Accessibility in the Real World

In a previous entry, I wrote about Usability in the real world, quoting a problem with opening a badly designed door at a coffee shop. Being the un-read person that I am, I didn't realise at the time that I was in fact harping on about Norman Doors, as Donald Norman writes in his excellent The Design of Everyday Things.

Similarly, I've noticed a few accessibility (in a broad sense) issues that occur in real life:

• If you see a guide dog, please don't run up and pet it. Think of them like furry little lap dancers; whilst they're working, keep your hands off.
• High-street shop owners: please don't put large speakers outside your shop, with the volume turned up to 11. Some people rely on being able to hear in order to navigate.  Plus it's really irritating.
• Escalators that are easy to go up (i.e. each successive up-escalator is placed next to the end of the previous one), but are hard to come down (i.e. you have to walk half-the-way around the shop to get down each level).  I'm sure the elderly really appreciate this.