A Most Unlikely But Excellent Resource Demonstrating Accessibility

A few nights ago, I was looking for something interesting on TV. I came upon this cooking show. I wasn’t particularly fond of this kind of program, but I have to admit I was interested to see the finished dish.

So I watched it for a few more minutes and an idea struck me.

Wonder what that idea is? No, I didn’t realize that I wanted to be a cook. On the other hand, I had a thought that cooking shows, of all programs, demonstrate a basic principle of accessibility.

Here’s what I mean by my last statement. Cooking shows provide viewers with visual information. Viewers can see what the host is doing. They can see the ingredients and how each one is prepared. Viewers can see how the host cuts up vegetables, slices meat, and how a mixture should look like when it’s cooked. When the host finishes the meal, the screen normally displays the ingredients used and a summary of the recipe.

At the same time, the host provides auditory information to the viewers. While cooking a dish or dessert, the host always tells the viewers what he or she is doing. The host gives the instructions as well as tips to do the steps more easily. Sometimes, the host describes the taste of an ingredient or the dish itself. Viewers can even hear the food as it is being simmered or fried. To encourage the viewers, the host often tells them how simple and fun the steps are in cooking the dish.

This mixture of information ensures two main things. First, you can still understand the recipe even without being able to hear the audio. Second, you can still learn the recipe even without looking at the TV screen.

And that is how cooking shows demonstrate the basic principle of accessibility. These programs were made to include alternative forms of the same information. So cooking shows are able to reach out to their viewers, whether they can not see the visual information or they can’t hear the audio. And what’s more interesting is that no additional work was done. Since these programs were created with this technique from the start, they don’t involve extra effort to enjoy a wider audience.

Conclusion

We can learn the basic principle of accessibility from cooking shows. They provide alternative forms of the same information, so that more people can find value in their content. Producers of cooking shows can achieve this without any additional work or cost. Similarly, we should adapt the same way of thinking when we develop our web site, product, or service.