'Web accessibility: everyone benefits'
Hugo Gill, from Design-Ecommerce.com, described the benefits and techniques of web accessibility at a free lunchtime talk at Horizon Scotland, at the Enterprise Park at Forres, near Elgin in Moray, on Thursday 26th October 2006.
'Web accessibility: everyone benefits' was organised in association with the BA (the British Association for the Advancement of Science) and was attended by a good sized audience of varied age and from various backgrounds.
Feedback to the talk has been positive with attendees mentioning that it was enjoyable and that they had learned a lot from it.
Hugo explained the following benefits of web accessibility at the talk:
- Increased reach to special needs users (people who are disabled, colour blind, have a sight problem, or aged over 60 years old)
- Increased reach to different technologies used for accessing the Internet like Handhelds, PDAs, WebTV, Lynx browser, and screenreaders
- Improved web page download times
- Reduced bandwidth costs
- Compatibility with the latest browsing technologies
- Enhanced credibility
- Positive PR effect
- Higher search engine rankings
- Enhanced usability
- Easier management
- Web page print friendly
- Meet web accessibility legal requirements
Hugo also explained web accessibility techniques that would help the following disabled and special needs user groups access the content and information on any given website easily:
- Colour blind users
- Blind users
- Users with sight problems
- Screen magnifier users
- Deaf and hearing impaired users
- Keyboard/Voice users
- Users with learning difficulties
- Epileptic users
- Dyslexia users
- Users with dexterity problems
- Users with cognitive problems and reading problems
- Older users
Hugo would like to thank all those who attended and helped organise the 'Web accessibility: everyone benefits' talk.