web site accessibility

What is Web Accessibility, and why is it so important?

There's a tangled web of inaccessibility on the Internet these days. "Web accessibility" means making websites available to all individuals, including those with disabilities or users with different connection devices and speeds. As a good business practice, it's important that your website be accessible to as wide an audience as possible.Websites that shut out people with disabilities, for example, are tuning out a huge part of the consumer market. The very premise of the Internet as a medium for information sharing should make it a great benefit to people with disabilities; in reality, it's not.

About 54 million Americans, or almost 20% of the US population, have disabilities. Computer assisted technologies enable those with disabilities to interact with sites that have been designed to accommodate their technology. If your website doesn't meet accessibility guidelines, you may be blocking a large percentage of potential customers from learning about your products and services -- and purchasing from you!

Just as physical accessibility was first required of federal buildings and then extended to all commercial facilities, many believe it is only a matter of time before all private-sector organizations will be required to have fully accessible online presences. Failing to provide an accessible website puts an organization at risk for everything from litigation and damaged reputation to lost sales and missed opportunities for market leadership.
                                              —From Watchfire Corporation

There are many reasons to make your website accessible:

• It may soon become law for non-federal websites. In June 2001, the US Congress enacted Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, requiring all federal websites to be fully accessible to the disabled. It also requires vendors providing information to federal sites to ensure accessibility.
• It's the right thing to do. Reputable organizations recognize their responsibility to the disabled community.
  
• It increases market size. According to iCAN, people with disabilities have a discretionary income of more than $188 billion dollars.
  
• It addresses the aging population. As the baby boom generation ages, more and more people will likely experience some form of disability.
  
• It enhances corporate image and brand. Companies who can claim their site is 100 percent accessible can benefit from positive publicity.
  
• It reduces corporate risk. Companies with accessible websites protect themselves from litigation, costly settlements, unfavorable publicity, and potential loss of business.
  
• It's not just about the disabled. Some website visitors may be limited by the technology they're using, such as old browsers, non-standard operating systems, slow connections, small screens, or text-only screens (personal device assistants (PDAs), cell phones, etc). These devices do not read websites in the same manner as normal PCs do.
  
• It improves search engine optimization and website usability. Building accessibility into your web design, and designing for the widest audience possible, will ultimately improve its usability and searchability.

So how can Hurtdidit help?

As any developer who has attempted to decipher the complex and sometimes cryptic accessibility reports will likely tell you, the road toward true standards compliance is a long one. There is simply no replacement for experience, and to that end we have converted numerous sites to reach compliancy, and all government agency websites created by Hurtdidit meet at least the minimum ADA standards requirements.

Working with a highly-talented team of programmers, we went a step further and created a tool that automatically converts websites into screen-reader friendly, high-contrast "text only" pages, dynamically. This has resulted in greatly reduced costs for clients to meet accessibility standards.

Contact us today to find out how we can help you make your website more accessible to everyone and to request a cost estimate.

Not only is web accessibility the socially responsible thing to do, but it may even help your bottom line and create a positive image for your organization.