Accessibility
Web Accessibility is building web pages that can be navigated and read by everyone, regardless of disability, location, experience or technology.
People often mistakingly think that web accessibility stops with people with physical disabilities. While they are often the most affected group when confronted with a poorly designed website, web accessibility is a much wider issue, affecting everyone.
- Probably the most obvious group of individuals affected by accessibility issues are the blind and visually impaired.
- People with impaired mobility and other physical disabilities.
- People choosing to surf the web using mobile phones and PDAs.
- People using older technologies. Unfortunately many larger organisations still use old versions of web browsers which may need to be catered for.
- While broadband connections are becoming more and more widespread, there are still many people using slow dial-up internet connections.
- One market that can not be ignored is the older generation (also refered to sometimes as the "silver surfer"). One of the largest growing marketings on the web today with their own accessiblity issues such as reduced mobility, reduced hand-eye co-ordination and poor vision.
- By simply taking time to make sure your content uses easy to understand english, people who don't understand English fluently, or younger internet users can be catered for.