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Defuzz Internet Marketing Articles
Website Accessibility
What is Web Accessibility?
Web accessibility refers to the practice of making websites usable by people of all abilities and disabilities. When sites are correctly designed, developed and edited, all users can have equal access to information and functionality. For example, when a site is coded with semantically meaningful HTML, with textual equivalents provided for images and with links named meaningfully, this helps blind users using text-to-speech software and/or text-to-Braille hardware. When text and images are large and/or enlargable, it is easier for users with poor sight to read and understand the content. When links are underlined (or otherwise differentiated) as well as coloured, this ensures that color blind users will be able to notice them. When clickable links and areas are large, this helps users who cannot control a mouse with precision. When flashing effects are avoided or made optional, users prone to seizures caused by these effects are not put at risk. And when content is written in plain language and illustrated with instructional diagrams and animations, users with dyslexia and learning difficulties are better able to understand the content. When sites are correctly built and maintained, all of these users can be accommodated while not impacting on the usability of the site for non-disabled users.
Why is an accessible website important?
In Australia, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 makes it unlawful to design web pages that fail to be accessible to the disabled. The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission have also said that publishing information in formats such as PDF or Flash, without providing an accessible alternative, may lead to complaints of discrimination. The biggest case of this law being enforced happened in 2000, when the Sydney Olympic Committee was sued - and they lost the case to to tune of $20,000.
We live in a country where non-discrimination and the equal right to participate are held as strong moral values. Accessible web design is an expression of those values and is seen as the moral or ethical thing to do. Organisations that seek to demonstrate social responsibility will do so by doing their best to create accessible websites.
There a numerous benefits for businesses if their online resources are accessible. These include:
- Increasing the size of their market to include customers with disabilities including older users who benefit from accessible design
- Improving usability for all customers through "good" design principles
- An easier site to maintain because of the use of correct markup and the separation of content from presentation
Defuzz automatically takes these things (and more!) into consideration when undertaking a web design and development contract.