Accessibility

"Web Accessibility is the creation of websites that anyone and everyone can access, irrespective of ability, language, ethnicity, cultural background, socio-economic status, age or anything else that may restrict their freedom to have access."*

UK law states that websites have to be accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. If your website does not comply, you could be sued.

The internet has opened many doors for those suffering from disabilities. Someone who is housebound can do their shopping online, a blind person can read their daily newspaper. This isn’t an idealistic scenario: as long as certain guidelines are adhered to the web can be accessible to everyone.

An accessible website improves the experience for all users. When Tesco created an online grocery shop that was accessible to blind users their revenue increased by £13 million a year. They discovered the simplified navigation was also popular with their non-disabled users and rolled it out to their mainstream website.

However, many websites are still not taking those with disabilities into account. If your web designer didn’t specifically design for accessibility, chances are your site isn’t accessible. If you alter the content yourself through a content management system and you don’t take the principles of accessibility into account then your site probably isn’t accessible.

If you want to find out if your site is accessible we can perform an accessibility review and provide a comprehensive list of recommendations on how to make your site accessible.

There are definite business advantages to an accessible website, so the cost of your website review could be offset by the increased traffic to your site and improved usability:

• A site that is coded more efficiently is read more easily by search engines and can improve your ranking.
• A clean and clear website offers usability advantages.
• There are 10 million disabled people in the UK (from the Department for Work and Pensions): get them to come and spend their money on your website.

There are also moral reasons for making your website accessible. Be inclusive. You know it’ll make you feel good.

Contact us today for an accessibility review.

*From the e-Accessibility Action Plan by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.