Web Accessibility and Your Business
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
As we go through the development process at Pleth, LLC I am consistently compelled to climb onto my soapbox to preach about the tenents of Web Accessibility. As you can see in this Northeast Arkansas Advertising Federation related post we, at Pleth, recently won an Addy award for our own website. While we were honored to receive the award it did raise many questions about the judgement criteria vs. the priority that design firms like Pleth place on Web Accessibility as a design element. These likely represent two distinctly different sets of considerations.
Whether it be graphic artists, customers, or judges I am continually reminded that what is needed is an effort to educate the appropriate players as to the necessity of designing sites that are truly accessible.
“Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web.”
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
Strategy and Technology
As defined by the WAI, people with disabilities utilize adaptive strategies which are techniques used to improve interaction(s) with the Web, such as increasing the font size in a common browser. This is a critical point when tasked with designing a commercial website. The methodology used to address this point is found within the CSS document. As designers we can sacrifice a little control by designating a base font size, then utilizing subsequent font sizes as percentages of that original base. This is a necessary since designating specific font sizes for each element removes the browser’s ability to resize fonts, thus limiting accessibility.
Additional design techniques that affect accessibility can include:
- Describing (captions) images, graphs, tables, video, and audio
- Judicious use of Flash and Iframes
- Use clear language
- Don’t use color alone for emphasis
- Ensure adequate contrast
- Avoid opening new windows unnecessarily
- Use descriptive anchor link text (avoid “click here”)
- Use descriptive heading
- Avoid time limited tasks
- Avoid fine motor skills requirements
Assistive technologies also come into play here and includes software or equipment that people with disabilities use to improve interaction with the Web, such as screen readers that read aloud Web pages for people who cannot read text, screen magnifiers for people with some types of low vision, and voice recognition software and selection switches for people who cannot use a keyboard or mouse.
There are definite benefits to designing highly accessible websites that fall outside the scope of access for the physically or mentally impaired. Theses include web accessibility as a social issue, improved technical performance, reduction in legal liability (example lawsuit), and improved Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Implications
What does this mean for your business? As a web developer it is part of my duty to stand guard for my customers, particularly when it comes to legal liability on the web. There are many different approaches to building websites and as I often explain to my clients every element on the Web has both positive and negative implications. I most often see the negative implications when a client is requesting a wholly Flash site or content which is embedded in graphical elements. While these formats may be aesthetically pleasing, they may not lend themselves to highly accessible content. The implications of which can range from alienating potential customers to opening up your business to legal or social liabilities.
The Northeast Arkansas Advertising Federation, headquartered in Jonesboro, recently presented an ADDY Award to PLETH, LLC, a Batesville-based website design company. PLETH, LLC took the prestigious advertising award in the area of self-promotion on the internet. As a result of the recognition, PLETH, LLC has been invited to host and maintain the advertising federation’s website: