Web accessibility

searchbliss · 01-19-2008, 11:57 AM

How much do you take web accessibility into account when designing websites?

I'm afraid I don't do enough with my site...and after Target.com got sued for not making their website accessible to the visually impaired...it makes me a little nervous.

Boogle · 01-21-2008, 02:54 AM

http://www.w3.org/WAI/

I take it very seriously, if the site doesn't reach at least AA standard i don't let it out until it does! more and more people are becoming 'digital' and using the net- it's got to be available to everyone IMO. I don't think you'll be in trouble unless your a big name with thousands of visitors but still it's good to make it accessible ot everyone...

Boog's

searchbliss · 01-21-2008, 02:01 PM

Thanks Boogle. I will check out the w3.org link to see what I have missed.

greg · 01-26-2008, 03:23 PM

Really just depends on the site. Some sites just do not lend themselves well to accessibility standards.

Your first question before designing a site should be "who is going to look at this". That answers a whole list of various questions including the accessibility one for the most part.

Sometimes of course you also have to look at legal implications as well. I have worked on a number of state funded websites and with them it is actually required by law to have basic accessibility standards built in. This will vary from state to state however.

Above all though just remember the larger the website(and client you are designing for) the more likely you are to piss someone off about something, so just make sure your bases are covered. That is pretty much what happen to Target.

searchbliss · 01-26-2008, 04:48 PM

Thanks greg this puts things into perspective.

Off the subject, your "Latest Blog" post here at v7n is showing an XML error (syntax error line 1). You might want to correct this. Thanks again.

greg · 01-27-2008, 08:25 PM

yeah, i probably should correct that, no clue why it is doing that, i don't even have one set up that i know of