What Is Web Accessibility?

"Accessibility is about building web pages that can be navigated and read by everyone, regardless of disability, location, experience or technology."

(Tim Berners-Lee Founder of the World Wide Web Director of W3C)

Here is a new innovative mini-resource about accessibility its role, its laws and its use on the Web: "A quick and dirty introduction to accessibility".

This is a small, self-contained and easy to navigate Web site that allows anyone to explore and learn the foundations, scope and issues that surround Web accessibility.

In the mini-chapter entitled "The four phases of accessibility development" there is really a wonderful little summary of the evolutionary awareness we all go through as we learn more things about how to effectively communicate online.

Phase 1:

Ignorance is bliss
"Do we really need to worry about such a small percentage of users?"
"Do blind people need to access the web anyway?"

Phase 2:Cop-outs
"We have given them alt tags and a text-only version. What more do they want?"

Phase 3: Learning to walk
"There is just so much to consider, where do I start"

Phase 4: Part of the process
"I don't even think about it anymore, it is just part of my process"

Many good resources, sound advice and inspiration for this innovatively structured and laid out mini-guide which gives good practical advice, explains clearly what accessibility is and what it is not, provides extensive and well selected resources to learn more about it, and gives moral, legal and commercial good reasons to start doing something about it.

Recommended.