Website Accessibility refers to creating website content which is available to people with disabilities. These disabilities can range from vision loss, hearing loss, dyslexia, to impaired mobility and decreased manual dexterity.
Individuals with visual impairments whether they are low vision or completely blind, often rely on screen readers to read the text on a website. If graphic elements appear on a website without a corresponding text component, then that material is not available for the visually impaired individual. Limited manual dexterity can make moving a mouse frustrating or even impossible thus requiring navigation throughout a webpage to be performed via keystrokes. Sole use of audio elements will limit accessibility for the hearing impaired and deaf. Quickly changing menus and flashing elements can create problems for the cognitively impaired, dyslexic and epileptic.
The Americans with Disabilities Act generally requires employers, state and local governments, and places of public accommodation to “offer reasonable services or tools to insure that people are not discriminated against on the basis of a disability.” The U.S. Department of Justice ruled that it considers the Web a place of public accommodation.
The internet has proved to be a vital tool to those with disabilities. Just like those without disabilities, the internet has created a forum for those with disabilities to interact in social networks, conduct business, perform research and participate in educational opportunities to insure this accessibility standards and practices of accessibility have been created.
What is Website Accessibility?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website_accessibility
Website accessibility is now getting serious in the USA.
http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/02/27/website-accessibility-is-now-getting-serious-in-the-usa/ |
