysics: the relationship between unity and plurality, or how ‘one’ relates to the ‘many.’

Plato grappled with the problem through his theory of Forms or Ideas. He argued that “non-material abstract forms, and not the material world of change known to us through sensation, possess the highest and most fundamental kind of reality.” He argued that the world of forms is the true reality, the ‘one’, which is eternal and unchangeable, while the manifestations of this physical world are the ‘many,’ which are perpetually changing. 

Aristotle viewed the problem differently. He argued that the Form, or ‘essence’ and matter, ‘substance’ of a thing or object are inseparable. According to him, the essence of a thing is what defines its nature and is within the thing itself. The essence is not in a separate world of forms, he argued. 

This principle has been interpreted in modern philosophy to address the issues of identity and diversity, universals and particulars, individuality and collectivity, and the nature of reality.

The relevance of this principle is that it can be used to understand the coherence and difference in the world, the unity of complex systems, and the place of an individual and the collective in society.

Implications of ‘One and Many’ for Accessibility

The principle of one and many has some implications for understanding accessibility. It can be used to analyze the relationship between the needs of one person and the needs of the many in a society. The implications include:

Individuality and Collectivity

The principle can help address these questions: Can we protect an individual’s identity while maintaining the collective identity of a community? Can an individual maintain their unique identity while being part of a community? How can societies accommodate the wide range of needs and aspirations of individuals while maintaining a cohesive and functioning society?

Social Harmony and Conflict

The principle of one and many can help us understand the dynamics of social harmony and conflict in society. It explores how an individual’s aspirations can co-exist with those of the community. The principle is mostly applied in political philosophy when it establishes systems of governance that relate individual freedoms with social responsibilities.

Unity and Diversity

The principle finds an in-depth meaning in the concept of unity in diversity. It suggests that a society can be unified without necessarily being uniform. We can find this notion in social constructions, multiculturalism, or equality, inclusion, and diversity. It proposes that a good flourishing society recognizes and respects the differences of its members while promoting a sense of togetherness and shared purpose.

Ethical Considerations

The principle of one and many advises that we consider how our actions as individuals affect others and ensure that our actions benefit us and society and calls for a moral framework that will uphold the rights and well-being of both the individual and the society.

The Principle of One and Many in Design

In design, the principle is implied in the concept of unity within diversity. Unity in design makes it possible for all elements to be consistent and coherent to create a sense of wholeness, while at the same time, variety provides enjoyment, curiosity, and delight and prevents boredom. For example,

In UI design, the principle of one and many can be applied to the total user experience, such as ease of use or engagement, which is the ‘one’ and the different elements, such as icons, menus, and buttons, as the ‘many.’  The designer’s role is to ensure that each element (the many) adds to the overarching user experience (the one) by making sure that the product is consistent, intuitive, and pleasing and ensure that the product is both efficient and effective.

The principle of one and many can be applied to accessibility. These philosophical principles can help in creating unifying designs, protecting users' unique identities, eliciting enjoyable user experiences, as well as providing a consistent experience.

Sources

Accessibility. (2024, February 23). In Wikipedia. Accessibility - Wikipedia

Duggin, A. (2016, May 16). What we mean when we talk about accessibility? Retrieved from What we mean when we talk about accessibility - Accessibility in government (blog.gov.uk)

Seewritehear. (n.d.). What is Accessibility? Retrieved from What is Accessibility: An Introduction | SeeWriteHear

Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF. (2016, June 1). What is Accessibility? Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF. What is Accessibility? — updated 2024 | IxDF (interaction-design.org)

John Stuart Mill - The Utilitarian Philosopher. (n.d.). Retrieved from John Stuart Mill – Humanists UK

Copson, A. (2009, October 30). Face to faith, “we should all celebrate the 150th anniversary of John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty.” Retrieved from Face to faith | Andrew Copson | The Guardian

Byars, S. M. B. M., & Stanberry, K. (2018, September 24). 2.4 Utilitarianism: The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number. Retrieved from 2.4 Utilitarianism: The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number - Business Ethics | OpenStax

Seng, D. (2020, April 8). PLATO’S ANSWER TO THE ONE AND THE MANY: WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? Retrieved from Plato’s Answer to the One and The Many: What Have We Learned? – The Socratic Dictum

Rushdoony, R. J. (2017, April 24). Philosophy: The Problem of the One and the Many. Retrieved from Philosophy: The Problem of the One and the Many (chalcedon.edu)

Libre Texts Humanities. (n.d.). The Individual and Society. Retrieved from 6.1: The Individual and Society - Humanities LibreTexts

Fleck, R. (2021, December 10). 11 Principles of Design (& How to Use Them). Retrieved from 11 Principles of Design (and How To Use Them) | Dribbble

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Accessible. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved March 27, 2024, from https://www.merriam-webster.

 

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