Tuesday, July 15, 2008
In
Most people have heard of the Disability Discrimination Act. In a nutshell, the DDA says it is illegal to discriminate against a disabled person by refusing to provide any service that is provides to members of the public.
Websites fall under the category of a provided service. This means that if a disabled user can’t use your site for whatever reason, your organisation is discriminating against them. It’s exactly the same principle as adding in ramps or lifts for wheelchair users.
Does it matter? Do unlimited fines matter?
Some business owners think “It doesn’t matter, I don’t have many disabled customers”.
This may well be true, but how many e-commerce site owners know their customers? You could well have more disabled customers than you realise. For many disabled people, the Internet is a lifeline - from the obvious online shopping benefits to gaining a sense of community and interaction.
If your site is not accessible, then you are closing off your market. This is not to mention that you are in breach of the DDA and open to unlimited fines.
Accessiblity doesn’t just stretch to partially sighted or blind users using screen readers on your site. Many elderly people use the Internet, and the “grey pound” is one of the most powerful market forces in the country. By making your site accessible and easy to read and navigate, you stand more chance of attracting and retaining customers.
As if these reasons weren’t enough (in reality, breaching th law should be reason enough), then Google will find it much easier to spider and analyse your site if it is standards-compliant and accessible. Google is such an important part of online marketing that removing any barriers to its spiders is absolutely essential.
Is your site inaccessible?
Highly likely. There are very few design firms who take accessibility seriously, or who even know about the issues surrounding accessibility. An easy way to find out would be to ask a disabled or elderly person to use your site and ask their opinions. If they find it difficult, then chances are there are plenty more people (even non-disabled people) who will find your site difficult to use.
Another way to be certain is to let Pipeline conduct an accessibility report or accessibility audit of your site. This will identify potential problems and solutions to remedying these.
For more information about our accessibility reports and accessibility audit services, please contact us and take steps to ensuring your site is both successful and accessible.