Reframing Accessibility for the Web · An A List Apart Article

Submitted by michael on Wed, 02/11/2015 - 10:42
Excerpt

We need to change the way we talk
about accessibility. Most people are taught that “web accessibility means that people with
disabilities can use the Web”—the official definition from the W3C. This is wrong. Web
accessibility means that people can use the web.

If you’ve been treating “people with disabilities” as an edge case for your
websites, consider this a reckoning. Web accessibility means that everyone can use the web.
The job of a web designer isn’t to question the configurations, devices, and tools that
users bring to the table; it’s to rise to the challenge of making a site work for anyone
who wishes to use it. Anne Gibson makes the case for site testing, inclusivity, and a better
way of thinking about people online.