Disability, human rights, and social justice: The ongoing struggle for online accessibility and equality

Abstract

This paper argues for a reconsideration of the arguments made for online equality for persons with disabilities, using the context of the United States as a primary lens through which to examine the issues. By linking the existing legal protections and professional standards for accessible design to structures and institutions of human rights and social justice from international to local levels, advocates for an accessible online environment will have new opportunities to establish online equality for persons with disabilities within the broader continuum of human rights and social justice. Framing and discussing accessibility as a human issue as much as a legal and technical issue may bring significant changes to the current relationships between disability and the Internet.