According to the Worldwide Web Consortium’s www.w3.org Web Accessibility Initiative “Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, and that they can contribute to the Web.” Mardiros Internet Marketing says that when they are talking about the Web, “…we talk about how information in web sites can be accessed by people with physical disabilities, but also with limitations such as….

• Color blindness
• Dyslexia
• Not being able to use a keyboard or a mouse
• Having a text screen only or a small screen (PDA or cell phone, for instance)
• Driving or doing something else that requires them to use their hands, eyes, or ears
• Having older Web browsers or voice browsers, or other operating systems
• Not speaking or understanding the language the web page is written in

Why Web Accessibility is Important

All people who use the Web should have equal access and equal opportunity to use this almost universally available resource, regardless of their situation or any physical or other challenges they may have to cope with. Also, if you are marketing a service or product via your website, it is a good business strategy to make your site available to as many people as possible. Using some of the technologies discussed below, such as CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), will make your web pages more attractive and user-friendly for everyone who views your site.

The web site accessibility guidelines followed in the United States are governed by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It applies to the following:

• Federal departments and agencies
• Anything delivered by contractors who serve Federal departments and agencies
• Activities sponsored or funded by the U. S. Government
• Activities sponsored by states that have adopted the regulation (Zeldman, p. 339).

Even if your or your organization is not required to comply with Section 508, and you still design a site that complies with this regulation, your well-designed and accessible site will probably attract more traffic and result in more business for you or your organization.

Accessibility Myths Refuted

Jeffrey Zeldman, in his book Designing with Web Standards, Second Edition (New Riders, 2007), lists and debunks several myths about web site accessibility. Due to space constraints I will list them without any explanation. If you would like to read his explanation of why are just myths, then read pages 341-346 of his book. The myths he lists and debunks are:

• Accessibility forces you to create two versions of your site.
• A text-only version satisfies the requirement for equal or equivalent access.
• Accessibility costs too much.
• Accessibility forces you to create primitive, low-end designs.
• According to Section 508, sites must look the same in all browsers and user agents.
• Accessibility is “just for disabled people.”
• The Dreamweaver LIFT/Insert Tool Name Here feature solves all compliance problems. (LIFT validates accessibility for web sites built in Dreamweaver).
• Designers can freely ignore accessibility laws if their clients tell them to.