Accessible Web Design Is Good Business
(Text Alternative)
The text alternative to a PowerPoint presentation delivered by Dean Rose A. Doherty of Northeastern University's University College, at a breakfast presentation entitled "Accessible Web Design Is Good Business" on July 31, 2003.
Quick Links:
Slide 1
Accessible Web Design Is Good Business
July 31, 2003
University College
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Slide 2
Agenda
- Defining the Issues
- Accessible Web Design Is Good Business
- Solutions: Short-Term and Long-Term
- Award to Wells Fargo and Company
- Questions and Answers
- Current Assistive Technology— Optional Snell Library Tour
Slide 3
Accessible Web Design Issues
- Legal requirements
- Policies and standards
- Accessibility vs. usability
- Barriers to accessible design
Slide 4
Web Developments
- Sound and color graphics
- Animation
- Database integration
- Portable devices
Slide 5
The Web Is Not the Same for Everyone
- Shopper with color blindness
- Individual with age-related conditions who wants to manage personal finances
- Consumer with Deafness
- Potential customer with dyslexia
- Teenager with deaf-blindness seeking entertainment
Back to Index
Slide 6
Accessibility
- Users can be constrained by functional limitations like physical and learning disabilities or by situational limitations such as old browsers or the tiny screens on portable devices.
- A web site is accessible if it can be used in a variety of ways that do not depend on a single sense, ability, or technology.
Slide 7
Functional Accessibility
- Visual— blind or low vision
- Auditory— Deaf or hard of hearing
- Physical— limited or no use of the hands
- Cognitive— language and learning disabilities
Slide 8
Situational Accessibility
- Prevailing circumstances, environment, or device can affect everybody, not just people with disabilities
- Examples of situational accessibility include mobile devices and device limitations such as having no mouse
Slide 9
Impact of Accessible Web Sites on the Individual and Business
- Makes shopping online for goods and services convenient and easy for all
- Provides access to services, products, and information that might otherwise not be available
Slide 10
Size of Disabled Population
- 54 million in the United States
- "Worldwide, there are more than 750 million people with disabilities. As we move towards a highly connected world, it is critical that the web be usable by anyone, regardless of individual capabilities and disabilities."
Tim Berners-Lee
Back to Index
Slide 11
What Is Your Role?
- Make web services and goods available to the largest population possible regardless of functional or situational disability
- Avoid writing off customers/clients or giving away business to accessible sites
Slide 12
Accessible Web Design Is Good Business
- As the baby boomer generation experiences age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma, they will become more dependent upon the web
- As mobile devices become even more common and sophisticated, accessible web sites will flourish
Slide 13
A Large Market Today
- 14,000,000 Americans (about one out of every twenty) have severe vision conditions not correctable by glasses
- 2,800,000 visually impaired by color blindness
- 1,100,000 legally blind
Source: whyfiles.org citing Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc.
Slide 14
A Larger Market Tomorrow
- By 2010, 20 million baby boomers will have a visual impairment even when wearing glasses or contacts (lighthouse.org)
- By 2025, age-related macular degeneration could be blinding 900,000 to 3 million Americans (whyfiles.org)
- By the year 2030, twice as many people will be blind as today
Slide 15
Millions of people 65+ with Vision Impairment
Note: The figures in this chart are approximations until the exact numbers are available.
| Source: Population Projections Program, Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau, January 13, 2000 |
| Year: |
People: |
| 2000 |
5 million |
| 2005 |
5 million |
| 2010 |
6 million |
| 2015 |
7 million |
| 2020 |
8 million |
| 2025 |
9 million |
| 2030 |
10 million |
Back to Index
Slide 16
Millions of people 65+
Note: The figures in this chart are approximations until the exact numbers are available.
| Source: Population Projections Program, Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau, January 13, 2000 |
| Year: |
People 65+: |
Percentage of Population: |
| 2000 |
35 million |
13% |
| 2005 |
35 million |
13% |
| 2010 |
40 million |
13% |
| 2015 |
45 million |
15% |
| 2020 |
55 million |
17% |
| 2025 |
65 million |
18% |
| 2030 |
70 million |
20% |
Slide 17
Spending Power
- Consumers with disabilities control more than $175 billion in discretionary income
- Currently, 45-64 year olds have the greatest number of credit cards and the highest usage (cyberatlas.internet.com)
- All consumers are more likely to patronize business where they feel "welcome"
Slide 18
National Median Net Worth of Families Headed by Persons Aged 62-74
Note: The figures in this chart are approximations until the exact numbers are available.
| Source: Federal Reserve Board, Survey of Consumer Finances, 1989-2001 |
| Year: |
Dollars: |
| 1989 |
$135,000 |
| 1992 |
$140,000 |
| 1995 |
$132,000 |
| 1998 |
$138,000 |
| 2001 |
$180,000 |
Slide 19
Web Usage
- 47 percent of online population is over 40 (agentmedia.com)
- 45-64 year olds surf the Internet more frequently, stay there longer and check out more Web pages than even their college age counterparts (cyberatlas.internet.com)
- The number of baby boomers and seniors online grew by 18.4% in one year, making them the fastest growing Internet population (cyberatlas.internet.com)
Slide 20
Opportunity Summary
- Huge market
- Significant spending power
- Heavy online usage
Back to Index
Slide 21
Next Steps to Help Your Organization
- Learn the legal requirements and the barriers
- Know current policies and standards and accessibility vs. usability
- Understand current assistive technology
Slide 22
The Most Important Step
- Become acquainted with the disabled community
Slide 23
Two Simple Short-term Solutions
- Create effective tab/keyboard navigation for the visually impaired and for people using PDAs and other appliances without a mouse
- Help screen readers work more effectively
Slide 24
Long-term Solutions
- Change attitudes about accessible web design
- Acquire an interdisciplinary approach and rethink communication on the web
Slide 25
Northeastern University and Accessible Web Design
- Graduate certificate program that provides the interdisciplinary training needed to master these complex issues
- Annual award for an outstanding accessible web site
Back to Index
Slide 26
First Annual Accessibility Award
Northeastern University
University College
First Annual Award
for
Outstanding Accessible Web Design
Presented to
Wells Fargo and Company
July 31, 2003
Slide 27
Accessible Web Design Is Good Business
July 31, 2003
University College
Northeastern University
Boston Massachusetts
End of Slide Show
Back to Index
Back to top
