Why Web Accessibility? Siteimprove webinar 16 April 2013 

3 Main Reasons Commercial reasons It might be the law It’s the right thing to do 

Commercial Reasons Increased market share No metrics to track visitors with disabilities 20% of people have disabilities (1 in 5) Word of mouth – families and friends Improved public image > 50% of hotel & restaurant websites are not accessible ~ 14% increased business after access renovations. Extrapolation. 

Not Just for People with Disabilities Increased accessibility often leads to increased usability Non-native English speakers Elderly Search engines – Google largest screenreader user 

Legal Environment United Nations – Conventions on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities United States – Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504, Section 508 Canada – Human Rights Act, Govt On-Line New Zealand – Human Rights Act, e-Govt Australia – Disability Discrimination Act United Kingdom – Disability Discrimination Act, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act 

Case Law & Jurisdiction International context – which law has jurisdiction? Sydney Olympics – Ordered to have site accessible. Failed. Damages ($20K) Target (settled) – Improve access, training, damages ($6K/claimant), etc Disney (settled) – Website, parks Netflix – Online providers are subject to federal law. All videos to be captioned. 

The Right Thing To Do Businesses and organizations have social and ethical responsibilities Reducing barriers is the ethical thing to do 

Follow-up Follow-up questions welcome http://accessibility.net.nz [email protected] Twitter: @vavroom