Accessibility is all about enabling people to get to (or access) the content of a Web site and ensuring that they can navigate (get around) the site to find the information or perform the task they want.
Designing sites that are accessible requires a combination of adding some new elements and attributes to your documents that help increase accessibility and slightly change existing techniques you are already familiar with from other parts of your Web pages.
Assistive technologies are technologies that make it easier for users with disabilities to access and navigate a site. It does not just affect those with disabilities, many additional benefits are gained by developing accessible sites.
Many web users with disabilities use assitive technology the help them use the web and computers in general. The most common type used on the web is the screen reader, which is a program used by those with visual impairments in order to access information on the screen. Screen readers need to linearize a page, reading the boxes in an order that will make sense to the user. Blind readers usually use keyboard shortcuts to navigate the page and find the contenct or links they are seeking.
The most common pieces of screen-reading software are:
Screen readers use complex keyboard combinations so tha they do not conflict with shortcuts offered by other programs. If you do not regularly use one, it can be very difficult to get the hang of navigating a site using one.
The best way to learn how a page will sound when read by a screen reader is to use one, and if you are going to develop accessible web sites, you should take time to learn the basics of navigating pages and having content read to you.
The Home Page Reader is the easiest of the three tools for web developers to learn (as well as the cheapest).
Other examples of assistive technologies:
There are two types of limitations that people face when attempting to access the web:
There are two key sets of guidelines when creating accessible web sites: