CARLIAN WEB SERVICES

Accessibility - Why Should I?

There are three main reasons you should make your website accessible to all. They are: -

• The Law requires you to do so
• It makes good business sense
• Morally, it is the right thing to do

The Law

The 1995 Disability Discrimination Act makes provision that any organisation or business that offers goods or services to the public must not discriminate against any person on the grounds of disability. Discrimination can take the form of: -

• treating a disabled person less favourably
• failing to make “reasonable adjustments” so that disabled people can participate in employment and education or make use of a service

As one can appreciate, this definition of discrimination is very broad and can be applied to many different circumstances. In relation to websites, the basic principle is that a website must have certain features built in to its design to enable those people with any sort of disability the scope to reasonably access any of its content.

For more information about how the law affects you, look at our page titled The Law by following the link to the left of this page.

The Business Case

There are approximately 8 million people in the UK currently suffering from some form of disability. The estimated combined spending power of these people is in the region of £40-50 Billion. By making your website accessible to these disabled user groups you are opening up a potentially huge source of increased revenue. An accessible website is likely to leave the user with a very positive image of your company or organisation. This positive attitude towards your company has the potential to be passed on amongst families and friends, further enhancing your status in the market place.

In addition to these points, a website designed with accessibility in mind is very likely to be more user friendly to able bodied persons and those people using older web browsers and new technologies such as mobile telephones. In turn, their experience of your website will be greatly enhanced and they too are likely to pass this experience on to friends and relatives.

The Moral Issue

In an age when everything points to morality being on the decline, this is now an ideal opportunity for organisations to make a stand and do the right thing. Why should people with a disablity have difficulty in obtaining your goods or services? How would you feel if you were placed in their position? In these circumstances, taking the moral high ground will not be seen as being pious - it will be seen as dispalying a caring and thoughtful attitude towards your customers and clients. You know it is the right thing to do and you know it can only enhance your status, so just do it!