Accessibility
Accessibility - you can see it... But can everyone else?
Accessibility has become something of a popular buzzword in the web industry - but what exactly does it mean? What does it entail?
Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web. More specifically, Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, and that they can contribute to the Web. Web accessibility also benefits others, including older people with changing abilities due to aging.
If you are running a business, it should be your aim to reach every section of your potential target audience. Many sites look as though they have been designed for the the people who actually commissioned them, when the reality is that the target audience is far more diverse.
For instance, have you ever considered:
- Visually impaired users?
- Customers who may have older, less advanced equipment?
- Disabled customers who don't have or can't use a mouse?
Web accessibility guidelines are set down by the WAI, and covers such a wide scope that making an existing inaccessible web site adhere to these rules can be both painstaking and expensive. As such, all of my designs are coded in strict XHTML and CSS right from the very outset.
Around ninety percent of sites out there - from cottage industies to multinationals with million-pound budgets - are yet to grasp the nettle. Making your web site accessible may soon well become a legal requirement - so make sure you don't end up being stung.