What is ‘the accessible web’?
An accessible web site is one that can be used by anyone – people with disabilities (e.g. visual, auditory, physical, cognitive, neurological), users on a low bandwidth connection (e.g. 56k modem), the elderly or infirm, someone with a ‘temporary’ disability (e.g. a broken wrist), or just your general user.
It is important to make your web site accessible so that you provide equal access and equal opportunity to all potential users – this is required by law in Australia (Disability Discrimination Act 1992) and many other countries around the world.
Besides the legal requirements, there are also many other benefits of an accessible web site, including:
- increased audience coverage and market share
- improved usability for non-disabled users
- support for search engine optimisation
- device independence and server efficiency.
Making a web site accessible can be relatively simple or extremely complex, depending on the size, complexity, and type of content, but it is always easier if you plan for accessibility when first designing and developing your site. It is much harder to go back afterwards and try to fix an inaccessible web site.
An accessible web site does not have to be boring, it can be as lively and entertaining as required. There are a number of methods available for optimising multimedia content and providing accessible alternatives.
For more information, see the W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative or contact m’khala if you need help making your own web site accessible.