Today’s world performs largely online. It is often where people work, research, strategist, communicate and keep up with current events. Corporations and organizations have a tendency to aim to build the latest and most high tech web-page, making sure their internet site is easy to locate and attractive to prospective clients. Now, it’s time for businesses to step back and carefully consider who they are missing online and asses if their web page allows access to individuals who have impairments. If a company is not concerned with web accessibility, it is time to start considering it.
Exactly what does it mean to have an accessible web-page?
A properly designed internet website is in fact accessible to everyone online. It satisfies World-wide-web Consortium (W3C) guidelines, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Sections 504 and Section 508. This suggests desired content, images, movies in addition to hyperlinks are accessible to anybody who can browse to a webpage, no matter their physical capability.
Web accessibility involves disabilities such as:
Visual
Auditory
Physical
Speech
Cognitive
Neurological disabilities (W3C Web Accessibility Initiative http://www.w3.org)
Should a company have an accessible site?
Accessibility laws will require all federal as well as government programs to be accessible. In the United States, there is presently no universal law that enforces all websites to be compliant. This does not mean a company will not be faced with discrimination or legal issues for having an inaccessible website. Recently, there has been countless civil rights lawsuits against establishments for having inaccessible company websites. Federal laws that deal with accessibility and web pages are under examination, with a focus on expanding legal guidelines to cover a broader range of places online.
For a small business or organization, it is less likely that the existing legal guidelines will immediately affect a company, but there are benefits to being proactive and protecting a business by making sure the website is accessible. It is undoubtedly clear the United States is shifting to demand all web pages be compliant with ADA regulations. Companies can use online validation tools to test their site and work with web developers to generate a site that works for everyone.
Exactly what does it mean to have an accessible web-page?
A properly designed internet website is in fact accessible to everyone online. It satisfies World-wide-web Consortium (W3C) guidelines, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Sections 504 and Section 508. This suggests desired content, images, movies in addition to hyperlinks are accessible to anybody who can browse to a webpage, no matter their physical capability.
Web accessibility involves disabilities such as:
Visual
Auditory
Physical
Speech
Cognitive
Neurological disabilities (W3C Web Accessibility Initiative http://www.w3.org)
Should a company have an accessible site?
Accessibility laws will require all federal as well as government programs to be accessible. In the United States, there is presently no universal law that enforces all websites to be compliant. This does not mean a company will not be faced with discrimination or legal issues for having an inaccessible website. Recently, there has been countless civil rights lawsuits against establishments for having inaccessible company websites. Federal laws that deal with accessibility and web pages are under examination, with a focus on expanding legal guidelines to cover a broader range of places online.
For a small business or organization, it is less likely that the existing legal guidelines will immediately affect a company, but there are benefits to being proactive and protecting a business by making sure the website is accessible. It is undoubtedly clear the United States is shifting to demand all web pages be compliant with ADA regulations. Companies can use online validation tools to test their site and work with web developers to generate a site that works for everyone.
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