Web Accessibility - Information without Barriers
Internet use has grown at a rapid rate, and has impacted on the world economy. It has spawned entire new industries and ways of conducting business. Unfortunately, the Web is not truly accessible and barriers still prevent between 35 and 60% of people from fully using the Internet. Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web said: “The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.”
As more companies move their business online, these inaccessible users become more important to the business owner. Knowing that up to 60% of potential end-users cannot view their website should spur them to create accessible sites. In simple terms, these potential customers cannot access their services or buy products
Our physical world is more accessible for disabled persons. The next step is accessibility in the electronic world. It is now time to build “wheelchair ramps to the Internet!” For example, adding descriptive text to a website will allow visually impaired individuals to get information using screen reader software. Making a website accessible begins with knowing who its visitors are. If a site offers products or information of interest to senior citizens, you should plan on making many more revisions to meet the accessibility guidelines than a site catering for young sports enthusiasts. What exactly are the barriers facing prospective Internet users? This list, taken from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/) defines the common problems that disabled users’ experience: · They may not be able to see, hear, move, or may not be able to process some types of information easily or at all.· They may have difficulty reading or comprehending text.· They may not have or be able to use a keyboard or mouse. · They may have a text-only screen, a small screen, or a slow Internet connection. · They may not speak or understand fluently the language in which the document is written. · They may be in a situation where their eyes, ears, or hands are busy or interfered with (e.g., driving to work, working in a loud environment, etc.). · They may have an early version of a browser, a different browser entirely, a voice browser, or a different operating system. This list shows that apart from hardware limitations, many barriers can be eliminated by making simple design modifications to websites. Why make your website accessible? First, it is the right thing to do. Inaccessible websites narrow the reach of information that should be available to all who access the Internet. Secondly, the economic benefits of providing accessible websites are undeniable. Opening up a website to the estimated 35-60% of Internet users facing accessibility issues simply makes good business sense. In addition to the moral and economic reasons for Web Accessibility, the issue is one of legislation. The UK Disability Discrimination Act, passed in 1995, took effect in stages. It included specific mention of visual impairments or hearing disabilities. The Code of Practice for the Act came into force in May 2002 and specifically mentioned websites. It spoke of accessible websites being a means that companies could use to provide and ensure that services were accessible to people with visual or hearing impairments. The economic impact of ignoring these potential users was illustrated in a 2003 UK Disability Rights Commission report. They showed that 8.7 million legally disabled Britons commanded a £40 billion annual spending power. Many people mistakenly believe that accessibility guidelines only apply to the static, text portion of a site, when in fact, nothing is exempt. Several basic guidelines specifically address how to handle multimedia or dynamic content. At the other end of the spectrum, while the W3C does not recommend text-only sites, they strongly urge people to consider creating separate text-only sites “if all else fails.” Making it Happen Some time ago, a rumour started that stuffing image title tags with keywords would boost a site’s search engine ranking. As a result, visually impaired site visitors are forced to sit through a synthesized voice reading that can be 40 or more keywords before they hear about the next web page element. Google has confirmed that this is not so and may lower a site’s ranking. A simple description of the image is best for all users. Another mistake is the use of “click here” links that make understanding a page all but impossible for those using page reader software. Page readers read the plain text on the page first and leave all linked text to the end. If a page is heavy on non-descriptive links, the user will be faced with a list of non-descript “Click Here’s” to navigate through. Ensuring that the linked text is descriptive will make the site more accessible. Complete blindness is not the only issue that Web Accessibility addresses. Colour blindness and partial sight must also be addressed to make a website accessible. Colour blindness comes in varying degrees and website designers should consider this before designing a colour template for a site. There are many more steps to be met in the W3C guidelines. A world leader in Internet consulting and education, WSI (We Simplify the Internet) recently launched its new Web accessible corporate website, www.wsiconsultants.com. The company aimed to design and deploy a fully functional website, easily accessible and user-friendly for people with physical disabilities. The new website meets Web Accessibility guidelines as set forth by W3C - the international consortium for creation of web standards. It carries a Level 2 (AA) Web Accessibility rating throughout, with several elements also meeting Level 3 (AAA) requirements.
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