The Global Business Benefits of Accessible Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Design

A Whitepaper by:

Steve Jacobs
President, IDEAL Group, Inc.
CEO, Apps4android, Inc.
Hilliard, Ohio
 

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction and Background

2. What is ICT?

2.1. The Problem and Opportunity: ICT Trade Balance

2.2. Small and Medium-Sized Business Exporters

2.3. Large Manufacturers

3. Market Forces Driving the Design of Accessible ICT

3.1. Supply-Push Market Forces

3.2. Demand-Pull Market Forces

4. Factors Influencing Accessibility

4.1. Consumer Behavior

4.2. Technology Trends

5. Consumer Groups that can benefit from Accessible ICT Design

5.1. People with Disabilities

5.2. People 65 and Older

5.3. People Living in Smartphone-Predominant Environments

5.3.1. Additional Business Case: Wireless Devices

5.4. Users of English as a Second Language

5.5. Individuals Who Never Learned to Read

6. Overview of the ICT Access Needs of People with Disabilities

6.1. Different learning styles

6.2. Different Levels of Experience Using Technology

6.3. ICT Access Needs of People with Disabilities

6.3.1. People Who Are Blind or Have Visual Impairments

6.3.2. People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

6.3.3. People with Mobility Impairments

6.3.4. People with Intellectual Disabilities

6.3.5. People with Speech and Language Disabilities

6.3.6. People with Color Blindness

7. Plain Language Web Accessibility Guidelines

8. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

8.1. SEO Webmaster Guidelines

8.2. Technical Guidelines

8.3. Quality Guidelines

Appendix A: Legislation

A.1. ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities

A.2. Supplementary Information to the ADA and ABA Guidelines

A.3. Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines

A.4. Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards

A.5. Draft ICT Standards and Guidelines

Appendix B: Additional Department of Commerce Resources for Exporters

B.1. Online Resouces

B.2. Tutorials

B.3. Exporter Database

B.4. Market Research

B.5. STAT-USA/Internet Products and Services

Appendix C: IBM SME Toolkit for Women and Minorities

Appendix D: Overview of Business Benefits of WCAG

Appendix E: Positive Business Impacts of Accessible Web Site Design

E.1. Captioning for Multimedia

E.1.1 Explanation

E.1.2. Business Benefits

E.2.1. Explanation

E.2.2. Business Benefits

E.3. Clear Navigation

E.3.1 Explanation

E.3.2. Business Benefits

E.4. Color Independence

E.4.1. Explanation

E.4.2. Business Benefits

E.5. Device Independence

E.5.1. Explanation

E.5.2. Business Benefits

E.6. Metadata

E.6.1. Explanation

E.6.2. Business Benefits

E.7. Separate Structure from Presentation

E.7.1. Explanation

E.7.2. Business Benefits

E.8. Text Alternatives

E.8.1. Explanation

E.8.2 Business Benefits

References

Foreword [TOC]

This publication is an informative document written in support of helping to revitalize U.S. ICT businesses, create jobs for Americans, including Americans with disabilities, and help put our nation back on the path to sustainable economic growth. This publication supports the goal of President Obama’s National Export Initiative (NEI), which is to double American exports over the next five years and support the creation of two million new jobs here at home. Ensuring accessibility for all people benefits businesses, creates jobs, supports the President’s export initiative, and ensures Americans with disabilities have equal access to the workplace.

Developing innovative, high-quality ICT products and services that accommodate the wants, needs, and preferences of as many consumers as technologically possible and economically feasible benefits companies tremendously. It not only enhances a company’s competitive business advantage domestically, but on a global scale as well.

This publication provides insights and information that encourage and help companies involved in the burgeoning ICT marketplace grow their businesses. It also provides good business reasons to make their workplaces technologically accessible. This publication includes references for the academic community as well.

Google has made a significant impact on the accessibility of websites through their page ranking methodology, which ranks websites higher if they are accessible.  As a result, the importance of search engine optimization is also highlighted in this publication. In the world of search engines, better accessibility means a higher search engine listing, and a higher listing means a greater likelihood that customers will click on your web links to read about your products and services. Accessible design can significantly increase search engine optimization scores, that results in a higher search result listing.

Many of the information resources, consulting services, and databases referenced in this publication are offered and maintained by various offices within the U.S. Department of Commerce. When explored, they can be used to great business advantage. The goal of this publication is to enlighten readers about the incredible opportunities that exist on a global basis for companies developing and manufacturing more accessible ICT products and services.

Steve Jacobs, President
IDEAL Group, Inc. and,
CEO, Apps4Android, Inc.

1. Introduction and Background [TOC]

In today’s global economic environment, businesses are serving populations they have never before served. Every consumer is different. No two individuals have the same life experiences, talents, learning styles, physical abilities, work experiences, or educational backgrounds.

During these challenging economic times, it is not a Chief Executive Officer’s (CEO) job to maximize employment, it is his or her job to maximize customer value, find and develop new business opportunities, expand markets for the company’s products and services, and most importantly, ensure the company’s future growth potential and prosperity.  Increases in employment follow.

Designing ICT products and services with accessibility in mind makes those products usable by consumers in all corners of the world. Good business practices dictate that programmers, designers, developers, and engineers consciously and proactively avoid excluding large groups of consumers from accessing and using their companies’ ICT products and services.

Global populations at the highest risk of being “technologically isolated” are much larger than one might think. They include:

• People having disabilities that directly impact their ability to access and use ICT. These disabilities include those that impact one’s hearing, vision, speech, mobility and cognition.

• Individuals over 65 years old.

• People living in low-bandwidth and mobile-predominant environments.

• Users of English as a second language (ESL).

• People who have never learned to read.

This business benefits publication identifies the parallels between designing ICT products and services to accommodate the access needs of individuals with disabilities and creating mainstream business advantages, especially on a global basis.

2. What is ICT? [TOC]

According to the Access Board’s Draft Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Standards and Guidelines, “ICT includes, but is not limited to: electronic content, including email, electronic documents and Internet and intranet web sites; telecommunications products, including video communication terminals; computers and ancillary equipment, including external hard drives; software, including operating systems and applications; information kiosks and transaction machines; videos; information technology (IT) services; and multifunction office machines that copy, scan and fax documents.”[i]

2.1. The Problem and Opportunity: ICT Trade Balance [TOC]

The difference in value over a period of time of a country's imports and exports of merchandise (in this case, ICT products) represents a nation's balance of trade.  It is favorable when exports exceed imports. Unfortunately, such is not the case with regard to the U.S.'s ICT trade balance.

Between 1999 and 2009, U.S. exports of ICT products increased from $60.1 billion to more than $160 billion. During that same time period, U.S. imports of ICT products increased from $69.8 billion to more than $266.6 billion. This represents an increase of our negative ICT trade balance from $9.6 billion to $106 billion, a negative increase of 1100 percent.[ii] The only way to reduce this deficit is if more small businesses developed ICT products and services that are accessible, usable, useful and desired by consumers living in other countries.

Global marketing has become more important over the past five years as a result of increased trends in internationalization. Given that this publication is focused on the global business benefits of accessible ICT design with regard to exportation, below is an overview of some of the benefits of exporting, as cited by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

2.2. Small and Medium-Sized Business Exporters  [TOC]

Small and medium-sized firms account for the vast majority of growth in new exporters.[iii] Small and medium-sized companies account for almost 97 percent of U.S. exporters, but still represent only about 30 percent of the total export value of U.S. goods.

