How to comply with accesibility regulations in the United States

The right to access information should be granted to everyone, independently of it's capabilities and access to hardware, that's why regulations were enacted to improve it. Since 1998 the U.S. has had Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which mandates websites for state offices and state providers to comply with accesibility requirements. This act has encouraged many web site managers to improve their websites, gaining new users and taking a responsable place in the society. Some of this requirements imply simple changes, such as adding an alternative text for images or stating the language in which a page is written. But there are some technologies that are very hard or impossible to make accessible, so the website must be analyzed by an expert to discover accessibility issues and decide the best course of action in each case. What is accesibility? Accessibility is more usually associated with architecture and urban design, where ramps for wheelchairs are the most salient feature. In the web there are also users that need technical assistance products, such as screen readers for the blind that read the text on screen aloud. Supporting this kind of browsing strategies requires a new approach in web development, closely adhering to W3C standards and applying best practices. Making your site accessible has benefits for every one of your users and shows you care about them. How can I know if my site is accessible? There are many automatical accessibility checkers that perform code analysis to check adherance to guidelines. This is important but not sufficient. It's a great first step to know if code in our website is valid and accomplish validation. What steps do I have to take to ensure my site is accessible? First you need to do a professional accessibility assestment, then solve the errors and finally ensure that the site is accessible by doing both, automatic and user-assisted evaluations. Who can help me ensure my site is accessible? We can! Just drop as a note and we'll be in touch.