Web accessibility–ever heard of it? If you’re like me, this may be a very unfamiliar term at first. But, don’t worry! This is site will provide you with all you need to know to be more knowledgeable and make informed digital decisions.

First, what exactly is web accessibility? View the video below put together by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

Key Takeaways

When websites and web tools are properly designed and coded, people with disabilities can use them. However, currently many sites and tools are developed with accessibility barriers that make them difficult or impossible for some people to use. Making the web accessible benefits individuals, businesses, and society.

From https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/

Why is Web Accessibility Important?

Accessibility consultant and expert speaker and trainer, David Berman, says it best. The importance of web accessibility can be narrowed down to five main reasons:

• Estimated 15-25% of people have disabilities–that’s leaving nearly a billion people out
• Most frequent visitors to sites are machines, and they have severe disabilities
• Making sure no one in our workplaces get left behind
• There is a social responsibility to those who are temporarily or permanently disabled
• There are more and more regulations and laws around the world that establish a minimum standard of accessibility

Ultimately, we need ensure that we are supporting people with disabilities even in digital environments, which will in turn promote a culture of inclusion. And, we should make sure that websites are usable by as many people as possible, especially since there are laws that require it.