Web Accessibility

Imagine trying to survive today's world... without the internet! How impossible would that be?! Well, for some it is an everyday challenge for those who are impaired in some way or another.

Those with disabilities have more opportunities in today's world to have information delivered to them almost as fast as it is posted on the internet. One web article (found at http://webaim.org/intro/) states that before there was internet those who were blind relied on someone reading the newspaper to them. Now, there are so many assistive technologies to help those who are impaired in one way or another to have that www information at their fingertips-so to speak.

One caution that the article warns web developers about is to remember those who have disabilities when creating and publishing websites; to think about how they could reach an impaired audience in order to bless their lives. The article states that some crucial questions need to be asked before implementing a website that would leave others out of the information loop such as, "What if the internet content is only accessible by using a mouse? What do people do if they can't use a mouse? And what if web developers use graphics instead of text? If screen readers can only read text, how would they read the graphics to people who are blind?"

Once those questions can be resolved, then one can start planning a layout that would include helps for the following disabilities: Visual, Hearing, Motor, and Cognitive. The article goes on to say that "Each of the major categories of disabilities requires certain types of adaptations in the design of the web content. Most of the time, these adaptations benefit nearly everyone, not just people with disabilities. Almost everyone benefits from helpful illustrations, properly-organized content and clear navigation. Similarly, while captions are a necessity for Deaf users, they can be helpful to others, including anyone who views a video without audio."

So, next time you are thinking about building a website in your spare time, consider your audience a moment longer.