I would say that this facet of computers is becoming less accessible as time goes on. App stores, code signing, OS lock-downs and all sorts of "security" measures just make it harder for someone to pick up programming.
That's only true if you want to learn programming on a locked-down platform like an iPad or a smartphone. You can still write code for Windows or Linux that anyone can download from your web site or Github without jumping through any hoops. And despite all the prognostications about the death of the general-purpose computer being imminent, there are still infinitely many useful programs that you can develop for a desktop/laptop machine.
On the other hand, today everybody has access to MOOCs, google, communities like HN, reddit, stackoverflow and organizations like MakeGamesWithUs.