The Internet has leveled many typically divisive elements, such as economic status, class, race, gender and religion. If you have the capability to secure an Internet connection, the world of information is yours to peruse.
Unless you're disabled. In that case, depending upon your disability, there are many Web sites that aren't accessible.
United States government Web sites were supposed to be in compliance of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as of June 21, 2001 and the ruling could eventually extend to other sites as well. With some design changes, you can make your site accessible to Internet users with disabilities such as visual impairment, color blindness and limited mobility.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (WCAG WG) has suggestions and checklists for improving your site's access, including:
- Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element.
- Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color.
- Clearly identify changes in the natural language of a document's text and any text equivalents.
- Organize documents so they may be read without style sheets.
- Ensure that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes.
- Until user agents allow users to control flickering, avoid causing the screen to flicker.
- Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site's content.
Removing some barriers from your site can allow impaired individuals to participate in e-commerce and gain access to valuable information. Creativity and content need not be affected and the changes can generate a new audience.
You can test your site's accessibility with Bobby — a free service that helps Web page authors identify and repair significant barriers to access by individuals with disabilities.
Related article: Are You 508-Compliant?
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