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So what is accessibility? Accessibility is about making sure that your web site is available to as many people as possible regardless of the platform or technology that they use to browse it. The Web Accessibility Initiative (W.A.I.) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has compiled and published guidelines that explain how to create accessible Web sites. For an overview of these guidelines, see Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Why is accessibility important?The Internet is a key resource for news, information, commerce, entertainment, education and government services. As the use of the web increases, you need to make your site accessible to everybody. If you don't make the site accessible, you limit your audience and, potentially, your customer base. For example, lots of people with visual, hearing, mobility, cognitive or neurological disabilities use the Internet every day. Many of them find many web sites difficult or even impossible to use simply because of the way they have been designed. To find out more about some of the problems disabled users face, see disabilities issues. Accessiblity, however, is not just about making sure disabled people can access your information; it is about making sure everyone can access and use your information. Present your information in a way that people can access it whatever hardware or software they use, and regardless of how they navigate through a site. Not everyone uses the same type of computer or the same type of browser. You should make sure that your pages can be understood by people who use browsers other than the Internet Explorer or Netscape. For example:
You should also be aware that there might be legal requirement for your web site to be accessible. |
More information Web site accessibility An overview of the accessibility guidelines |
