Those specifying online work should be aware of their legal obligations, many areas including the US and UK have laws requiring institutional and commercial websites to be accessible to all.
Overall much of what needs to be done is common sense:
- Don’t use “image maps” unless you provide a text based alternative.
- If your site uses flash, provide a text based alternative.
- Use alt tags to describe graphical information.
- Consider the information flow on your page - does it make sense if read in the order it is coded.
- Evaluate the descriptiveness of link text - consider using link titles if required. (Click here) isn’t a good descriptive link text.
- If your site uses anti-robot techniques such as “captcha” images, make sure the system is usable by those not able to read the images.
Try visiting and interacting with your site in a textual browser, or using a screen reader. Another, perhaps more realistic assessment could be obtained by asking someone who uses such tools regularly to assess your site.
As well as the legal compliance issue, it is also the case that almost all the actions which make your site accessibility a wider audience are also good for search engine optimisation (Search engine robots are blind!), and are likely to help make your site viewable on a broader range of user’s equipment including mobile phones and PDAs.
There are many online accessibility validators availabler as well as companies which specalise in providing reports on site accessibility. One of the most respected of such online tools is Webxact, though it is only a guide and cannot detect all flaws.
If you would like to optimise your site from an accessibility and search optimistion point of view, do get in touch with Sci7.