Because nearly two-thirds of small and medium-sized exporters only sell to one foreign market, many of these firms could boost exports by expanding the number of countries they sell to.

More than two-thirds of exporters have fewer than 20 employees.

The benefits of exporting are numerous:[iv]

• Ninety-five percent of the world's consumers live outside of the United States; if a U.S. business is only selling domestically, it is only reaching a small share of potential customers.

• Exporting enables companies to diversify their portfolios and help them weather downturns in the domestic economy, as the U.S. is now experiencing.

• Exporting helps small companies grow and become more competitive.

• Free trade agreements have opened up markets in Australia, Chile, Singapore, Jordan, Israel, Canada, Mexico, and countries in Central America, creating more opportunities for U.S. businesses.

• About one of every five factory jobs—or 20 percent of all jobs in America's manufacturing sector—depends on exports. Workers in jobs supported by merchandise exports typically receive wages higher than the national average.

• Small businesses create 70 percent of the new jobs in America.

2.3. Large Manufacturers [TOC]

The total planned federal government spending on information technology in 2011 is $79.4 billion, a 1.2 percent increase from the 2010 budget level of $78.4 billion. [v]

Table 1. 2009-2011 Federal IT Spending Budgets

Given that the U.S. government spends well in excess of $65 billion a year on ICT products and services, it is understandable why so many large ICT manufacturers have dedicated themselves to understanding the opportunities surrounding the design of more accessible ICT products. 

U.S. manufacturers that design accessible ICT products for the domestic market have discovered that their innovative designs can benefit them in foreign markets with similar, ICT access-focused legislation.  Over the past seven years, many major ICT manufacturers have created divisions dedicated solely to accessible ICT design practices. Table 2 below lists the accessible design home pages of some of these companies. These sites can be visited to learn more about the design techniques being used to enhance accessibility.  Note that the companies listed in Table 2 generated $694 billion in revenue in 2009.

Table 2. Accessible Design Web Sites of Major ICT Manufacturers

3. Market Forces Driving the Design of Accessible ICT [TOC]

The term, “market forces” refers to the interactions of supply and demand that shape a market economy.  For the purpose of this paper, the term market forces is used to describe the market pressures, both positive and negative, that drive companies to develop ICT products and services that are accessible by individuals with disabilities.

3.1. Supply-Push Market Forces [TOC]

A supply-push market force is a term that describes a marketing environment in which manufacturers and suppliers are pushed (often forced) to develop accessible ICT products and services.

Historically, the market forces driving the design of accessible ICT products and services have been driven by the need to accommodate the access needs of people with disabilities.  These market forces have been “supply-push” in nature.  Supply-push market forces that COMPEL companies to enhance the accessibility of their ICT products and services include:

• Cultural pressure

• Organizational pressure

• Morals

• Politics

• Ethics

• Laws

The effects of supply-push market forces on accessible design are not always self-sustainable in the absence of the market force itself. For example, if it did not violate the law (ADA's Title III), establishing inaccessible places of public accommodation (i.e., restaurants, hotels, theaters, doctors' offices, pharmacies, retail stores, museums, etc.) would be commonplace.  Supply-push market forces are best known for helping companies avoid costs, including legal and other costs.

3.2. Demand-Pull Market Forces [TOC]

A demand-pull market force is a term that describes a marketing environment in which customers have the desire to purchase a company’s ICT products and services because of their accessibility; essentially, customers pull a company’s products off the shelves. This environment is much more pleasing and profitable for companies to operate in than supply-push market environments.

Demand-pull market forces motivate companies to proactively enhance accessible design practices, and include:

• Increasing operational efficiency,

• Increasing sales, and

• Penetrating new markets.

4. Factors Influencing Accessibility [TOC]

4.1. Consumer Behavior [TOC]

ICT is predominant in schools, libraries, homes, work environments, places of recreation, banks, and even supermarkets.  It is because of this access to technology, that consumers are much more technologically literate than they were five years ago. 

Devices such as smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, fax to e-mail, and other wireless services enable us to carry our offices with us when we travel.  We are now more mobile than ever before.  

Consumers have become accustomed to getting the information they need when they need it, where they need it. In other words, the information is customized to meet their individual wants, needs and preferences. 

4.2. Technology Trends [TOC]

It is difficult to find people in the business world who do not use some type of wireless device.  The most common are smartphones, which include iPhones and Blackberrys as well as iPads.

The increased processing power of these and other wireless devices is enabling manufacturers to increase functionality. [vi]  Enhancements of this type drive sales upward.  It is evident by looking at wireless devices that they are getting smaller. Small devices have small keyboards and small displays.  While these trends increase portability, they can also decrease usability.

The only way to make these devices easier to use as they get smaller is to design them for access. To increase access, some ICT manufacturers are using technological innovations that were originally pioneered by Bell Labs in support of people who are deaf.  These technologies include Text-To-Speech (TTS) synthesis and Automated Voice Recognition (AVR).

5. Consumer Groups that can benefit from Accessible ICT Design [TOC]

5.1. People with Disabilities [TOC]

The U.S. Government maintains statistics on the number of people with disabilities living in the United States.  This data varies by source. For example, Table 3 lists percentages of the total population having different types of disabilities.

Telephones, the Internet, microphone, stereophonic speakers, and computers were pioneered in support of people with disabilities.[vii]  These products are also a part of a growing movement to design accessible ICT that "accommodates the wants, needs, and preferences of as many individual consumers as reasonable, technically possible, and economically feasible.”

Table 3. Percentage of Non-Institutionalized
U.S. Population Reporting a Type of Disability in 2008[viii]

Table 4 below highlights the estimated number of people whose disabilities preclude their being able to access and use ICT. Companies interested in marketing their ICT products and services for use by these consumers stand to benefit greatly by designing accessible ICT.

This table differs from Table 3 in that it only lists numbers of consumers who have a vision, hearing, cognitive, or mobility disability in the top 10 emerging markets (countries) based on their market size. [ix] The countries cited in this publication were identified as part of a study conducted by Michigan State University's Centers for International Business Education and Research (MSU-CIBER). Market size is determined by urban population (millions) and electricity consumption (billions per kwh). It is interesting to note that the rank by market size is highly correlated with the estimated number of people whose disabilities preclude them from accessing and using ICT.

Table 4. Estimated Number of People Whose Disabilities
Preclude Their Being Able to Access and Use ICT by Emerging Countries

5.2. People 65 and Older [TOC]

The average age of the world’s population is increasing at an unprecedented rate. The number of people worldwide age 65 and older is estimated at 506 million as of mid-year 2008; by 2040, that number will hit 1.3 billion.[x] Thus, in just over 30 years, the proportion of older people will double from 7 percent to 14 percent of the total world population.

There are 251 million consumers age 65 and older living in the top ten emerging markets.  By comparison, there are 40 million people age 65 and older living in the United States and 5 million in Canada.[xi] According to the Central Intelligence Agency, there are nearly 520 million people age 65 and older worldwide.  The following table lists the number of people age 65 and older living in the top 10 emerging markets. 

Table 5. Population, People 65 and Older by Country

The aging of the consumer market necessitates technological design awareness to accommodate the needs and wants of aging populations worldwide.  For instance, people age 65 and older cannot see, hear, think, and move about as easily as they did when they were teenagers.

