By John Sheridan
For most people, surfing the Internet and reading copy on web pages presents no problem whatsoever, but for the visually impaired and the elderly it's another matter entirely. Unimpeded access to websites is something the rest of us take for granted, but for those with a visual disability things are not quite so straightforward.
Legal Responsibilities
The introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995 made it a legal requirement for most businesses and public areas to have disabled access and facilities as standard, and although things are moving in the right direction, there is still some way to go. However, in 1999, the law was extended to include websites as well with construction guidelines laid down to ensure that the visually impaired and elderly Internet users would find accessing and reading online content a much easier task.
Accessibility and Benefits
There are various methods employed by designers to make websites compliant. Using simple page layouts without overcomplicated use of tables will make it much easier for screen readers to use, as will the application of 'Alt' text (alternative text) on images. Traditional html sites can be built or modified to make them accessible, but one of the best methods is to build them using simple CSS code. CSS-built sites will read the text exactly as it appears on the screen and users will also benefit from ease of navigation and much quicker loading times. An added bonus for website owners is that CSS sites will generally attain better search engine positions than their html counterparts.
Potential Market
According to figures from the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind), an astonishing 3 million people in the UK cannot, or have extreme difficulty reading standard printed material. Those people encounter exactly the same problem when they attempt to read website content. It naturally follows therefore, that should they wish to purchase something online and can't read what is on the website - they won't buy, resulting in not only a staggering amount of disgruntled would-be customers but a significant amount of lost sales and income.
Equality
Accessibility is not only about online spending though; that is just one aspect to consider when building a compliant website. Another, and possibly the most important factor to take into account is that whether spending or just surfing for fun and information, visually impaired or elderly Internet users should be able to access and read websites with the same ease and convenience that the rest of us enjoy and not feel as though it's a privilege or something they have to earn.It makes good sense to have a disabled-friendly website not only from a business point of view, but because not having one means denying a minority the chance to share one of the greatest communication and information systems ever invented.
John Sheridan is a professional proofreader of hard copy items and website copy. He also writes web copy and occasionally accepts small copy-editing assignments. He can be contacted via: http://www.textcorrect.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Sheridan http://EzineArticles.com/?Website-Accessibility---The-Internet-for-All&id=931908
For most people, surfing the Internet and reading copy on web pages presents no problem whatsoever, but for the visually impaired and the elderly it's another matter entirely. Unimpeded access to websites is something the rest of us take for granted, but for those with a visual disability things are not quite so straightforward.
Legal Responsibilities
The introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995 made it a legal requirement for most businesses and public areas to have disabled access and facilities as standard, and although things are moving in the right direction, there is still some way to go. However, in 1999, the law was extended to include websites as well with construction guidelines laid down to ensure that the visually impaired and elderly Internet users would find accessing and reading online content a much easier task.
Accessibility and Benefits
There are various methods employed by designers to make websites compliant. Using simple page layouts without overcomplicated use of tables will make it much easier for screen readers to use, as will the application of 'Alt' text (alternative text) on images. Traditional html sites can be built or modified to make them accessible, but one of the best methods is to build them using simple CSS code. CSS-built sites will read the text exactly as it appears on the screen and users will also benefit from ease of navigation and much quicker loading times. An added bonus for website owners is that CSS sites will generally attain better search engine positions than their html counterparts.
Potential Market
According to figures from the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind), an astonishing 3 million people in the UK cannot, or have extreme difficulty reading standard printed material. Those people encounter exactly the same problem when they attempt to read website content. It naturally follows therefore, that should they wish to purchase something online and can't read what is on the website - they won't buy, resulting in not only a staggering amount of disgruntled would-be customers but a significant amount of lost sales and income.
Equality
Accessibility is not only about online spending though; that is just one aspect to consider when building a compliant website. Another, and possibly the most important factor to take into account is that whether spending or just surfing for fun and information, visually impaired or elderly Internet users should be able to access and read websites with the same ease and convenience that the rest of us enjoy and not feel as though it's a privilege or something they have to earn.It makes good sense to have a disabled-friendly website not only from a business point of view, but because not having one means denying a minority the chance to share one of the greatest communication and information systems ever invented.
John Sheridan is a professional proofreader of hard copy items and website copy. He also writes web copy and occasionally accepts small copy-editing assignments. He can be contacted via: http://www.textcorrect.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Sheridan http://EzineArticles.com/?Website-Accessibility---The-Internet-for-All&id=931908
1 Comment:
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