Web accessability
Wednesday, September 19th, 2007Most people today can hardly conceive a life without the Internet. It provides access to information, news, email, shopping, and entertainment. The Internet, with its ability to serve out information at any hour of the day or night about practically any topic conceivable, has become a way of life for an impatient, information-hungry generation. Some have argued that no other single invention has been more revolutionary since that of Gutenberg’s original printing press in the mid 1400s.
Now, at the click of a mouse, the world can be "at your fingertips"—that is, if you can use a mouse… and if you can see the screen… and if you can hear the audio—in other words, if you don’t have a disability of any kind.
What is Web Accessibility?
Web accessibility is about providing people with disabilities the opportunity to surf through a web site with minimum inconvenience. There are different kinds of problems that surfers face when on the Internet:
· Visual – blindness, color blindness, poor vision
· Hearing – Total or partial deafness
· Motor – People with limitations in using a mouse
· Technical – People using old hardware or software
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), part of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), was established to oversee the development of Web accessibility. The WAI develops guidelines for Web accessibility; support materials to help understand and implement Web accessibility and Web accessibility resources.
The W3C has identified three levels of checkpoint items:
· Level 1 -These address issues that would completely prevent disabled visitors from visiting a site, so they must be met. The standards listed in Section 508 correspond to the issues outlined in this level. They include the use of ALT tags in images and proper labelling of data tables.
· Level 2 - These are optional, but should be addressed if possible. If these points are not met, visitors with a disability may not be able to visit parts of a site. They include the use of style sheets, the elimination of pop-up windows and frames.
· Level 3 - Are "nice to have" but not mandatory. Points include establishing a logical tab order among links on a page, providing keyboard shortcuts for important links and grouping links in easily identifiable sets.
Web Accessibility Appreciation
Why should you make your site accessible?
· The main reason should be that it is the right thing to do.
· A very important economic incentive – an accessible site will reach an additional 20% of the population in the UK alone representing a potential $70 Billion market.
· Finally legislation is critical. Because of laws already in place, in different countries, people or organizations have sued websites in order to enforce the implementation of web accessibility.
Who’s interested in accessibility?
The legal ramifications are not the only reasons for compliance with accessibility standards. There are many other market sectors that are interested in sites that conform to accessibility standards, such as:
· Government
· Education
· Libraries
· News groups and online periodicals
· Public utilities and transportation
· Hospitals
· Banking, bill payment