Table 6. Percent of Population with Disabilities by Age

5.3. People Living in Smartphone-Predominant Environments [TOC]

Internet-based content and applications that are served to customers using a “cloud computing” delivery mechanism are more usable from smartphones when they are designed according to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).  Examples of WCAG guideline categories are listed below:

Clear Navigation: Makes it faster and easier for smartphone users to find what they are looking for on a web site.

Text Alternatives: Enables smartphone users to display web pages with images turned off, while still understanding the meaning of the web page being viewed.

Device Independence: Enables web content to automatically be viewed, in pleasing formats, on any type of devices, including mobile devices.  This can reduce the cost of providing multiple ports of entry to a web site and increase viewing audiences.

Worldwide, there are three times as many mobile phones in use than main line phones.[xiii] Table 7 stresses the point that there are more than three times more people using mobile phones than main line phones. This trend is leading to a significant increase in use of mobile devices to access the Internet.  (See: Customers increased their mobile web browsing by 89% this year at http://instantmobilizer.com/test-your-site.php. ) Web sites, if not properly designed, will not display properly on mobile devices.  Users may have to scroll sideways to view a web site.  Consumers in developing countries may not have the bandwidth to display e-commerce web sites with graphics.  This means that they probably will not access these web sites to purchase products and services.

Table 7. Percent of Mobile to Main Line Phones

5.3.1. Additional Business Case: Wireless Devices[xiv]

• Growth of Cloud Computing: As cloud providers scramble to develop applications for the most popular smartphones, the idea of "having critical data at your fingertips" is becoming more important.

• Fearlessness of Youth: The information workers of tomorrow, today's young people, worry much less about security or privacy, the chief obstacles for mobility (and cloud computing).

• The Apple/Google Effect: The runaway success of the iPhone and Android mobile platforms is causing traditional IT vendors to ramp up commitments to mobile devices.

• 21st Century Lifestyles: Today's information workers demand the flexibility to balance work, home and leisure, and nothing enables that like a good smartphone.

• Rise of Social Networking: Two trends in social media: 1) expanded access from devices and 2) increased use for business communications, explain the story.

• Fewer Battery Woes: Laptops may be approaching all-day battery power, but phones are easily charged in the car, much quicker to power on and off and less likely to catch fire.

• Reduced IT Workload: The fact that information workers are often able to handle their own smartphone support is a benefit to companies in that it helps drive down costs.

• Faster Networks and Chips: The faster and more powerful our mobile devices are, the less we will need desktop or mobile PCs.

• The Lugging Factor: Yes, laptops are mobile, and iPads are arguably stylish, but the mobile worker is tired of carrying his office with him when he can have it all in his pocket.

U.S. workers are fortunate. to have access to fast Internet connections.  Table 8 shows the bandwidth per capita for the emerging countries. The purpose of this table is to make the point that the graphic-rich web sites Americans access every day, and probably take for granted, may not be accessible to individuals accessing the Internet from low-bandwidth environments, such as the countries listed below.  The less bandwidth available per capita, the slower the average Internet connection speed.  Slower speed precludes consumers from accessing web sites that are large in size (graphic-rich). If a developer follows the Web Accessibility Initiative’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, he will use Alt-Text Tags for graphic images. This enables users to turn off displaying graphics on their browsers and still gain meaningful information from web sites.  This can be very good for business. 

Table8. Bandwidth per Capita (bps)

5.4. Users of English as a Second Language [TOC]

In 1989, a China Airlines flight, flying in zero visibility, crashed into the side of a mountain shortly after takeoff. On the voice recorder, the last words of the Chinese pilot to the co-pilot were, “What does pull up mean?”[xvi]

The reason for this lack of understanding was that the term used in “control tower lingo” is “climb.” However, the warning systems built into the plane issued the verbal warning “pull up” when the altitude dropped or an object appeared in the plane’s flight path.

To understand what this tragic story has to do with accessible ICT Design, consider the following definition:

Accessible ICT Design (vt): To create or contrive ICT that is designed to be accessible, usable, understandable, and useful to as many consumers as reasonable, technically possible and economically feasible.

Had the developers of the China aircraft’s traffic collision avoidance system designed it to be accessible, usable, understandable, and useful for pilots whose native language was not English, the system would have issued the verbal warning "climb," not “pull-up,” and this tragic event would not be cited as an example of inaccessible ICT design.

Expressions such as pull up (two-word verbs) are often difficult for English as a second Language (ESL) users because their meanings cannot be derived by knowledge of the individual words. Many agree that English is one of the most difficult “second” languages to learn because of the complexity of the language. Table 9 highlights some of these intricacies.

Table 9. English is a Difficult Second Language

It is estimated that over 1 billion people are currently learning English worldwide.[xvii] According to the British Council, as of the year 2000, there were 750 million speakers with English as a foreign language. In addition, there were 375 million speakers with English as a second language. The difference between the two groups amounts to English as a foreign language speakers using English occasionally for business or pleasure, while English as a second language speakers use English on a daily basis.

These impressive numbers are driven by adult speakers around the world who use English to communicate in the workplace. It is a commonly-held misconception that these speakers need English to communicate with native speakers. While ESL is required for those living and working in English-speaking cultures such as the UK and USA, it is equally true that English is used as the common language in nations where English is not the primary language. In a globalized world, the number of English learners around the world is only expected to further grow.

Plain Language: Plain language is communication your audience can understand the first time they read or hear it. Language that is "plain" to one set of readers may not be "plain" to others. Written material is in plain language if your audience can:

• Find what they need,

• Understand what they find, and

• Use what they find to meet their needs.

No one technique defines plain language. Rather, plain language is defined by results - it is easy to read, understand, and use.

Business Benefits of Using Plain Language: The benefits of using plain language to make ICT products more accessible, usable, and useful to users of ESL are both tangible and intangible.[xviii]  For example:

• Plain language gets your message across in the shortest time possible using the least number of words possible.

• More people using English as a second language are able to understand your message.

• There is less chance that your written communications will be misunderstood.  This can result in less time spent explaining content to your customers and potentially avoiding legal problems resulting from misunderstandings or interpretations.

For example, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs utilized a professional style writing application, to simplify a letter containing important information for veterans. Benefits counselors estimated that 750 copies of the original letter had been sent in one year with over 1,100 calls as a result. After the letter was simplified, 710 copies were sent resulting in fewer than 200 calls.

The U.S. Government, as well as Australia, Canada, the European Commission, Sweden, and the United Kingdom promote and support the use of plain language writing techniques through plain language programs.

Language Translation is Big Business: Localization translation services based on software was $2 billion in 2009.[xix] This market is forecast to become $7 billion by 2015. Software is becoming much more accurate as it integrates the rules engine, translation memory, and statistical technique algorithms that have been used separately to support translation services. The combination of technologies is anticipated to create systems that are more accurate. These markets are part of a $10 billion larger translation market, forecast to reach $21 billion by 2015. When one considers the billions of dollars invested in language translation yearly, a 20 to 25 percent savings is very significant.

Reduce Translation Costs: Using plain language content reduces the cost of translation in two ways. First, you can get you message across using fewer words. Second, less human intervention is required to “clean up” machine-translated text. Plain language content produces a higher degree of accuracy when machine translating text from one language to another. Savings can be as high as 40 percent. This is significant. 

