Compliance to Web accessibility standards is sometimes ignored because it is considered to be too costly. Non-compliance can be costly as well. Lawsuits have been filed over the past few years in attempts to encourage organizations to make their sites accessible. Even when companies have “won” these lawsuits, it has cost them in legal fees and bad publicity.

Some governments are implementing accessibility laws to insure that their citizens with special needs have equal access to the Internet. In the United States, there is a law commonly known as Section 508. This law requires U.S. Federal agencies that use electronic or information technology to provide people with special needs access to information that is comparable to the access available to others. Many state governments and universites are also adopting this policy or implementing policies of their own.

If your organization does not yet have a policy for accessible design, consider implementing one. Research the policies and laws like Section 508, the Web Accessibility Iniitiative (WAI), and Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM). Check to see if your organization falls under national or state laws that require you to use certain design standards. Implementing and enforcing a policy will ensure that pages within your organization will be more accessible as a whole.

Linked Resources

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Section 508
http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=3

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
http://www.w3.org/WAI/Resources/

Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM)
http://www.webaim.org/intro/

National Policies Relating to Web Accessibility (from W3C)
http://www.w3.org/WAI/Policy/

Web Accessibility for All
http://www.cew.wisc.edu/accessibility/

State Policies on Web Accessiblity (from W3C)
http://www.w3.org/WAI/Policy/USA-States.html