Alexander, D. (2004). What is the relationship between usability and accessibility, and what should it be?. Available from http://deyalexander.com/presentations/usability-accessibility/. (edit)

This article provides a very thorough discussion of the intersection of usability and accessibility. The author sets up the situation very well by explaining the confusion about the relationship between the two areas not just in academia but also among professionals. In addition, the differences and similarities between usability and accessibility are discussed in detail. For example, it is noted that usability focuses on the needs of target users, while “the underlying theme of accessibility is the notion of universal design” (paragraph 19). However the author goes on to point out that universality is an important concept in usability too. Similar to other literature on accessibility, the author notes that accessibility is plagued by retrofitting, an over reliance on design guidelines, and a lack of user involvement.

The article goes to try to define the relationship between usability and accessibility. The author seems to disagree with the conclusion of Henry & Grossnickle, 2004 that accessibility can easily be integrated into usability and a UCD approach. He notes, “Usability practitioners generally don’t deal with technical issues. They focus on user interface design, so accessibility doesn’t fit neatly inside usability” (paragraph 50). Instead the author concludes that accessibility and usability are “compatible design approaches” (paragraph 58). The article advocates more collaboration between the fields, pointing out that each can help the other. aa