5.5. Individuals Who Never Learned to Read [TOC]

There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. However, by any definition, low levels of literacy and education, in general, can impede the economic development of a country in our rapidly-changing, technology-driven world.

In the top ten largest emerging markets alone, there are 452 million people who never learned to read. By comparison, there are seven million people who never learned to read living in the United States and 800,000 living in Canada.

Table 10. People Who Never Learned to Read

Making your products accessible to people who never learned to read could make your company a leader in its field and increase market share and potential profits.

The same text-to-speech design methodologies used to accommodate people who are blind can be used accommodate the ICT access needs of people living in emerging markets who never learned to read.

Helping Developing Countries Grow and Prosper

It is important for developing countries to have mechanisms for increasing cash flow to central banks in support of funding capital projects for building schools, roads, electrical grids, water plants, etc.  Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are often used to facilitate this.  ATMs benefit people living in developing (cash-based) societies by providing a:

• Safe place to deposit earnings,

• Safe place to keep earnings benefits until needed,

• Way to pay bills, and

• Way to pay for purchases.

ATMs and some informational and self-service kiosks can serve as powerful pathways for moving cash from one place to another.

However, a person who cannot read cannot use an ATM. Talking ATMs have become commonplace in the United States and many other countries as a result. Accessible ATMs exist because laws require that they be made accessible to people who are blind. They can also work just as effectively for people who never learned to read.

Accessible ATMs are being used in developing countries to enable people to do things we cannot even do in this country.  For example:

• Money transfer services,

• Person-to-person payments,

• Check cashing,

• Issuing payroll cards (similar to debit cards),

• Purchasing money orders,

• Cash acceptance for keeping money safe.  It can be withdrawn at anytime -- without having a formal bank account,

• Prepaid wireless telephone cards,

• Bonds distribution, and

• Selling life insurance cards.

6. Overview of the ICT Access Needs of People with Disabilities  [xxi] [TOC]

6.1. Different learning styles [TOC]

There are three major types of learning styles.  They are visual, kinesthetic, and auditory.

To fully understand the content of what is being said, visual learners need to see a person's body language and facial expression.

Tactile (kinesthetic) learners learn best through a hands-on approach, actively exploring the physical world around them.

Auditory learners gain knowledge best through lectures, discussions, talking things through, and listening to what others have to say.

Enabling people to acquire information in the manner most appropriate to their learning styles (listening, reading, touching, etc.) enhances the effectiveness of ICT. Given this information, ICT design should focus on enabling people to acquire information based on their own learning preferences.

6.2. Different Levels of Experience Using Technology [TOC]

Not all people have the same experience using various types of ICT. There are first-time, novice, average, experienced, and expert users.

Designing ICT to accommodate the needs and experiences of a wide range of users is exactly what accessible design is all about.

Understanding the technology access needs of people with certain disabilities can prove useful in helping to understand the access needs of people living in big emerging markets. For example, people who are blind use text-to-speech to access computers.  So do people who never learned to read.

6.3. ICT Access Needs of People with Disabilities [TOC]

In some instances, gaining an understanding of the access needs of people with disabilities can provide designers insight into the access needs of people without disabilities. For example, the access needs of people living in emerging markets are often similar to those of people with disabilities and can be accommodated in similar manners.  For example, the ICT access needs of people who are blind are similar to those of individuals who never learned to read.  The ICT access needs of people with cognitive learning disabilities are similar to those of individuals who use English as a second language. The access needs of people with disabilities trying to access the Internet are similar to those of individuals operating computers connected to the Internet from low bandwidth environments.  It is for this reason it is important to provide a brief overview of the ICT access needs of people with disabilities.

6.3.1. People Who Are Blind or Have Visual Impairments

There are approximately 10 million people in the United States who are blind or visually impaired. Visual impairments include the following: blindness, partially sighted, low vision, and color blindness. Users with visual impairments may encounter great difficulty or find it impossible to complete the following types of tasks:

• Locating equipment,

• Locating commands/devices,

• Identifying commands/devices,

• Using touch-screens,

• Reading text on a screen,

• Selecting objects on a screen,

• Receiving graphics and video information.

• Receiving visual alerts and signals,

• Inserting cards/coins/media, and

• Reading printed material, including instruction manuals.

6.3.2. People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

More than 24 million people in the United States have a significant loss of hearing, deafness, hard of hearing, conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, and mixed hearing loss (both conductive and sensorineural). Users who are deaf or hard of hearing may encounter great difficulty or find it impossible to complete the following tasks:

• Receiving audio information,

• Understanding speech information,

• Receiving acoustic alerts and signals, and

• Using speech input.

In general, people who are hard of hearing may have difficulty localizing the source or direction of sound, filtering out background sound, perceiving both high- and low-pitched sounds, and carrying on a conversation.

6.3.3. People with Mobility Impairments

More than 40 million people in the United States have a significant loss of mobility. Mobility impairments can include the following symptoms: tremors and spasticity, paralysis and partial paralysis, amputation, and loss of coordination and strength. Users with mobility impairments may encounter great difficulty or find it impossible to complete the following tasks:

• Using switches,

• Lifting/holding devices and handsets,

• Using dials,

• Using numeric keypads,

• Using a keyboard,

• Handling a pointing device and using a mouse,

• Using a touch-screen,

• Inserting cards/coins/media,

• Handling printed manuals and books, and

• Accessing equipment.

6.3.4. People with Intellectual Disabilities

More than 12 million people in the United States have a significant intellectual disability, including dyslexia, cerebral palsy, retardation, and severe learning disabilities. Users with intellectual disabilities may encounter great difficulty or find it impossible to complete the following tasks:

• Writing on a keyboard,

• Reading text on a screen,

• Reading printed material,

• Understanding speech information,

• Handling a pointing device and using a mouse,

• Navigating complex menu structures, and

• Responding quickly.

6.3.5. People with Speech and Language Disabilities

It is estimated that communication disorders (including speech, language, and hearing disorders) affect one of every 10 people in the United States.

Speech disorders refer to difficulties producing speech sounds or problems with voice quality. They might be characterized by an interruption in the flow or rhythm of speech, such as stuttering, which is called dysfluency. Speech disorders may be problems with the way sounds are formed, called articulation or phonological disorders, or they may be difficulties with the pitch, volume or quality of the voice. There may be a combination of several problems. Users with speech disabilities may encounter great difficulty or find it impossible to complete the following tasks:

• Using cell phones and standard telephones,

• Participating in online audio conferences,

• Using speech recognition software, and

• Responding verbally.

Rapidly emerging ICT is redefining, and in some instances complicating, the relationship between people with disabilities and the ICT industry. Emerging ICT presents people with disabilities new opportunities to enhance their independence, employability, and quality-of-life. However, in order to reap the benefits these technologies must be accessible.

6.3.6. People with Color Blindness

People with color blindness are not usually thought of as having a disability.  However, when one considers the use of color in ICT interfaces, this becomes an important factor.

Worldwide, there are approximately 227 million men and 13 million women who either cannot distinguish red from green, or see red and green differently than most people. This is the most common form of colorblindness.  Colorblindness affects 7 percent of all men and 0.4 percent of all women worldwide. One of the examples of an effective tool for viewing, testing, and evaluating color contrast can be found at:
http://ideal-group.org/demonstrations/TestColors.exe.

In addition to designing ICT products and services to accommodate the access needs of the consumer groups listed above, there are additional market forces driving the design of accessible ICT, such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and plain language utilization as presented below.

