Accessible Websites - a "Win-Win" Situation

What is an accessible website ?

There is no simple or universally accepted definition that sums up what an accessible website is, but any of the following could be considered relevant. An accessible website is :

One that will be accessible to disabled people

Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web. This does not (and should not) just mean that they can ‘read’ a website; it means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, and that they can contribute to the Web.

One that will be accessible to everyone

Web accessibility also benefits people without disabilities in certain situations, such as people using a slow Internet connection, people with "temporary disabilities" such as a broken arm, and people with changing abilities due to aging or health related problems.

One that will be accessible to people regardless of how they access the Web

All access to the internet and web pages is mediated through some type of technology. These are usually known to most people as Web browsers (or "user agents")

This is as true for disabled people using assistive technology as it is for everyone else. Assistive technologies include refreshable braille displays, voice activated or speaking browsers, and adapted keyboards.

There are also many more Web connected devices that are likely to increase in the future; mobile phones, televisions (web TV), PDA’s, games consoles, in-car information systems, and so on, not to mention any new versions of web browsers as they are developed.

It should not matter whether a person is using an old browser such as Netscape 4, a modern browser such as FireFox, a screen reader, a text only browser, a mouse, a trackball, a touch pad, or a keyboard driven device (remember, not everyone can use a standard mouse !). The main relevant issue is basically the same; it is about accessibility of web content.

The more technologies that can be used to view, read, listen to, or somehow access a website, the more accessible it becomes.

Next » Why you need to have an accessible website

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