Why is web accessibility important?
Educational institutions are using the Internet and web technologies for information dissemination, service delivery, and course delivery. Additionally, the campus website is used for marketing and branding as a tool to reach prospective students and their families. Because core services and information are delivered via the Web, it is critical that all people are able to access the information on the web, whether they have disabilities or not. Web accessibility should be viewed as a necessity and an investment. Well-designed accessible web sites help expedite the delivery of information and services, and are crucial in helping the university fulfill its educational mission in the digital age.
People with different kinds of disabilities can experience difficulty using the Web due to a combination of barriers in the information on Web pages, and barriers in the “user agents” (browsers, multimedia players, or assistive technologies such as screen readers or voice recognition). The percentage of people with disabilities in many populations is between 10% and 20%. Not all disabilities affect access to information technologies such as the Web (for instance, difficulty walking, or a heart condition, would not affect Web access) but many do. Just as with other parts of the population, not all people with disabilities have access to the Web. But the number of people using the Web is steadily increasing, and for people with disabilities access to this technology is sometimes even more critical than for the general population which may have an easier time accessing traditional sources of information such as print media.
