Web accessibility defines a set of rules which when implemented will make a website user-friendly for people with disabilities that prevent them from browsing the web normally. Not all but some countries do have web accessibility laws but how stringent these laws are varies from country to country. Talking about the United States, there are no laws as such that binds corporations to make their website compliant with web accessibility norms. However, the government and government-supported organizations are supposed to abide by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998. Private business concerns need not follow these. In the UK, however, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) states that any organization that provides goods or services online is legally obligated to make their sites accessible by disabled people.
Even though there is no strictness as such from the legal perspective in most countries to follow web accessibility norms, it is important for the organizations that are planning expansion in their respective fields of business to ensure that their website(s) are designed and developed keeping the web accessibility norms in mind. It makes good business sense as quite a few people suffer from disabilities and they definitely are potential customers for businesses selling products and services online.
Web accessibility permits easy access to people with all abilities and disabilities that include physical, speech, visual, auditory, cognitive and neurological impairments. A meaningfully coded site with useful links can make a great difference. The chief objective of web accessibility is to offer access and opportunity to those who, in spite of their disabilities, can take part in and benefit from the internet at equal levels.
Globally, there are millions of people with disabilities. Today, internet plays an important role in providing information and services related to all key aspects of life like shopping, education, recreation, healthcare and others. With websites following web accessibility norms disabled people will be able to actively participate in the online world.
Web accessibility can substantially benefit your company too. If you are engaged in e-commerce, you can tap huge market potential that the web accessibility can provide you with. For an additional 10% cost, you can improve targets for your website. If you let your site be easily accessible, you would only make it user friendly and formulate criteria so other companies may be able to make their web initiatives standards compliant and user-friendly.
To make a website accessible, there are seven components that must be kept in mind. These include content, web browsers and media players, assistive technologies, users’ knowledge and experience about web, developers, and authoring tools. Web accessibility helps a company get more loyal customers by ensuring that their websites are easy to access. Companies can also avoid legal complications by following the web accessibility norms which have become law for many businesses. One can easily check or test accessibility of one’s website through the following link – http://wave.webaim.org/.
Test your site for accessibility now
The best approach to make your website follow web accessibility rules is to hire a company that knows about it all. You can simply hand over your web design and development project to them.
