Accessibility

And in most major markets, legislation now requires web content to be accessible to people with a variety of disabilities – for example, those who are blind or partially sighted. This means crafting online material so that it can be accessed by devices such as screen readers.

In practice, companies often either ignore accessibility – for example, by only providing a basic PDF – or implement it in a way that makes the document less engaging for other users. But the technology is available to produce an engaging online experience while providing access to the widest possible audience. Accessible websites carry the benefits of increased readability on portable devices such as BlackBerrys, and enhanced visibility to search engines.

What investors want:

• An engaging online experience.
• Access to the content regardless of device used (eg web browser, screen reader, PDA).
• Access for all, regardless of their physical disabilities.
• Content that can be found by search engines (which find it hard to index content that’s hidden away, for example in PDFs).

What we’ve done to make it work:

• Written best practice code to ensure compatibility and create a quality experience.
• Included specific accessibility features, such as ‘skiplinks’ – these enable people using screen readers to skip over repetitive elements such as lists of links – and access keys.
• Created an intuitive and keyboard-operable navigation system.
• Tested the website in a wide range of web browsers and screen readers.
• Provided alternative, text-based content for graphical items.
• Provided transcripts for video content.

See this in action