The Importance of Web Accessibility
It would seem to be obvious that making material available and accessible to the largest possible audience would be a wise move, regardless of the type of information being presented. The mere fact that 20% of prospective users have some degree of disability that needs to be taken into account should be motivating enough.
Oddly, though, many of those publishing information on the Internet have ignored this demographic. In fairness, some have acted (or failed to act) because they failed to understand that their published material was presenting a problem to a significant section of the population. Others, however, have taken a more callous approach. Major corporations and retailers have actually stated publicly that they don't consider web accessibility an important factor when publishing their web material.
A massive public awareness campaign combined with effective lobbying has led to official accessibility policies and legislation aimed at putting the disabled on a more equal footing with the rest of the world when accessing information. The U.S. government has taken the lead in this regard. With the implementation of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, new material being published by the Federal government must comply with strict accessibility specifications. The regulation extends to apply to private companies who sell products or services to the federal government.
The web is worldwide, however, and beyond the U.S. border other governments and regulatory bodies have stepped in to help make the web accessible to all. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has been instrumental in this area. The W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative has performed a huge service to the disabled community with the publication of guideline and checkpoints for accessibility. Indeed, Section 508 is based on the W3C's work and other jurisdictions, including Canada, have adopted the W3C guidelines, in whole or in part, as the basis for web accessibility standards.
Several years ago, when physical access to government buildings was mandated by law, private businesses and corporations soon saw the benefit of making their premises accessible to the disabled. Most buildings, public and corporate, now have wheelchair ramps, elevators and other features aimed at removing barriers. Governments have already recognized that we are in an information age and access to that information is a right of all citizens. Businesses that have not already done so will either implement web accessibility policies or be left behind as more progressive companies take their place.
On a purely practical note, failure to provide physical access has resulted in numerous successful lawsuits by disabled employees and members of the public. As web accessibility becomes the norm, similar litigation will, no doubt, ensue.
Web accessibility is important because it takes a large number of prospective clients into consideration, it is seen publicly as the right thing to do and, eventually, it will be a legislated requirement. IT professionals ignore this issue at their own peril.