Web Accessibility

When developers focus on technical aspects of web accessibility they don’t necessarily achieve usable accessibility. While their websites pass technical accessibility tests, they are absolutely inaccessible for people with cognitive disabilities. That does not really help the client nor does it help the disabled.

This slideshow will help you understand the legal requirements behind Web Accessibility as required by Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), connection between good usability, SEO and accessibility principles. It also shows example of how people with disabilities use the web and assistive technologies.

Web Accessibility principles match the principles of on-page Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to a great extend which means that optimizing a website for search engines also makes it more accessible. In this article we explain how the principles of accessibility and SEO overlap.

When thinking of accessibility we usually think of people with physical or mental disabilities or vision problems. However, a large number of population experience problems similar to those of people with disabilities. For example, aging is associated with with vision problems, arthritis, shaky hands which requires use of special mouse and screen magnifier. More and more people have ADD, ADHD, dyslexia. And let's not forget, that English is a second language for a majority of our population.

More and more companies are seeing the advantages of having an accessible website. For many it is simply the right thing to do. But there are solid financial reasons that are impossible to overlook.There are 1.5 million people with disabilities in Ontario, 650 million in the world with disabilities. This is an enormous opportunity to increase your market share!