Web Design - Web Authoring / Intro to HTML: Accessibility & Validation
Sections:  Introduction  |  Section 1  |  Section 2  |  Section 3
Section Three:  Part A  |  Part B  |  Part C  |  Part D

Introduction to Accessibility

ADA Accessibility

Web Accessibility

Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web. More specifically, Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web and that they can contribute to the Web. Web accessibility also benefits others, including older people with changing abilities due to aging.

Web accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the Web, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Accessibility is an issue of great concern to web authors / designers. Commercial web sites work to produce accessible sites in consideration of Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act. Although the Section 508 Statue applies to governmental agencies, many commercial websites such as Yahoo.com, Facebook.com and CNN.com often ensure their website are also accessible to all.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that all governmental Web sites be accessible by everyone regardless of physical and mental disabilities. While the regulations do not apply to non-governmental Web sites, it is considered good technique to make your Web pages accessible to those with disabilities.

For more information on the ADA, as it applies to Web sites, you can visit http://www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/chap5toolkit.htm.

Accessible Web Design

Now that you have been introduced to the concept of accessibility, as it applies to webpages, it's important to understand how we ensure accessibility in the pages we design and develop.

Let's take a moment to differentiate between these two terms: design and develop. You may have noticed, in your readings, that the terms web designer and web developer are used interchangeably. This interchangeable usage implies that the roles of the web developer and web designer are the same; this, however, is not 100% accurate. In fact, this is one of the reasons why the term "webmaster" term was coined, wherein a webmaster is responsible for all aspects of a webpage or website. Large companies, with a massive web presence, often hire web professionals who specialize in different web processes; processes such as web design and web development, wherein the designer designs the visual layout of a webpage and the developer transforms that design into a workable HTML webpage.

Accessibility happens in both processes: web design and web development. During the web design process, designers refer to principles of design that center on accessibility. During the web development process, developers use evaluation tools to validate their code to ensure it meets accessibility requirements.

Check out the following resource for more information about "designing" for web accessibility:

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