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Website Accessibility and Your Online Business
Create a website everyone can use by considering website accessibility in your website design
added 7.20.08
It is estimated that over 65% of the population of the United States has a disability. Many of these people will need to use assistive technology to use the Internet. Just as you would ensure your business's physical location is accessible to those with disabilities, it is important to ensure your website is accessible as well.
Enabling your website to be used by everyone by building in accessibility features isn't just the right thing to do ethically; it has become the legal standard for all federal agencies. Website accessibility has also become the basis for lawsuits. In 2006 the National Federation of the Blind sued Target, Inc. for not including accessible features for the blind in their website. These features would have easily allowed people using screen readers the ability to access information about their products and make online purchases. Among other things, the retail giant was accused of violating the California Disabled Persons Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The court upheld that websites such as Target's are required by California law to be accessible, but the laws pertaining to accessible websites still remain unclear. It is just a matter of time before these laws are more clearly defined and required on all websites.
If your website offers accessible features you will reach a broader audience, improve the lives of people with disabilities, and have many return customers. In fact, since there are so few websites with accessible features, people using assistive technology are likely to refer others to your site. It's a winning situation for everyone!
Accessibility features can be easily implemented into an existing website, or part of the plan of a new website design. There is some cost involved but building these features into your web design is not as expensive as losing customers because it lacks the features.
In 2007 Oregon Web Weavers made accessibility part of our business's focus. Each website we create from 2007 on will include accessible features as part of the website's design. For more information on these features please visit our Accessibility Statement.
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