One site fits all

Computerworld - Companies, governments and educational institutions are continually moving more of their activities online as a way to improve service and productivity while cutting costs. But that approach works only if customers and employees can access the online data and services. Barriers to access can slash productivity and slam the door on potential customers.
"There is a large group of people who we would like to have as our customers [who have disabilities], and we would like to be able to interact with them electronically through our Web site," says Thomas S. Tullis, senior vice president of human interface design at Fidelity Investments in Boston.
And the ramifications of Web inaccessibility go beyond lost revenues. JoAngela Morin, team leader at Verizon Communications Inc.'s Center for Customers with Disabilities in Marlboro, Mass., says that when some members of a group are unable to access the same information or fully participate in an activity, it affects everyone involved. "A team that is driven to achieve results will be unable to meet its objectives if some members lack the same access to information that their counterparts do," she says.
This doesn't apply to only those who are traditionally considered disabled. With a significant portion of the U.S. population creeping toward Social Security age, a growing number of your employees and customers are likely to have gradually declining vision, hearing and manual dexterity. And many of those aging customers tend to be at a point in their lives when they can afford to make substantial purchases.
"A significant market is eliminated if a business has inaccessible Web presence," says Harvey Bingham, who has worked in the IT field since the 1950s and now consults on accessibility issues. "Many Web-savvy elders who have significant spending power are most comfortable shopping on the Web from home."
By incorporating accessibility standards into internal and external Web sites, companies can make it easier for those with and without disabilities to access company information and services.
The Law and the Bottom Line
There are other reasons why an organization should improve Web site accessibility. First, there's Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires all federal agencies and companies doing business with the government to comply with certain Web site accessibility guidelines. Then there's the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar laws.
In 2002, a federal judge in Florida rejected a lawsuit contending that Southwest Airlines Co.'s Web site violated the ADA , but New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer last year extracted settlements from Ramada.com and Priceline.com Inc.