7. Plain Language Web Accessibility Guidelines [TOC]

One of the main resources to help you learn about plain language is the Center for Plain Language, which can be accessed at: http://www.centerforplainlanguage.org/aboutpl/guidelines.html

The guidelines for plain language include the following:

• Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site's content.

• Create a style of presentation that is consistent across pages.

Here are a few examples of content, before and after plain language writing concepts have been applied:

Table 11. Non-Simplified vs. Plain Language Advertisement

Table 12. Non-Simplified vs. Plain Language News Article

Table 13. Non-Simplified vs. Plain Language Technical Report

8. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) [TOC]

The Internet is becoming an ever more popular way for individuals throughout the world to purchase products and services.  One way a business may be able to increase sales locally and globally is through its web site.  Potential customers not only use web sites to gain information about a company, but may even purchase products directly from that site.  One way for an organization to increase its web site traffic is to make sure the web site is search-engine friendly.  Making a web site accessible is one way to increase the likelihood a search engine will locate and rank a web page higher.  This section outlines how search engines find web sites and sets forth some guidelines for how to make web sites search-engine friendly, while increasing accessibility.

Search engines are unable to understand image and movie files.  They also cannot interpret any textual content that is based on vision such as ASCII art. Providing a written explanation and visual description (called alt-text and long descriptions) of images, movie files, ASCII art, etc., helps users understand the subject of such content.  Search engines cannot understand audio files. Once again, providing textual descriptions for these files allows search engines to better interpret and rank the content they cannot “hear.”

Text links are very important to search engines, since anchor text often succinctly labels the content of a link’s target page. In fact, many search engine optimizers consider anchor text to be the single most important factor in modern search algorithms. If a web site uses an image map rather than a text-based menu as the primary navigational method, a redundant text-only menu elsewhere on the page will give search engines additional information about the content of each target page.

Major search engines maintain country and language-specific indexes. Specifying the language of a document (or of text within a document) helps search engines decide in which index(es) to place it.

Some users choose to disable JavaScript and applets in their browsers’ preferences, while other users’ browsers do not support these technologies at all. Likewise, search engines’ “browsers” do not read scripts; therefore a web page’s usability should not be compromised when scripts are not supported. Otherwise, search engines may not even index the page, let alone rank it well.

If a web site contains the “clearest and simplest language appropriate for the site’s content,” it is probably using those keywords with which potential searchers will be most familiar. Searchers tend to use succinct queries containing familiar language. Thus, to receive maximum traffic from search engines, it is best that a web site contain the same words that the site’s audience will use when searching.

8.1. SEO Webmaster Guidelines [xxii] [TOC]

For the purpose of this publication, Google’s webmaster guidelines for SEO are referenced.  This is because Google’s guidelines are more comprehensive than most. The strategies listed below will also allow for SEO on other search engines as well.

Following these guidelines will help search engines find, index, and rank a web site. Even if a company chooses not to implement any of these suggestions, it is important to pay very close attention to the quality guidelines, which outline some of the illicit practices that may lead to a site being removed entirely from the search engine index or otherwise penalized.

Design and content guidelines:

• Make a site with a clear hierarchy and text links. Every page should be reachable from at least one static text link.

• Offer a site map to your users with links that point to the important parts of your site. If the site map has an extremely large number of links, you may want to break the site map into multiple pages.

• Blind readers typically use screenreading software.  Screenreading software has the ability to list all the links on a page.  Consider how many links it is reasonable for a person to remember if they are spoken to him in the form of a list? Five?  Seven? Use good judgement when deciding how many links to include on a web page.  It might be more efficient to create navigation that includes four pages, each containing five links, rather than creating one large page containing 20 links. 

• Create a useful, information-rich site, and write pages that clearly and accurately describe the site’s content.

• Think about the words users would type to find the information the web site contains, and make sure the site includes those words.

• Try to use text instead of images to display important names, content, or links. The Google crawler doesn't recognize text contained in images. If images are essential for textual content, consider using the "ALT" attribute to include a few words of descriptive text.

• Make sure that <title> elements and ALT attributes are descriptive and accurate.

• Check for broken links and correct HTML.

• If dynamic pages (i.e., the URL contains a "?" character) are a part of the site, be aware that not every search engine spider crawls dynamic pages as well as static pages. It helps to keep the parameters short and the number of them few.

• Review image guidelines for best practices on publishing images.

8.2. Technical Guidelines [TOC]

• Use a text-only browser, such as Lynx to examine the site, because most search engine spiders can only ”see” text. If advanced features such as JavaScript, cookies, session IDs, frames, DHTML, or Flash keep a visitor from seeing all of the site in a text browser, then search engine spiders may have trouble crawling the site.

• If pages require authentication, they probably shouldn't be indexed.

• Make sure the web server supports the If-Modified-Since HTTP header. This feature allows the web server to tell Google whether the content has changed since the site was last crawled. Supporting this feature saves bandwidth and overhead.

• Make use of the robots.txt file on the web server. This file tells crawlers which directories can or cannot be crawled. Make sure it is current for the site. so that the Googlebot crawler is not accidentally blocked. Visit http://www.robotstxt.org/faq.html to learn how to instruct robots when they visit the site. It is possible to test the robots.txt file to make sure it is being used correctly with the robots.txt analysis tool available in Google Webmaster Tools.

• If web pages are created in a content management system, make sure that the system creates pages and links that search engines can crawl.

• Test the site to make sure that it appears correctly in different browsers.

• Monitor the site's performance and optimize load times. The goal of search engine companies is to provide users with the most relevant results and a great user experience. Fast sites increase user satisfaction and improve the overall quality of the web (especially for those users with slow Internet connections), and it is hoped that as webmasters improve their sites, the overall speed of the web will improve.

• Google strongly recommends that all webmasters regularly monitor site performance using Page Speed, YSlow, WebPagetest, or other tools. For more information, tools, and resources, see Let's Make the Web Faster (http://code.google.com/speed/). In addition, the Site Performance tool in Google’s Webmaster Tools shows the speed of a web site as experienced by users around the world.

8.3. Quality Guidelines [TOC]

These quality guidelines cover the most common forms of deceptive or manipulative behavior, but Google may respond negatively to other misleading practices not listed here (e.g., tricking users by registering misspellings of well-known websites). It is not safe to assume that just because a specific deceptive technique is not included on this page, Google approves of it. Webmasters who spend their energy upholding the spirit of the basic principles will provide a much better user experience and subsequently enjoy better ranking than those who spend their time looking for loopholes they can exploit.

If a site is abusing Google's quality guidelines, please report that site at https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/spamreport.  Google prefers developing scalable and automated solutions to problems, so Google attempts to minimize hand-to-hand spam fighting. The spam reports Google receives are used to create scalable algorithms that recognize and block future spam attempts.

Quality Guidelines - Basic Principles

• Make pages primarily for users, not for search engines. Do not deceive your users or present different content to search engines than is displayed to users, which is commonly referred to as "cloaking."

• Avoid tricks intended to improve search engine rankings. A good rule of thumb is to consider how the company’s SEO efforts would be perceived by competitors. Another useful test is to ask, "Does this help users? Would this be done this way if search engines didn't exist?"

• Do not participate in link schemes designed to increase a site's ranking or PageRank. In particular, avoid links to web spammers or "bad neighborhoods" on the web, as a site’s own ranking may be affected adversely by those links.

