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Several newspapers are running stories about online shopping today. According to a survey carried out by business advisory firm Deloitte, total online spending will reach £4.7 billion this year—a 10% rise on 2007. 81% of retailers now offer an online service. “Online retailing is still growing, showing more resilience to the current economic storm,” said Anish Patel, Deloitte's director in retail consulting.

With that in mind, it’s worth thinking about your website’s accessibility to people with sight, hearing, mobility and cognitive impairments. “Accessibility” in this context is defined by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) as “the degree to which anyone can access and use a website using any web browsing technology”. Alternative format web browsers use a wide range of alternative approaches that are different from traditional mouse-and-screen-based browsers—typically allowing navigation using speech, large print and even Braille output.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the international standards organization for the World Wide Web, publishes extensive Content Accessibility Guidelines explaining how to maximise websites’ compatibility with these browsers. Essentially, these try to separate content from style, so the essence of your site remains accessible regardless of how it’s accessed.

In 2006, the topic reached front-page headlines when America’s National Federation of the Blind (NFB) sued mass merchandise retailer Target, alleging that it violated Californian disabled-rights law because its website was not operable by persons with a disability. The court ruled in favour of the NFB, laying down a precedent for corporations to be held liable for failure to make their web site accessible.

How long until a similar case is brought on this side of the pond?

TransMedia Link are accessible format specialists and can ensure your website is available to everyone. Contact us today.