Accessibility
Having a website which is accessible to all users is not only a legal requirement, but has many side benefits.The legal case
Under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) you have a duty to make all services and information accessible to everyone - and that includes your website!The DDA requires that companies make "reasonable adjustments" to the way they provide services and information, in order to offer equal access to disabled users. They must not treat any people with disabilities "less favourably". This includes any information provided via your website. Even now, many websites don't measure up. Imagine your website was being read out loud by a voice browser, or converted into Braille by a text reader. Pictures and flash movies are redundant, any features relying on "mouseover" are useless, and some text layouts will not read in the right order.
The business case
There are many side benefits from improving your website's accessibility, which can only benefit your business:- Newer technologies such as mobile phones can display your site more easily, thus making it available to people on the move
- Search engines will be able to index your site more effectively as they are more able to read its content, which should improve your ranking in search results
- Increased functionality and navigation will benefit all users - it will reduce the chances of people clicking away because they can't find the information they want
- Improving comprehension for people with learning difficulties will also benefit those who speak English as a second language
- Disabled customers can use your business - and they have an estimated annual £50billion of disposable income, so their custom is significant!
Let us help
Web Design & Mastery specialise in accessibility, and our founder is a member of the Guild of Accessible Web Designers (GAWDS) so we can ensure your website is accessible to all user groups, including those with visual impairment, motor difficulties (cannot use a mouse), dyslexia and learning impairment.All websites we create will meet the EU standard of accessibility Level AA of the W3 Web Accessibility Initiative, however if you require your website to meet the highest level of WAI-AAA, please let us know; this can easily be achieved with extra consideration.
If you already have a website, we can improve accessibility while keeping the existing look and feel - most changes are made in the code which comprises the website, so they will not affect normal browsing. Accessibility will not compromise your site, merely enhance it!
Find out whether your website meets accessibility standards - and complies with the law - by requesting our access audit.
"We are really delighted with our new website. Flash was extremely fast, friendly and helpful all the way through the process and went to great lengths to get the website just as we wanted. As complete novices to the world of website design, we were grateful to have a person who made the task run so smoothly.
Thank you very much!"
[Hackney Family Backup]
[Hackney Family Backup]
"Thank you so much for all your hard work on my behalf; you very quickly grasped the image I wanted to portray. I am really pleased with the website that was delivered earlier than I expected and on budget. Your extensive knowledge of websites and the legislation that affects them is impressive and led to a level of detail that I was not expecting. I literally could not have done it without you. It has been a real pleasure working with Web Design & Mastery."
[Kate Fishpool Associates]
[Kate Fishpool Associates]