• Do not use unauthorized computer programs to submit pages, check rankings, etc. Such programs consume computing resources and violate Google’s Terms of Service. Google does not recommend the use of products such as WebPosition Gold™ that send automatic or programmatic queries to Google.

Quality Guidelines - Specific Guidelines:

• Avoid hidden text or hidden links.

• Do not use cloaking or sneaky redirects.

• Do not send automated queries to Google.

• Do not load pages with irrelevant keywords.

• Do not create multiple pages, subdomains, or domains with substantially duplicate content.

• Do not create pages with malicious behavior, such as phishing or installing viruses, trojans, or other badware.

• Do not try to fool search engines by creating pages designed to fool search engines.  Some webmasters do this with the belief that creating an empty page with just the right keywords will help their website achieve higher rankings.  Such is not the case. 

• If the site participates in an affiliate program, make sure it  adds value by providing unique and relevant content that gives users a reason to visit the site before going to the affiliate site.

APPENDICES

Appendix A: Legislation [TOC]

The ADA recognizes and protects the civil rights of people with disabilities and is modeled after earlier landmark laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race and gender. The ADA covers a wide range of disability, from physical conditions affecting mobility, stamina, sight, hearing, and speech to conditions, such as emotional illness and learning disorders. The ADA addresses access to the workplace (Title I), State and local government services (Title II), and places of public accommodation and commercial facilities (Title III). It also requires phone companies to provide telecommunications relay services for people who have hearing or speech impairments (Title IV) and miscellaneous instructions to federal agencies that enforce the law (Title V). Regulations issued under the different titles by various federal agencies set requirements and establish enforcement procedures. To understand and comply with the ADA, it is important to follow the appropriate regulations.

A.1. ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) is revising and updating its accessibility guidelines for buildings and facilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (ABA).[xxiii] These guidelines cover new construction and alterations and serve as the basis for enforceable standards issued by other federal agencies. The ADA applies to places of public accommodation, commercial facilities, and state and local government facilities. The ABA covers facilities designed, built, altered with Federal funds or leased by federal agencies. As a result of this revision and update, the guidelines for the ADA and ABA are consolidated in one Code of Federal Regulations part.

Chapter 7 specifically covers communication elements and features, including fire alarm systems (702), signs (703), telephones (704), detectable warnings (705), assistive listening systems (706), automatic teller machines and fare machines (707), and two-way communication systems (708).

A.2. Supplementary Information to the ADA and ABA Guidelines

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) revised its accessibility guidelines for the construction and alteration of buildings and facilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Architectural Barriers Act in 2004.[xxiv] The Department of Transportation, General Services Administration, and United States Postal Service have adopted by reference the revised guidelines as regulatory standards. The Department of Transportation has modified four sections of the revised guidelines that affect entities required to comply with the Department of Transportation's regulatory standards. This document adds notes to provide supplementary material on the agencies that have adopted the revised guidelines as regulatory standards. This document also adds a new appendix that reprints the modified sections of the revised guidelines adopted by the Department of Transportation for entities required to comply with the Department of Transportation's regulatory standards.

A.3. Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has rules requiring telecommunications manufacturers and service providers to make their products and services accessible to people with disabilities, if readily achievable (Telecommunications Act of 1996,FCC, 1998).[xxv]

These rules are incorporated into Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act. Where it is not readily achievable to provide access, Section 255 requires manufacturers and providers to make their devices and services compatible with peripheral devices and specialized customer premises equipment that are commonly used by people with disabilities, if such compatibility is readily achievable.

The Act requires manufacturers of telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment to ensure that the equipment is designed, developed, and fabricated to be accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, if readily achievable. When it is not readily achievable to make the equipment accessible, the Act requires manufacturers ensure that the equipment is compatible with existing peripheral devices or specialized customer premises equipment commonly used by individuals with disabilities to achieve access, if readily achievable.

On August 7, 1998, President Clinton signed into law the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 (Section 508, 1998), which covers access to federally-funded programs and services. The law strengthens Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and requires access to electronic and information technology provided by the federal government. The law applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Federal agencies must ensure that this technology is accessible to employees and members of the public with disabilities to the extent it does not pose an "undue burden." Section 508 speaks to various means for disseminating information, including computers, software, and electronic office equipment. It applies to, but is not solely focused on, Federal pages on the Internet or the world wide web. It does not apply to web pages of private industry.

A.4. Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards

These standards, the first of their kind in the federal sector, cover various means of disseminating information, including computers, software, and electronic office equipment. They provide criteria that spell out what makes these products accessible to people with disabilities, including those with vision, hearing, and mobility impairments. The Board developed these standards under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as amended by Congress in 1998.[xxvi] The law applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use such technology.  Federal agencies must ensure that this technology is accessible to employees and members of the public with disabilities to the extent it does not pose an "undue burden." The law directed the Board to develop access standards that are to become part of the Federal government's procurement regulations.  The scope of Section 508 and the Board's standards are limited to the Federal sector.

Standards issued by the Board under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act cover access to electronic and information technology procured by federal agencies.  These standards are part of the federal government’s procurement regulations.  The Board is conducting a joint update of these standards and its guidelines for telecommunications products.

On March 17, the Board released for public comment a draft of the updated standards and guidelines.  The draft features a new structure and format that integrates the 508 standards and 255 guidelines into a single document, referred to as the “Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Standards and Guidelines.”  Requirements have been reorganized according to functionality instead of product type, since many devices now feature an array of capabilities and applications.  The released draft includes proposed revisions to various performance criteria and technical specifications that are designed to improve accessibility, add clarity to facilitate compliance, address market trends, and promote harmonization with other guidelines and standards.

Products and technologies covered by this rulemaking include telephones, cell phones and other telecommunication products, computer hardware and software, web sites, media players, electronic documents, and PDAs, among others.  Access is addressed for various disabilities, including those that are sensory, physical, or speech-related in nature.  As part of this rulemaking, the Board proposes to supplement its ADA Accessibility Guidelines, which cover access to facilities, to broaden coverage to include certain types of interactive transaction machines such as point-of-sales machines and self-service kiosks.

A.5. Draft ICT Standards and Guidelines

These draft standards and guidelines provide:

• Requirements for electronic and information technology, also referred to as “information and communication technology” (ICT), necessary to implement the requirements for federal departments and agencies (“Agencies”), including the United States Postal Service, set forth in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d); and,

• Requirements for accessibility, usability, and compatibility of telecommunications and interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) products and Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) covered by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. 255).[xxvii]

Also see the U.S. Government’s Section 508 home page:  Electronic and Information Technology, http://access-board.gov/508.htm

Appendix B: Additional Department of Commerce Resources for Exporters [TOC]

B.1. Online Resouces

TradeStats Express: Provides companies with current annual and quarterly trade data
http://tse.export.gov/TSE/TSEhome.aspx

National Trade Data: Provides U.S. merchandise exports, imports, trade balances
http://tse.export.gov/TSE/TSEReports.aspx?DATA=NTD

Product Profiles of U.S. Merchandise Trade: http://tse.export.gov/tse/tseoptions.aspx?reportid=2&referrer=tsereports.aspx&datasource=ntd

B.2. Tutorials

A Brief Training Guide to STAT-USA/Internet [Filesize: 470Kb] [09/02/2009]
http://www.stat-usa.gov/pub.nsf/vwNoteIDLookup/NT00008EDE/$File/statusa_manual_092009.pdf

A Brief Training Guide to USA Trade Online [Filesize: 373Kb] [09/02/2009]
http://www.stat-usa.gov/pub.nsf/vwNoteIDLookup/NT00008EE2/$File/uto_manual_092009.pdf

USA Trade Online QuickStart Training Guide [Filesize: 37Kb] [09/02/2009]
http://www.stat-usa.gov/pub.nsf/vwNoteIDLookup/NT00008EE6/$File/UTO_QuickStart.pdf

B.3. Exporter Database

Many small and medium enterprises (SME) stand to profit from future global trade negotiations. The International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, manages an Exporter Database to provide access to ITA information on promoting trade and investment, strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements and increasing jobs in America. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

Table 14. Computer and Electronic Product Exports[xxviii]

B.4. Market Research

When entering a new market, it makes sense to use market research to uncover a product’s potential in that market, the best prospects for success, and the market’s business practices before beginning to export.

