Motivations for creating accessible Web content

There are at least three types of main reasons that should motivate people to create accessible Web content:

1. Improve the lives of disabled people (people-centered motivations)
2. Increase its audience and its customer (marketing or economic motivations)
3. Avoid legal action and / or bad publicity (motivations centered on the law and communication)

These motivations may be good reasons. Accessible websites can all meet. The previous motivations are listed from the least altruistic altruistic, but ultimately as the website is available never mind the initial motivations of developers.

Independently of the specific motives of a developer, there will always be a certainty: the accessibility of a website will be more easily achieved when people are at the center of the design process. Even those who only want to avoid prosecution will quickly realize that the needs of the target audience - people with disabilities - should be considered conscencieusement.

• Understand the perspectives and needs of users
• Go beyond technical accessibility
• Focusing on the principles of accessibility

Understand the perspectives and needs of users

Techniques and recommendations for web accessibility have not been invented to make life difficult for Web developers. They were invented to make life easier for disabled people. Like everyone, people with disabilities want access to different resources available on the Web. Many goods and services, once only available in stores brick-and-mortar, are now available online from the comfort of her home. Nothing could be more perfect to make the world more accessible to people with disabilities.

The Web is not an obstacle for people with disabilities, this is the solution. The Web has the potential to revolutionize the lives of millions of people with disabilities by increasing their ability to access information independently, communication, entertainment, commerce, and other aspects of life that Most people take for granted. However, for the Web to reach its full potential for people with disabilities, web developers must still commit to conceive within the rules of accessibility. Failure to do so may transform a revolutionary solution in a new obstacle in the lives of people with disabilities.

This is why web accessibility was invented. It is a concept to keep in mind when developing websites. After all, people with disabilities are individuals first and foremost. They just want to enjoy life. Internet access is not a magic bullet or a panacea for all the barriers faced by disabled people, but it's at least a step in the right direction.

Go beyond technical accessibility

Techniques and recommendations are important because they represent an attempt to define and standardize what web accessibility means. They represent a consensus or at least the majority opinion, best practices and methods for making websites accessible. International guidelines for web accessibility (WCAG) are the most widely accepted rules. They were developed over several years by a group of experts and interested individuals. The process of adoption of these recommendations is deliberately slowly and carefully in order to examine a wide range of viewpoints and issues. Yet none of the participants in this process will never claim that these recommendations are perfect, or that compliance with these guarantees accessibility of Web content. Recommendations are an excellent basis on which to build accessible websites, but without understanding their basis, developers can apply them poorly or ineffectively.

For example, one of the most popular recommendations is to provide a text alternative to images in the attribute alt of the tag img . If Web developers learn only this recommendation without reason that motivates, they can provide a text alternative useless for users who need it. They can even create a barrier instead of removing an obstacle.

(Read Creating accessible image for more information.)

When developers focus on technical specifications, they can meet technical accessibility, but they can not achieve a functional accessibility. For comparison, a large office building may be technically accessible to a blind person: the person may be able to walk through all the hallways, the elevator, open doors, etc.., But without an explanation ( or perhaps even a tactile map) on how the building is organized, where the elevators and doors, and what offices are in what stage, the circulation in the building will be very difficult, especially if it is the first time. The person can try to find places in a process of trial and error, but it is very slow and difficult. The building is accessible but not very functional.

Similarly, Web developers can create websites that people with disabilities can access, but only so difficult. Technical standards are important, but they may be insufficient. Developers must learn when and how to go beyond technical standards if necessary.

Focusing on the principles of accessibility

Version 1.0 of the WCAG was a strong focus on implementation techniques of accessibility, particularly in relation to html. Version 2.0 takes a different approach: it focuses more on the principles of accessibility, and present some techniques in separate documents. By focusing more on principles rather than techniques, version 2.0 is more flexible and encourages developers to think at the time of the design process. The four guiding principles of accessibility in WCAG 2.0 are:

• Perceptible
• Usable
• Understandable
• Robust

Ideally, these principles set out in an acronym that is relatively easy to remember: FOR. The idea is to create a website FOR, so to speak. The pun may be bad (sounds like for poor), but if it helps developers to remember the principles, it will have achieved its objective. Each of these principles is discussed in more detail in the following pages. For now, we will simply say that the principles put forward FOR can put people at the center of the process, which ultimately is the purpose of this document.