A Toolkit For Detecting And Eliminating The Barriers That People With Disabilities Face In The Built Environment: The Case Of Slovenia, Europe

Accessibility is defined as the opportunity for an individual at any given location to take part in a particular activity or set of activities (Jones, 1981). It encompasses a broad range of areas such as housing, employment and training, the justice system and leisure services; first of all, however, accessibility means that everybody should have access to the built environment. An accessible built environment means providing buildings and places that are designed and managed to be safe, healthy, convenient and enjoyable for use by all members of society, which means that each “person will be able to seek employment, receive education and training” (Ambrose et al. 2003, 3). Therefore, an accessible built environment is key for a society based on equal rights, providing citizens with autonomy and the means to pursue an active social and economic life.