Executive Operations Operations Web accessibility a pressing issue in Ontario
Brian Jackson @brianjjackson
Published: January 18th, 2010
For most people accessibility brings to mind images of convenient parking spaces, ramp entrances and elevators.
Awareness about the disabled and their ability or inability to access buildings has grown considerably over the past couple of decades and this is directly reflected in architectural design.
But there’s still something most people don’t think about — online accessibility.
A lot material on the Web can’t be consumed by those with visual or auditory impairments. Whether blind, unable to see text that is too small, or left guessing at what dialogue might be heard in a video without subtitles — the Internet isn’t typically a friendly place for the disabled.
David MacDonald, vice-president of E-Ramp, wants to change that.
“Web site accessibility is here and it’s something you have to pay attention to now,” he says. “Just as if you have a restaurant, you want to have a ramp on your curb to help people in wheelchairs to get into your building.”
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities [...]