Accessibility

In the context of the Internet, the word “accessibility” means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, interact, and contribute to websites. A document titled “How People with Disabilities Use the Web” written and distributed in 2005, provides information on how different disabilities affect Internet use and includes example scenarios of the issues people with disabilities encounter in the cyber world.

One of the key tenets for web accessibility is designing sites and applications that are flexible enough to meet different user needs, preferences, and situations. These also include those who are experiencing temporary restrictions like a broken arm or the elderly who are coping with changing abilities. This flexibility also benefits people without disabilities in certain situations, such as people using a slow Internet connection.

The document referenced above also describes many different benefits of Internet accessibility, to include benefits that businesses and organizations gain by providing expanded accessibility for obvious reasons.

It is estimated that millions of people have disabilities that affect their use of the Internet and as more sites and web applications become available, people with disabilities are able to use and contribute to the online community more effectively.

Accessibility is an increasingly important resource for education, employment, government, commerce, health care, recreation, and others, and is essential in order to provide equal access and equal opportunity to people with disabilities. New technologies are now providing much easier access to information and interaction for many people with disabilities. However, there are still barriers to print, audio, and visual media on the web.