| An accessible website is one that allows
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| | by search engines and therefore help
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| as many people as possible to access the
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| | drive traffic to your site.
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| infomation contained within it. An
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| | What does it entail?
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| inportant subset of accessibility is
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| | Many techniques involved in making your
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| allowing people with visual, aural, or
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| | website accessible will have no effect
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| physical disabilities full access to the
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| | whatsoever on the final look and feel of
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| information and services available in the
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| | your site for the majority of users. It
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| same way as able-bodied people. Ensuring
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| | will however allow users with
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| that your website is not dependant on
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| | disabilities to use assitive devices such
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| particular hardware or software is also
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| | as screen readers (to read text out aloud
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| an important consideration when building
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| | to them) and assistive input devices (for
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| accessible websites.
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| | people with physical disabilities) to
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| Is it worth it?
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| | access and use your site. Some of the key
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| * At least 10% of the population in most
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| | concepts are:
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| countries has disabilities; visual,
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| | * To provide textual alternatives for all
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| auditory, physical, speech, cognitive,
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| | images and animations
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| and neurological disabilities can all
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| | * To ensure that textual content can be
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| affect access to the Web.
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| | resized to the users peronsal preference
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| * Average age of population in many
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| | * To ensure sufficient contrast between
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| countries is increasing; aging sometimes
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| | text colour and background colour
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| results in combinations of accessibility
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| | * To ensure that hyperlinks contain text
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| issues; vision & hearing changes, changes
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| | that describes their purpose.
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| in dexterity & memory.
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| | * To ensure that hyperlinks are large
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| * Many elderly and disabled people rely
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| | enough to make them easy to select
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| increasingly on the internet to obtain
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| | * To use a consistent and easy to
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| their goods and services.
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| | navigate layout
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| Few organizations can afford to
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| | Other benefits
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| deliberately miss this market sector. On
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| | The robots that search engines use to
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| top of this, accessible web design
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| | catalogue your website are essentially
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| contributes to advantages for able-bodies
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| | 'blind' visitors to your site. Accessible
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| users too. Accessible websites:
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| | websites are therefore more search engine
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| * Allow access to users of mobile phones,
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| | friendly and result in better search
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| small display scress, Web-TV and
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| | engine rankings and ultimately more
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| web-kiosks and other new web=enabled
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| | visitors to your site. Other advantages
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| devices.
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| | include:
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| * Increases usability in low bandwidth or
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| | * Better structure means easier and
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| slow connection situations.
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| | cheaper site maintenance
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| * Provide access across a wider range of
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| | * Accessible sites demonstrate that your
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| computer hardware and software.
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| | organiation takes its social
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| Other extremely important benefits that
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| | responsibilty seriously
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| make accessible websites worthwhile are
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| | * Increased support for
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| that:
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| | internationalisation
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| * Many governments now require certain
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| | * Reduces hosting costs
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| websites to conform to accessibility
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| | I believe accessibility is beneficial for
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| guidellines.
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| | all involved and should be a
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| * Accessible websites are easier to index
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| | consideration of every website.
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