Web accessibility is becoming more and more important than ever before. In the era of digital transformation, changing technologies and web space have to be accessible to all people without any discrimination. When it comes to accessibility refers to the special needs of the people with disabilities when they try to access technology.
Like anyone with normal physical and cognitive abilities, individuals with the stabilities should also be able to use the webspace with an equal level of access. As we can see, in old times, the benefits of the internet were very hard for people with disabilities to access. We can also see that about 90% of the commercial and public websites still are not fully accessible to those with disabilities or are not compliant with the assistive technology specifications.
Relevance of accessibility – AccessiBe
As AccessiBe experts point out, accessibility is critical for social, economic, and legal reasons. Let us explore these in detail.
The social importance of accessibility
Accessibility is a social concern when it comes to protecting the civil rights of people with disabilities. It is noted that about 15% of the population globally has some sort of disability, so accessibility is a crucial social topic. As with any other public utilities, disabled individuals should also be able to access the internet and website content and services online without any barriers. This is essential to ensure equal opportunity for all those who want to participate in society and prevent any marginalization.
Economic importance of accessibility
Along with being a social equality requirement, accessibility also helps the businesses and brands to reach more prospective audiences, which can naturally help reap more results. It will help them to get more customers and thereby increase revenue. Ignoring this means ignoring thousands of potential customers with a huge purchasing power. A survey shows that only less than 105 of the online vendors now consider accessibility an opportunity for business development.
The legal importance of accessibility
In the United States and the European Union, web accessibility is mandated by law. Web accessibility acts like in Americans with Disabilities Act in the United States mandate government organizations and business brands of public utilities to ensure that the public spaces, including the virtual websites, are constructed accessible to people with disabilities. This is now becoming a mandate in more and more countries by low and failing to comply with accessibility standards may result in penalties and other legal proceedings.
Some important statistics related to web accessibility as below.
- Studies show that more than 80% of the customers with accessibility needs spend more money on the websites which provide accessibility compliance.
- 92% of the customers with disabilities support digitally and physically accessible businesses.
- Usage of mobile phone screen readers has increased by about 80% over the last decade.
- About 90% of the websites remain fully or partially inaccessible to people with disabilities and those who use assistive technology.
Considering all these factors, accessibility is a very critical topic with various social, economic, and legal relevance. As AccessiBe points out, for modern websites, accessibility is an opportunity to be compliant and reach more potential customers.
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