Companies that are just beginning to sell internationally should narrow their focus by concentrating on no more than two or three best-prospect markets. Consider using Export.gov’s Step-by-Step research guidelines to get started.

The U.S. Commercial Service Market Research Library, containing more than 100,000 industry and country-specific market reports, authored by specialists working overseas, is also accessible.

The library Includes:

• Country commercial guides

• Industry overviews*

• Market updates*

• Multilateral development bank reports*

• Best markets*

• Industry/regional reports*

* These market research reports are available only to U.S. companies and students/researchers that are registered with http://www.export.gov.

B.5. STAT-USA/Internet Products and Services

STAT-USA Electronic Information Products - STAT-USA (http://home.stat-usa.gov/hometest.nsf/ref/Products), the federal government's premier office for the publication of financial, business and trade information, offers the following products and services:

STAT-USA®/Internet™: Provides the best of both worlds with its extensive archive of U.S. economic reports and its wealth of international trade information. Delve into timely international trade leads and government procurement opportunities and explore the expansive collection of country and market research reports. With information from the federal government and similar sources such as the United Nations and the World Bank, STAT-USA/Internet, remains the single source for business trade and economic information.

USA Trade® Online: Created in collaboration with the U.S. Census Bureau's Foreign Trade Division, USA Trade Online is the official source for current and cumulative U.S. export and import data on more than 18,000 export commodities and 24,000 import commodities. Using the Harmonized System (HS) and the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, customers are able to select broad commodity categories up to the 10-digit HS or up to the 6-digit NAICS level.

USA Trade Online also provides access to port data, state exports, and methods of transportation and includes annual revisions to the previous year’s statistics. Single designated user subscriptions are $75 for a monthly (30 day) account and $300 for an annual (12 month) account and may be purchased online. Multi-user licenses are also available. Contact USA Trade for pricing and more information.

Syndicate USA: Syndicate USA lets customers bypass browsing STAT-USA/Internet by providing bundles of reports via customized delivery options and schedules. Organizations specify subsets of STAT-USA/Internet's vast inventory of economic, trade and business data, select a delivery format, and have the specific reports "pushed" to them within minutes of their release. Prices are determined by the frequency and type of reports, and start as low as $200 a year.
Important note: These market research reports[xxix] (http://buyusainfo.net/adsearch.cfm?loadnav=&RequestTimeout=2500) are available only to U.S. companies and students/researchers that are registered with http://www.export.gov.

Trade Leads[xxx]: The U.S. Government has resources worldwide in embassies and consulates that help identify promising leads for U.S. exporters.

The export.gov trade leads database contains pre-screened, time-sensitive leads and government tenders gathered through U.S. commercial service offices around the world. Users can search leads and receive notification when new leads are posted. The leads are all pre-qualified trade opportunities and foreign government tender announcements that are available to U.S. exporters.

Keep in mind that billions of dollars worth of international projects are funded every year through the World Bank and the various multilateral development banks (MDBs). It is possible to search for these procurement opportunities in the trade leads database above.

Export.gov brings together resources from across the U.S. Government to assist American businesses in planning new and expanded sales strategies and succeed in today’s global marketplace. See: http://www.export.gov/industry/infocomm/index.asp

Appendix C: IBM SME Toolkit for Women and Minorities [TOC]

IBM and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) have created a new Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Toolkit that offers software, business forms, training, and more to help women and minority-owned businesses grow and succeed. The Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Toolkit http://us.smetoolkit.org is a free program that enables entrepreneurs and small businesses to learn how to implement the sustainable business management practices needed for growth in areas such as finance, accounting, international business, marketing, human resources or legal.

Appendix D: Overview of Business Benefits of WCAG [TOC]

For those unfamiliar with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), consider that many users may be operating in contexts very different from your own:

• They may not be able to see, hear, move, or may not be able to process some types of information easily or at all.

• They may have difficulty reading or comprehending text.

• They may not have or be able to use a keyboard or mouse.

• They may have a text-only screen, a small screen, or a slow Internet connection.

• They may not speak or understand fluently the language in which the document is written.

• They may be in a situation where their eyes, ears, or hands are busy or interfered with (e.g., driving to work, working in a loud environment, etc.).

• They may have an early version of a browser, a different browser entirely, a voice browser, or a different operating system.

Content developers should consider these different situations during page design. While there are several situations to consider, each accessible design choice generally benefits several disability groups at once and the Web community as a whole.

1. Captioning for Multimedia: Makes it possible for search engines to index words being spoken as part of delivering multimedia content. It also makes it easier for users to find what they are looking for on a website. It also reduces web page abandonment, resulting from users not being able to find what they are looking for. Captioning multimedia can increase sales.

2. Clear Content (Plain Language): Plain language is communication an audience can understand the first time they read or hear it. Language that is "plain" to one set of readers may not be "plain" to others. Written material is in plain language if the audience can find what they need; understand what they find; and use what they find to meet their needs. Plain language gets the message across in the shortest time possible, using the least number of words possible. It is less expensive to translate into other languages. More people are able to understand the message. There is less chance that written communications will be misunderstood. This can result in less time spent explaining content to customers and, it is hoped, avoiding legal problems resulting from misunderstandings or misinterpretations. Plain language also renders web sites more understandable to users of English as a second Language.

3. Clear Navigation: Business Benefit(s): Makes it easier for users to find what they are looking for on a web site. It also reduces web page abandonment, resulting from users not being able to find what they are looking for. Clear navigation can increase sales.

4. Color Independence: Enables content to be easily read by users opting to view web pages using the high-contrast colors of black on white or white on black.

5. Device Independence: Enables web content to automatically be viewed in pleasing formats on any type of devices including mobile devices.  This can reduce the cost of providing multiple ports of entry to a web site and increase viewing audiences.

6. Metadata: Metadata, structural mark up and multimedia captioning contribute to improved resource discovery within a web site. If a customer's effort to search for something is more successful, he will not need to use more resource-consuming technical or business support services.

7. Separate Structure from Presentation: Makes it easier, faster and less expensive to change the design of a web site.

8. Text Alternatives: Helps users find pages more quickly, since search robots can use the text when indexing the pages. It also enables low bandwidth and mobile users to display web pages with images turned off, while still acquiring the full context and meaning of the web page being viewed.

Appendix E: Positive Business Impacts of Accessible Web Site Design [TOC]

Accessible web design is important. It enables people with disabilities, individuals 65+ years old, people living in low-bandwidth and mobile-predominant environments, users of English as a second language (ESL) and people who never learned to read access and use the web effectively.

