| Is your website accessible to people with | | | | you can apply Universal Design principles to |
| disabilities? It seems like today, website | | | | your website: |
| owners are more concerned with mobile web | | | | |
| design than they are with making their sites | | | | 1. Provide text browser support |
| available to the millions of people around | | | | |
| the world with disabilities. It makes sense | | | | 2. Present documents in text format rather |
| from a business perspective to make your | | | | than in frames or PDF |
| website as accessible as possible to | | | | |
| everyone, but it is also becoming a legal | | | | 3. Avoid requiring visitors to download |
| matter and much for many businesses and | | | | software to view information |
| organizations. | | | | |
| | | | 4. Add "Alt" tags to your graphics so |
| The World Wide Web is classified as a form of | | | | screenreaders can "read" images |
| Information and Communications Technology, or | | | | |
| ICT. Laws and policies regarding ICT | | | | 5. Hyperlink all photos with descriptive text |
| accessibility that are already in existence | | | | |
| are being considered in terms of the | | | | 6. Hyperlink video and audio clips with |
| Internet. In addition, more and more | | | | captioning |
| legislation addressing ICT accessibility is | | | | |
| being enacted around the world. | | | | 7. Provide email or voice/TTY phone number |
| | | | alternatives for on-line forms |
| Although the Internet is for the most part | | | | |
| unregulated, laws can apply to the Web as | | | | 8. Avoid relying on color to convey |
| ICT. Many countries currently have government | | | | information |
| laws, policies, regulations and | | | | |
| recommendations in place regarding Web | | | | You can obtain more complete information |
| accessibility. An abbreviated list of these | | | | about website accessibility guidelines from |
| countries includes: Australia, Canada, | | | | resources such as W3 online. |
| France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Spain the | | | | |
| United Kingdom and the United States. | | | | Depending on your skills, you may or may not |
| | | | need assistance redesigning or developing |
| The Americans with Disabilities Act and | | | | your next website for full accessibility. |
| Internet Accessibility | | | | Whether you make changes to your website |
| | | | design yourself or rely on professional |
| In the United States, rulings regarding the | | | | assistance, remember to evaluate the results. |
| Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) | | | | |
| resulted in the determination that State as | | | | There are many free evaluation tools |
| well as local governments and the business | | | | available online that can help you test web |
| sector must provide "effective communication" | | | | pages on your site for accessibility. For a |
| during Internet communications. | | | | comprehensive evaluation that would ensure |
| | | | compliance with web accessibility laws, you |
| A significant point of the ADA policy rulings | | | | will need to rely on the expertise of a |
| is that communications in graphical format | | | | knowledgeable professional as well as |
| are almost impossible for people with visual | | | | evaluation tools. |
| disabilities to understand. Screenreaders | | | | |
| cannot make sense of graphic images: text | | | | Additional Benefits of Web Accessibility |
| format is absolutely essential, including | | | | |
| text for navigational tools, graphs, tables | | | | Whether you need to bring your website to |
| and charts. | | | | full web accessibility standards to comply |
| | | | with legal requirements, or you're primarily |
| You can find out more about the ADA and | | | | interested in providing access to those with |
| rulings regarding the Internet at the US | | | | disabilities, you'll discover some surprising |
| Department of Justice (USDOJ) website. | | | | additional benefits. |
| | | | |
| Implementing Universal Design | | | | A website with a flexible design is more |
| | | | accessible to people browsing the Web with |
| Whether laws are governing your website today | | | | limited technology, such as dial-up Internet |
| or not, it is in your best interest to make | | | | connections or outdated computers. Your fully |
| your site accessible to all Internet users - | | | | accessible website will also be available to |
| especially if it is a business website. How | | | | those with temporary disabilities, such as |
| can you accomplish this? By implementing the | | | | people recovering from surgery or accidents. |
| elements of Universal Design on all of your | | | | With the right equipment, even people with |
| web pages. Your entire website will then be | | | | limited or no literacy skills will be able to |
| available to the widest range of Internet | | | | browse your website. |
| users possible, regardless of the type of | | | | |
| technology or equipment they use, | | | | Regardless of what type of website you have, |
| disabilities, age, or level of education. | | | | focusing on web accessibility will benefit |
| | | | your visitors as well as your business in a |
| The following are some of the specific ways | | | | variety of ways. |