Accessibility

Definition: Accessibility refers to the ease of access and re-use of materials (e.g., data, code, outputs, publications) for academic purposes, particularly the ease of access is afforded to people with a chronic illness, disability and/or neurodivergence. These groups face numerous financial, legal and/or technical barriers within research, including (but not limited to) the acquisition of appropriately formatted materials and physical access to spaces. Accessibility also encompasses structural concerns about diversity, equity, inclusion, and representation (Pownall et al., 2021). Interfaces, events and spaces should be designed with accessibility in mind to ensure full participation, such as by ensuring that web-based images are colorblind friendly and have alternative text, or by using live captions at events (Brown et al., 2018; Pollet & Bond, 2021; World Wide Web Consortium, 2021).