Make Your Small Business Accessible: A Quick Guide

Researchers have just come up with a means to turn an iPad into a Louis Braille keyboard–but until this kind of technology is on the market, it's up to business owners to make sure that their websites meet the needs of clients with special needs.

According to availableness guidelines from the U.S. government activity, 8 percent of Americans have a disability that affects how they can access and use websites. Among the conditions in this radical, 4 percent are sight-related, two percent are movement-related, one percentage hearing-related, and less than one-hundredth connate learning disabilities. This means that accessibility may wealthy person more of an effect on World Wide Web sales than you English hawthorn have previously thought. But what send away you do to better website accessibility for these customers?

An come-at-able website will too be friendly to seniors–and small businesses will require increasingly to supply to them. By 2020, almost 24 percent of the population will be o'er 55.

There are simple measures you can take that won't require a lot of prison term, and that your clients will appreciate. To dig into it more, here's a leaning of reliable accessibility resources.

Run Your Website through Wave Wave is a free tool developed by Webaim.org that quickly identifies issues with your website and tells you exactly what you have to do to fix them. IT doesn't get easier than that.

Make Hyperlinks at Least Deuce-ac Words Nightlong Users with motion disabilities may have a rough sledding clicking happening one-letter Oregon one-word hyperlinks. I try to prepar completely of my hyperlinks three to four words elongated to make them accessible, aft being told do so for this very reason for a customer project earlier this class.

Establish All Necessary Forms Fillable If you have got a form online, such as a PDF, you should transmute it into a data format where a user can either fill it come out and e-mail IT or, ideally, fill it outer and submit IT online. Many of the PDF forms available online are static and can't be filled out, which frustrates all Web users. It makes your organization look lazy and impartial in business.

Employment Words, Not Color in to Put across

If you use coloration to communicate, you're losing 8 percent of your male audience, according to accessibility guidelines from Usability.gov. While its creators say it isn't complete, Visicheck is a free tool that shows your site looks to color blind users.

Provide Text for Images and Other Elements

Images and other elements on a site need to have their alternate tags ("alt" tags in HTML) filled in so that tools such A concealment readers tooshie describe the image or element to the visually impaired. This also can marginally help with your look for engine optimization.

If you Must use Flash, Go far Accessible

I'm non a big fan of using Flash for websites, since it eviscerates seek engine results unless you do workarounds, like create static HTML pages for search engines to go with the pretty Flash version. Accessibility requires an like amount of craziness when dealing with a Winkle website, just if you are all married to Flash, you fanny learn how to make it accessible here.

Some other enceinte intellect to start considering accessibility is that new regulations are coming that may cover your business. The tips above are a start, but patronise with your accessibility intiative by visiting more of these resources.

More Resources

Useableness.gov This government website has put accessibility best practices in a downloadable PDF, as well as other usability standards that can improve your site's overall user experience.

Webaim.org This is an initiative of the Center for Persons With Disabilities and Utah State University, with clear and concise accessibility information.

Section 508 For the U.S. government's online manoeuver to Web accessibility, the title of respect refers to Section 508 of the Renewal Act, which states that each government websites must meet its availableness standards.

Address It! Text To Speech This cover reader, available for only $1.99, was rated highly by PCWorld users.

Microsoft Microsoft's approachability center helps you understand the accessibility features in Microsoft products, and outlines general best practices.

Dragon Naturally Speaking Tartar's dictation software has semen a long way of life since it was first introduced. Users with limited mobility will get hold it indispensible on the desktop–and there are fellow traveler apps for tablets and smartphones.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/477375/make_your_small_business_accessible_a_quick_guide.html

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