Accessibility: Is it part of your digital strategy?

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In a thought-provoking video last month CNN captured the heart and soul of why Accessibility is vital to successful development projects. It’s not because there is a legal obligation, not because it’s an item to check off your list when designing websites and Apps, it’s because it directly impacts people. Are you thinking well………..it’s not impacting most of our users? In fact, if your site is not accessible, it is an act of discrimination as blatant as your physical building or office not being handicap accessible.

If you need a legal reason for the cost, then by all means focus on that word – “discrimination”. Personally, when we create websites, we focus on meeting the needs of all users. CNN’s video gives a voice to the reason why things need to be designed with accessibility in mind. In the end, we want to provide all users with a similar experience when using our websites and apps – one that is easy to use, and gets them the information they need. Even if you are an online business trying to sell goods and services, the broader the types of users who can use your website or app, the more you expand your potential customer base and eventually sales. This is the fundamental purpose of these creations, right?

In an effort to standardize accessibility guidelines, much thought and research has gone into laws and approaches to how these goals can be met. In our series, Artemis Accessibility experts plan to, explain what it is and provide some concrete approaches for meeting the goals. Some of our topics will include:

– What drives Accessibility standards

– Testing for Accessibility

– Creating Accessible Forms

– General Accessibility Legal Guidelines