Accessibility is a basic characteristic of the built environment, is the condition that makes possible to arrive, entry, exit and use houses, shops, theatres, parks and work places (European Union, 1996) and it allows people to participate in the social and economic activities for which they have been designed. It follows that, where there is a lack of accessibility, for example, with physical barriers, that people can suffer some degree of marginalization and, logically, a loss of quality of life with respect to others who do not suffer this lack, being worst for disabled persons (European Union, 1996).
Published in Chapter:
The Reality of Accessibility in the Public Health Systems
Guillermo López Cala (San Felipe Health Center, Spain), Yolanda María de la Fuente Robles (University of Jaén, Spain), and Rosa María Fernández Alcalá (University of Jaén, Spain)
Copyright: © 2013
|Pages: 29
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-3990-4.ch036
Abstract
This chapter deals with accessibility, a relevant and important concept for every citizen in the improvement of their quality of life in any environment or daily situation. Specifically, an empirical study about accessibility in the public health centers of a Basic Health Area (BHA) of Jaén is carried out. From this study, accessibility deficiencies in health buildings are revealed, and explicit proposals are provided with the aim of improving accessibility in different scopes such as information and communications. The improvement plans based on the use of Technology, Information, and Communication (TIC) tools help sensory disabled users that attend to the Health Center.