| Overview | | | | important message or even be annoyed if they were |
| There is a lot of talk these days with regard to | | | | listening to something else. Visitors are valuable and |
| proper development practices and accessible web | | | | you should never do anything to encourage them to |
| design. If you don't think any of this applies to you or | | | | leave your site quickly. |
| your website, you probably don't understand exactly | | | | Aside from looking tacky, flashing effects are to be |
| what this is all about. Web Accessibility refers to the | | | | avoided to ensure those sensitive to seizures are not |
| practice of creating websites that will be useable for | | | | at risk. Content is both more effective and better |
| people of any ability or disability. Many things come | | | | understood by those with developmental and learning |
| into play when accounting for a person's eye sight, | | | | disabilities when it is written in plain text. |
| mobility, auditory and logic skills. | | | | The Web Accessibility Initiative |
| Too many web development companies overlook | | | | The WAI started in 1999 by the World Wide Web |
| the importance of coding a website in meaningful | | | | Consortium and is viewed as the standard set of |
| HTML. Utilities for blind users, such as text-to-speech | | | | guidelines for creating accessible websites. Although |
| software, make use of alternate text for images and | | | | there has been some criticism of their guidelines they |
| properly named links. Another downside to | | | | have been working since 2003 to release the second |
| overlooking proper HTML lies with the robots search | | | | edition of accessibility standards which will be much |
| engines send out to read your website. These | | | | more technology-neutral. This will leave more room |
| computers that browse the internet by themselves | | | | for interpretation and adaptability. |
| can learn a lot more about your website, and get a | | | | The guide goes into great depth on how to create |
| lot deeper into your site when they aren't confused | | | | accessible web content and includes a checkpoint |
| by poor coding practices. | | | | summary by topic and priority. They discuss |
| Many people have difficulty controlling a mouse with | | | | important issues and provide design solutions for a |
| precision, and can become frustrated while | | | | number of scenarios that cause conflicts. |
| attempting to select a small link. Web designers need | | | | The Future of Accessibility |
| to allow for enlargeable text sizes and create larger | | | | We are at a point now where there is no doubt |
| clickable areas whenever possible. Links should always | | | | accessibility is important, in fact it is already a legal |
| be styled and colored different than body text so | | | | requirement in certain countries. Try searching Google |
| that even color blind users can quickly locate the links | | | | for anything along the lines of 'web accessibility' and |
| on any web page. Pages can even be coded in a | | | | you'll see the vast amounts of information available. |
| fashion that allows them to be navigated without a | | | | There's still a lot of work to be done, but we've |
| mouse or keyboard should your audience be likely to | | | | come a long way over the last few years. |
| require this. | | | | With more and more websites being populated with |
| No website should ever rely solely on a video or | | | | user generated content, a simple set of guidelines for |
| audio component to convey information. Problems | | | | web designers is becoming less useful. It is impossible |
| here extend farther than those who are hard of | | | | to monitor this content for accessibility as it is being |
| hearing or have poor eyesight. You are relying on | | | | created at such a rapid rate. We are also seeing new |
| certain hardware and or software to be installed on | | | | assistive technologies that support elements like |
| the visitor's computer. If a user has no speakers, or | | | | JavaScript, PDF's and Flash which will create many |
| if they are turned off, they could miss your | | | | new options for websites that remain fully accessible. |