Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product (e.g., device, service, environment) is accessible by as many people as possible, and the ventures to produce accessible products and services. Accessibility is often used to focus on people with disabilities and their right of access to entities, often through use of assistive technology.
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The IWA/HWG resource where Italian web accessibility specialists have been involved to promote web accessibility in the Italian language.
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8% of the U.S. population has visual, learning, cognitive, auditory or physical dexterity disabilities severe enough to affect their ability to access the Web. These people use the web for the same reasons as everyone else - email, news, sports results, research, work. Recently introduced legislation and some high-profile legal cases are increasing the profile of website accessibility. E-commerce organisations and government bodies can no longer afford to be complacent about the issues surrounding accessibility.
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What is an Accessible Website?
An attempt at a definition is a good idea; if we are clear what an accessible website is, we will have a better idea of what we should be doing to build one.
Byrne, Jim. Making Connections Unit (2005). Design>Web Design>Accessibility
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What Is An Accessible Website? - An Answer in the Form of a Diagram
All access to web pages are mediated through some type of technology; if it isn't accessible to the machine you are using, it won't be accessible to you.
Making Connections Unit (2004). Design>Web Design>Accessibility
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Many people find it difficult to read from a computer screen - especially visually impaired users, and those with reading difficulties such as dyslexia. Many people print pages out to read them later, which isn't very efficient in terms of time (as well as paper consumption). Unsurprisingly, a number of 'read aloud' applications are emerging for web sites.
O'Gribin, Niall. Erigena (2006). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>Voice
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While the methods we use to create accessible websites can be complex, the essential principles are simple: consider the obstacles your site presents to users who approach it differently than you do, then remove as many of those obstacles as you can.
Moss, Trenton. List Apart, A (2004). Design>Web Design>Accessibility
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Children who fail hearing tests but who function in educational settings are assumed to have only unimportant handicaps. These children learn to live with their problems, but a significant hearing impairment diminishes the information such children receive. Help is available for children, but also for adults who have not fully recognized their handicaps. This paper describes the problems of people with moderate hearing loss, and provides information on what can be done to ameliorate their problems.
Gillen, Lori. STC Proceedings (2002). Articles>Workplace>Accessibility>Audio
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When DDA Accessibility Doesn't Mean Accessible
A web consultancy calling itself DDAA that boasts about its levels of accessibility should be, erm, accessible, should it not? Well ...
Accessify (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility
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Who is the "Older Adult" in Your Audience? 
Discusses a misunderstood demographic.
Chisnell, Dana E. and Janice C. 'Ginny' Redish. Intercom (2005). Design>Accessibility>User Centered Design>Elderly
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Why 'Bobby Approved' Is Not Enough
Bobby is a very useful tool but it is all too often misunderstood. Many organisations however, falsely believe that simply passing the Bobby test will satisfy their accessibility obligations. For them, the measure of accessibility is whether or not their pages can attain the Bobby Approved icon. In many ways, this is an understandable perspective. The Bobby icon represents an achievable standard and a tangible, cost effective reward for efforts made towards web accessibility.
Gaine, Frank. evolt (2001). Design>Web Design>Accessibility
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Why "Bobby Approved" Does Not Always Mean Accessible
Bobby is an online testing tool which has been developed to help developers assess web sites for accessibility. It is a free service provided by CAST (Centre for Applied Special Technology), a non-profit organisation which aims to expand opportunities for people with disabilities through computer technology. Bobby looks at the underlying HTML code that controls the presentation of a web page and analyses it against the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines. Many organizations genuinely believe that if their site passes the Bobby test and displays the Bobby icon, it is 'accessible.' In many ways, this is an understandable outlook. The 'Bobby Approved' icon represents an achievable standard and a tangible, recognisable endorsement of efforts made towards web accessibility. However, it should be remembered that the Bobby test does not ensure true 'accessibility.'
Quinn, Anthony. Frontend Infocentre (2001). Design>Web Design>Accessibility
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Why Accessibility? Motivating Learners To Bring About Change
There are many reasons why people choose to design with accessibility in mind. These motivations can be roughly categorized into the following: ethical motivations; legal and standards-based motivations; business motivations.
WebAIM (2001). Articles>Education>Accessibility
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Why Hiptops are Harmful to Web Standards
Found out why the author has reservations about this handheld device and why it appears not to properly support web standards.
Accessify (2003). Design>Accessibility>Wireless Web>Standards
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Approaching accessibility as an afterthought is not an effective strategy. Rather, organizations that include accessibility management as part of their development plans and quality assurance and testing practices will have a tremendous economic advantage.
