Myth: Accessibility serves too few people

The U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration conducted the Survey on Income and Program Participation (SIPP) in 1999 and found the following basic statistics on disability groups:

• Vision problems: 3.5% of the population (7,310,000 surveyed)
• Hearing problems: 3.3% of the population (6,961,000 surveyed)
• Difficulty using hands: 3.0% of the population (6,272,000 surveyed)
• Learning disability: 1.4% of the population (2,945,000 surveyed)

The number of people with certain disabilities and access to the Internet was also surveyed.

• Vision problems: 21.1% of people have Internet access (1,542,410 surveyed)
• Hearing problems: 27.2% of people have Internet access (1,893,392 surveyed)
• Difficulty using hands: 22.5% of people have Internet access (1,411,200 surveyed)
• Learning disability: 42.2% of people have Internet access (1,242,790 surveyed)

Even though, 56.7% of non-disabled people have Internet access, the people with limitations and access to the Internet are a considerable influence.

Place of Public Accommodation

There is the issue of the applicability of the ADA to the World Wide Web. Is a web site on the World Wide Web considered a "Place of Public Accommodation?"

Actually, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has stated that it considers a web site on the World Wide Web is such a place.

Quick Tips To Make Accessible Web Sites

• Images and Animations
  Use the alt attribute to describe the function of each visual.
  
  
• Image Maps
  Use the client-side map element and text for hotspots.
  
  
• Multimedia
  Provide captioning and transcripts of audio and descriptions of video.
  
  
• Hypertext Links
  Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid "CLICK HERE."
  
  
• Page Organization
  Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible.
  
  
• Graph and Charts
  Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.
  
  
• Scripts, Applets, and Plug-ins
  Provide alternative content in case active features that are inaccessible or not supported.
  
  
• Frames
  Use the noframes element and meaningful titles.
  
  
• Tables
  Make line-by-line reading sensible. Use the summarize attribute to describe the content in that table.
  
  
• Avoid Flicker
  Those with Photosensitive Epilepsy can have seizures triggered by flickering or flashing in the 4 to 59 flashes per second (Hertz) range with a peak sensitivity at 20 flashes per second as well as quick changes from dark to light (like strobe lights). Ensure that the user can pause or stop any moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating objects or pages. If you must have movement on the page, use style sheets with scripting. This allows users to turn off or override it more easily. Do not use the BLINK or MARQUEE elements.