Your Website Is The Digital Door To Your Business – Are You Accessible?  

Have you thought about it? Your website is actually a digital door to your business, and it’s important that all can enter. Are you accessible is the question.  

When a website is designed correctly, people with disabilities can utilize it. However, there are many sites that have been developed without accessibility features that make it difficult or even impossible for some people to use. 

The World Wide Web is designed to be available and work correctly for all people, regardless of their language, location, or ability. When a company website is poorly designed, it can create barriers that exclude people from using it, and that is just not acceptable in today’s society – especially when there are options to become accessible. 

“Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.” Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web 

Making your website accessible will benefit individuals, businesses, and society as a whole. There are International web standards that define what is needed for accessibility.  Contact us to learn more about this!

What Specifically is Web Accessibility? 

Web Accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed so people with disabilities can use them. They should be able to:

• Understand & navigate the Web
• Interact with the Web

This should encompass all things:

• Visual
• Auditory
• Cognitive
• Neurological
• Physical
• Speech

Accessibility also benefits those without disabilities:

• People using mobile phones, smart watches, and other devices with smaller screens
• People with changing abilities due to aging
• People with “situational limitations” like light sensitivity or in an and area where they cannot hear audio
• People using slower Internet connections

Accessibility is Important for Businesses

Websites serve as an increasingly important resource in most aspects of business. Whether your business involves a service, commerce, education, employment, health care, recreation, etc. it is essential that your site be accessible in order to provide equal access to people with diverse abilities.  Access to information and communications technologies, including the Web, is defined as a basic human right in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). Remember, accessibility can also enhance your brand, drive innovation, and extend your market reach.

Source: https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro