Introduction

In this chapter, assistive technology is defined and the underlying issues regarding its use and application are discussed. Once the relationship between disability, assistive technology and Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) is established, this chapter further elaborates on how this creates challenges for building an accessible tourism information system. There are four main challenges involved, namely: Interoperability, Content Integration, Personalisation and Accessible Design. By the end of this chapter, readers should have gained an understanding of the issues involved in designing technology for the disabled population in the particular context of accessible tourism.

Design for All and ICTs

One of the primary requirements of the disabled market with regard to technology is the ‘design for all’ principle which is defined as: ‘The design of products, services and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialised design’ (ETSI, 2002a). This principle applies to all ICT products, services and environments. It is essential that ‘design for all’ is implemented throughout the development process but it is even more important to have accessibility in mind prior to initiating the process, to minimise unnecessary cost and effort. The importance of the ‘design for all’ principle lies within the fact that it enables disabled and elderly people to better integrate into society, with ICTs playing a significant role in that. Additionally, this principle is assistive for other markets as well, as for instance, a website ‘designed for all’ can be accessible to disabled as well as to PDA and mobile users. However, ‘design for all’ does not imply that all products and services following this principle will be utterly accessible to everyone; it rather conveys that designers ought to take under consideration the requirements of the disabled people at the very end of the pyramid (in contrast to the mainstream middle) and design interfaces that interoperate with their assistive technologies (ETSI, 2002a).