Being accessible means that users in the above communities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the web, and that they can contribute their knowledge to the web.

Worldwide, hundreds-of-millions of consumers have disabilities that negatively impact their ability to access and use the Internet.

The web is a critically important resource that impacts all aspects of one's life including education, employment, entertainment, access to government services, ecommerce, health care, recreation, and much more.

It is essential that the web be accessible in order to provide equal access and equal opportunity to people with disabilities. An accessible web can also help people with disabilities more actively participate in society.

This Appendix lists the business benefits resulting from accessible web site design.

E.1. Captioning for Multimedia

E.1.1 Explanation

Captions are text transcripts for the audio track of a video presentation that is synchronized with the video and audio tracks. Captions are generally rendered visually by being superimposed over the video, which benefits people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing, and anyone who cannot hear the audio (e.g., when in a crowded room).

E.1.2. Business Benefits

• Makes it possible for search engines to index words being spoken as part of delivering multimedia content,

• Makes it easier for users to find what they are looking for on a web site,

• Reduces web page abandonment resulting from users not being able to find what they are looking for, and

• Can increase sales.

E.2. Clear Content (Plain Language)

E.2.1. Explanation

Consistent page layout, recognizable graphics, and easy to understand language benefit all users. In particular, they help people with cognitive disabilities or people who have difficulty reading. (However, ensure that images have text equivalents for people who are blind, have low vision, or for any user who cannot or has chosen not to view graphics. Using clear and simple language promotes effective communication. Access to written information can be difficult for people who have cognitive or learning disabilities. Using clear and simple language also benefits people whose first language differs from the language in which the web site was written, including those people who communicate primarily in sign language.

E.2.2. Business Benefits

• Helps users find what they need, understand what they find, and use what they find to meet their needs,

• Makes it less expensive to translate web content into other languages,

• There is less chance that written communications will be misunderstood,

• Less time spent explaining content to customers,

• Helps to minimize legal problems resulting from misunderstandings or misinterpretations,

• Renders web sites more understandable to users of English as a second language,

• Enhances the ease with which people can use a web site,

• Enhances the ranking of a web site and the ability to find the information that web site contains through public search engines,

• Makes it easier to internationalize and localize a web site,

• Provides support for users with low literacy, and

• More effectively communicates information about a particular web site.

E.3. Clear Navigation

E.3.1 Explanation

Provide clear and consistent navigation mechanisms -- orientation information, navigation bars, a site map, etc. -- to increase the likelihood that a person will find what he or she is looking for at a site. Clear and consistent navigation mechanisms are important to people with cognitive disabilities or blindness and benefit all users.

E.3.2. Business Benefits

• Makes it easier for users to find what they are looking for on a web site,

• Reduces web page abandonment, resulting from users not being able to find what they are looking for,

• Can increase sales,

• Enhances the ease with which people can use a web site,

• Enables easier access from low bandwidth infrastructures,

• Provides support for users with low literacy,

• Reduces server bandwidth requirements, and

• Reduces server load.

E.4. Color Independence

E.4.1. Explanation

If color alone is used to convey information, people who cannot differentiate between certain colors and users with devices that have non-color or non-visual displays will not receive the information. When foreground and background colors are too close to the same hue, they may not provide sufficient contrast when viewed using monochrome displays or by people with different types of color deficits.

E.4.2. Business Benefits

• Enables a web site’s content to be easily read by users opting to view the web pages using the high-contrast colors of black on white or white on black and

• Enhances the ease with which people can use a website.

E.5. Device Independence

E.5.1. Explanation

Users must be able to interact with a user agent (and the document it renders) using the supported input and output devices of their choice and according to their needs. Input devices may include pointing devices, keyboards, braille devices, head wands, microphones, and others. Output devices may include monitors, speech synthesizers, and braille devices. Please note that "device-independent support" does not mean that user agents must support every input or output device. User agents should offer redundant input and output mechanisms for those devices that are supported. For example, if a user agent supports keyboard and mouse input, users should be able to interact with all features, using either the keyboard or the mouse.

E.5.2. Business Benefits

• Enables web content to automatically be viewed, in pleasing formats, on any type of devices, including mobile devices,

• Reduces the cost of providing multiple ports of entry to a web site and increases viewing audiences,

• More effectively communicates information about a particular web site, and

• Reduces site maintenance.

E.6. Metadata

E.6.1. Explanation

Provide metadata to add semantic information to pages and sites.

E.6.2. Business Benefits

• Contribute to improved resource discovery within a site, using public search engines,

• More effectively communicates information about a particular web site, and

• Enhances finding information contained in a web site using site search engines.

E.7. Separate Structure from Presentation

E.7.1. Explanation

The content of a document refers to what it says to the user through natural language, images, sounds, movies, animations, etc. The structure of a document is how it is organized logically (e.g., by chapter, with an introduction and table of contents, etc.).

E.7.2. Business Benefits

• Makes it easier and less expensive to change the design of a web site,

• Contributes to improved resource discovery within a site, using public search engines,

• Makes it easier to repurpose content,

• Enables easier access from low bandwidth infrastructures,

More effectively communicates information about a particular web site,

Enhances finding information contained in a web site using site search engines,

• Reduces server bandwidth requirements,

• Reduces site maintenance, and

• Reduces server load.

E.8. Text Alternatives

E.8.1. Explanation

Although some people cannot use images, movies, sounds, applets, etc. directly, they may still use pages that include equivalent information to the visual or auditory content. The equivalent information must serve the same purpose as the visual or auditory content. Thus, a text equivalent for an image of an upward arrow that links to a table of contents could be "Go to table of contents." In some cases, an equivalent should also describe the appearance of visual content (e.g., for complex charts, billboards, or diagrams) or the sound of auditory content (e.g., for audio samples used in education). This guideline emphasizes the importance of providing text equivalents of non-text content (images, pre-recorded audio, video). The power of text equivalents lies in their capacity to be rendered in ways that are accessible to people from various disability groups using a variety of technologies. Text can be readily output to speech synthesizers and Braille displays and can be presented visually (in a variety of sizes) on computer displays and paper. Synthesized speech is critical for individuals who are blind and for many people with the reading difficulties that often accompany cognitive disabilities, learning disabilities, and deafness. Braille is essential for individuals who are both deaf and blind, as well as many individuals whose only sensory disability is blindness. Text displayed visually benefits users who are deaf as well as the majority of web users.

Providing non-text equivalents (e.g., pictures, videos, and pre-recorded audio) of text is also beneficial to some users, especially non-readers or people who have difficulty reading. In movies or visual presentations, visual action, such as body language or other visual cues may not be accompanied by enough audio information to convey the same information. Unless verbal descriptions of this visual information are provided, people who cannot see (or look at) the visual content will not be able to perceive it.

E.8.2 Business Benefits

• Helps users find pages more quickly, since search robots can use the text when indexing the pages,

• Enables low bandwidth and mobile users to display web pages with images turned off, while still acquiring the full context and meaning of the web page being viewed,

• Enhances the ease with which people can use your web site,

• Contributes to improved resource discovery within your site using public search engines,

• Enables easier access from low bandwidth infrastructures,

• More effectively communicates information about a particular web site,

• Reduces server bandwidth requirements,

• Reduces site maintenance, and

• Reduces server load.

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