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Here are some statements regularly quoted in terms of web accessibility:

• "You will have between 6 and 12 million new customers in France and more than 40 million in Europe. "
• "Your website will be played on all mobile phones. "
• "The accessibility of a web site is free. "
• or the opposite argument: "The development of your site accessible will cost you 2 times more. "

False truths?

As director of operations AccessiWeb, I often felt a disconnect between the truth of some numbers and use made of it. Often, however, there is no lie, but just an unspoken that opens the door to false truths. Yes, there are as many official figures 6-12000000 disabled people in France. No, make your website accessible are not going to take 6 to 12,000,000 new users to your website ...

As policy makers are not stupid, continue this type of discourse about Web accessibility is largely against productive. We must work to prove the contrary - by the facts and without exaggeration - that make accessible a website brings many benefits. The statements to be qualified are numerous. Here are two examples:

• yes the accessibility of your site is a necessary step to move to its portability to the mobile phone, but no it is not always enough.
• ... the cost of which issue the percentages may be announced (eg, an accessible site costs 20% more expensive)? Setting accessibility of a static site and a site run by a dynamic management tool is Web content compare? And cutting costs (training teams to upgrade, change management tools, content ...) are affected to 100% at the Web site redesign, or are they assigned to the respective operating budgets (budget training ... )?

Ideos offers to all Internet users who want to advance in the "real truths" about the Web Accessibility to join a collective and public will soon be opened online. The goal is to build arguments based on existing cases or literature searches.

All skills are needed: you are a developer, or officer in charge of communication, your experience of a project on Web Accessibility interests everyone. The results of the work will of course be freely available online and usable by all.

Stay tuned to the blog Ideos and be notified of the launch of this work! You can now write to express your interest or answer as a comment to this post.

[Pierre Guillou, 12 March 2009]