CATEGORIES Auto & Trucks Business & Finance Computers & Internet Education Family Food & Drink Gadgets and Gizmos Health Hobbies Home Improvement Humor Kids & Teens Legal Marketing Men Music and Movies Online Business Parenting Pets and Animals Politics and Government Recreation & Sports Relationships Religion and Faith Self Improvement Site Promotion Travel & Leisure Web Development Women Writing Keyword Search Article Title Author's Name SITE MENU Search Submit An Article Submit Articles in Bulk Submit Press Release Syndicate Articles Distribute Articles Privacy Policy Terms of Use Link To Us Contact Us Site Map Home

Website Accessibility – Why it Matters  by: Sarthak Aggarwal "The power of the web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect." Tim Berners-Lee, Director of W3C. The article covers: • What is website accessibility • The need for website accessibility • Why website accessibility matters • Improving website accessibility Website accessibility Definition We define website accessibility as the ability of a website to be used by all, irrespective of mode or disability. The ever growing Web is home to immense information. Responsible web content contributors make efforts to have the website information accessible regardless of what mode the visitors are using to access the website and of disabilities. Website Accessibility: The Need Web is a huge resource that is accessed by people with different accessing devices and disabilities. Different devices may include: • Different graphic browsers (Opera, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer etc) and their different versions • Reading devices like JAWS etc • Text-only browsers etc Different disabilities may include: • Blindness • Paralysis • Alzheimer’s disease • Dyslexia • Lack of hearing etc Even situations like loud and crowded place, lack of an audio device at hand can lead to website inaccessibility. Not being able to serve your audience with the information they need is a handicap that must be avoided. Making the website accessible not only addresses the needs of users with disabilities but also caters to user preferences and situations. Website Accessibility benefits Website Accessibility Guidelines were released in May, 1999 and yet larger part of the web still inaccessible to many. Here are a few reason why you should be part of the Web that follows website accessibility standards: • It promises equal opportunity to all on the Web • It enhances web user experience • It makes your website more usable • It makes your website more manageable • You can reach a broader audience • It can improve your conversion rate by 100% (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030107.html) • It makes you a responsible web content contributor • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines require so • It’s a law in many jurisdictions (http://www.w3.org/WAI/Policy/) • Denying access to all can be seen as discriminatory and may land you into expensive lawsuits Improving Website Accessibility Improving accessibility features depends on the tools used to develop the site and the design itself. While it may be possible to improve a few features, it is not possible to implement all features if the site was not designed flexibly. Nonetheless, all efforts should be put towards making the website as accessible as possible. Making the website accessible to all would endorse the universality of the Web. When we create a website, we are reaching out to the global audience. By creating a website which adheres to accessibility standards, we are respecting our audience and the web space. About The Author Sarthak Aggarwal is working with CueBlocks - an Internet Marketing Firm that helps companies develop and implement successful online marketing strategies. http://www.cueblocks.com This article was posted on November 04, 2005 Read More Articles from the "Web Design and Development" Category: The Psychology of Color in Web Design by Lala C. Ballatan Make Your Web Site Quick To Load And Keep Customers! by Michael Kralj Building a Website? Please make your pages eye-friendly! by Yohana Saint-Etienne Issues On Web Design by Hunter Blyth Website Traffic Is Not The Key To Success by Mike Burke How to Pick Your Domain Name by Scott Bianchi Web Design Tips by Halstatt Pires The Shortcut To The Top Position by Florie Lyn Masarate Web Design & Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Myths – Revealed by James Anderson Web Design Projects Good Designs by Neil Parnham << Back to "Web Design And Development" Index

Disclaimer: The information presented and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors
and do not necessarily represent the views of ArticleCity.com and/or its partners.

	Web www.articlecity.com