Yonaitis, Robert B. HiSoftware (2002). Design>Web Design>Accessibility
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There are many reasons why you should strive to make your web site as accessible as possible: legal reasons; economic reasons; technical reasons.
O'Gribin, Niall. Erigena (2006). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility
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The Web is not a panacea. If businesses, governments, and other organizations that publish information on the Web don't pay attention, the Web's promise of equal access for all could be fatally undermined by the rush to make Web sites technologically slick and visually exciting.
Garfinkel, Simson L. Boston Globe (1998). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>Civic
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Working on Accessible Web Content Guidelines and Designing More Usable Documents
Many individuals, especially those with visual, physical, and/or cognitive disabilities, have trouble navigating the content of data tables on the World Wide Web. These problems exist because most browsers do not allow keyboard navigation of the data tables, which is an essential technique used by many people with disabilities whether or not they use assistive technology (AT).
Novak, Mark. University of Wisconsin (2001). Design>Usability>Accessibility
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Working to 508: Seeing, Hearing, and Understanding Accessible, Usable Web Pages
Now that the U. S. Government has mandated that web pages comply with accessibility standards (Section 508, a 1998 amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973), it is time to test web pages against the standards. “What do newcomers to these standards need to know to ensure that they are on the right tract with accessible, usable web page design? “What do web page designers need to know beyond 508 standards? Join us in an exploration of our personal experiences with “stuckness” when using web pages (visual accessibility), Reece; learn possible solutions to our “silent screams” (audio accessibility), Vinegar; and consider also the question of web page accessibility to users with cognitive or learning disabilities (comprehensibility), Gillen.
Reece, Gloria A., Judy A. Vinegar and Lori Gillen. STC Proceedings (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Section 508
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This scenario–based progression targets designers and developers who are interested in learning about assessment for web page design for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It introduces the topic by providing a background on web page design for individuals with special needs (varying physical and sensory abilities). Then, it presents basic concepts for developing accessible web pages, raises awareness of the need to comply with the ADA, Section 508, and provides resources for further investigation. Emphasis will be given to interactive discussion that centers on assessment questions to consider for concurrent, accessible and user–centered design approaches for web pages.
Reece, Gloria A. STC Proceedings (2002). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Section 508
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Working to Improve the Civic Experience
What has UPA done to encourage more useable and accessible government? Quite a lot, it turns out. UPA supports efforts to improve the usability of elections, support plain language, and remove barriers to civic access for people with disabilities through an alphabet soup of projects and events.
Scott, Josephine. Usability Professionals Association (2008). Articles>Usability>Accessibility>Government
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Working Together: People with Disabilities and Computer
People with disabilities meet barriers of all types. However, computers are helping to lower many of these barriers. As word processors have replaced typewriters, electronic spreadsheets have replaced handwritten books, and on-line services have supplemented telephone and written communication, disabled students and employees who have computer access have become capable of handling a wider range of activities independently. Although people with disabilities face a variety of barriers to providing computer input, interpreting output, and reading documentation, adaptive hardware and software have been developed to provide functional alternatives to standard operations.
Burgstahler, Sheryl. STC Usability SIG (1999). Design>Accessibility
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Working with JAWS: Keystroke Quick Reference Chart
Using the JAWS screen reading software requires that the user know a large set of keystroke combinations to get the most from the application.
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Working with Others: Accessibility and User Research
After personally observing users with disabilities interacting with websites in unexpected ways, I have come to believe strongly in the value of user research--and to suspect that we really don't know quite as much about real-world accessibility as we think we do.
Boscarol, Maurizio. List Apart, A (2006). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>User Centered Design
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World Wide Access: Accessible Web Design
This video presentation shows how to make web pages accessible to people with disabilities. It is particularly useful for self-instruction or group training for people who design and support websites and/or teach web design classes. The accompanying publication provides details and resources on this topic. The presentation is open-captioned and audio-described to assure access to the content for viewers who are deaf or blind, respectively.
University of Washington-Seattle (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Video
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Writing a Good Accessibility Statement
Accessibility statements are an ideal place to empower visitors to your website. Most accessibility statements are too technical, and don't necessarily address the needs of the visitor. Those that do address the needs of visitors often have the information lost in a myriad of other information that is unlikely to be understood by the average visitor to the website. What should and shouldn't be included in an accessibility statement?
Lemon, Gez. Juicy Studio (2006). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Writing
