Accessibility

The web is now the main source of information for many people. Governments and other organizations are all now using the web as their main method of delivering key information to, and obtaining feedback from, their citizens and clients. It is therefore vitally important that the material can be accessed by the widest range of people possible.

Many countries now have legal requirements in place around the accessibility of websites for blind and disables users. Older people can also be disadvantaged by the cognitive changes that age brings, and design should consider this.

As the W3C say: "Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, and that they can contribute to the Web."

Some major web sites now contain statements about the accessibility features of their site, for example, see the BBC Statement on Web Accessibility.

You can find a very simple demonstration of implementing accessibility features using JavaScript and CSS here...

Links

These sites all contain good information about accessibility issues.

Example Sites

These sites are all examples of accessible web sites, with varying degrees of design and features. The first three are all from a list maintained by the RNIB. The whole directory is here.

Terrill Thompson's blog also has a list (and discussion) of a range of sites considered accessible. The site also includes a simple test for accessibile design.

Technical Articles

Some articles on the technical aspects of accessibility.