Website accessibility for the disabled – is your website enabled?

The Internet has opened great avenues for all of us. And for people with disabilities it might be the ultimate medium for conveying information and services. Imagine how much easier life would be if a disabled person could order groceries online. But nonetheless, website accessibility for the disabled is an issue that most of us have seldom considered. With the Internet becoming a way of life, it is an issue that is fast gaining importance and inciting debates.

There are many methods of ensuring that the content and structure of web sites is both comprehensible and navigable to people with a range of disabilities. These could include the visually or hearing impaired of the physically handicapped people. Often the problems faced by the disabled user arise from the structure of the page rather than the content. Re-coding the site for accessibility purposes can make the site usable by a far wider range of devices than just PCs.

Here is a simple idea for starters. Assisted devices for accessing the web generally support only text and use URLs based in HTML. These are very similar to Web browsers on PDAs and mobile. Hence, it implies that a site designed for a mobile device, with a miniature web browser and a smaller display, is probably accessible to the disabled. And these will eventually amount to long-term benefits for the website.

Although it is simple to incorporate these minor changes website accessibility is of least importance to organizations. But remember that there are many legal requirements which make website accessibility for the disabled compulsory for certain firms. And ignorance of these can result in fines, lawsuits and bad publicity. And of course, there are surprising benefits that go beyond simply complying with these laws.

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