What is Web Accessibility?
Web accessibility means that a website is designed and developed so that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can use it. By making your website accessible, you are ensuring that all of your potential users, including people with disabilities, enjoy a good user experience. By following accessibility best practices, you are also improving the usability of your website for all users.
We have a picture in our heads of “normal” use of the web.
When we imagine our site visitors, we picture them as having full use of a keyboard, monitor, mouse, or other pointer (including fingers), and a way to hear audio. However, not everyone uses the web in the same way. Visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities all have an impact on how people experience and navigate the web. Many people use tools to help them browse the web — including screen readers. Check out this screen reader demonstration:
Web accessibility is both a legal and an ethical responsibility.
There are several laws that require web accessibility. Many schools have been investigated or sued for accessibility problems.