More enlightened businesses recognise that accessibility is a huge commercial ROI opportunity rather than a regulatory straightjacket. Disability comes in all kinds of shapes and forms. The market in the UK alone is worth billions of pounds per year.
There are 8.6 million registered disabled people in the UK which amounts to 14% of the population. (Disability Rights Commission)
There are 1.6 million registered blind users. (Employers' Forum on Disability)
Two million UK residents have a sight problem. (RNIB)
One in 12 men and one in 200 women have some form of colour blindness - 9% of the UK population (IEE)
3.4 million people have disabilities preventing them from using the standard keyboard, screen and mouse set-up with ease. (Employers' Forum on Disability)
There are 12 million people aged 60 or over. (UK government)
UK population is also becoming older which means businesses will increasingly need to tap into an older - and often affluent - demographic.
Online businesses are potentially losing out on some £50-£60bn per year buying power. (Employers' Forum on Disability)
Accessible websites are search engine friendly meaning better search engine rankings.
Accessible websites are smaller in file size which means that pages are served faster. Users/customers can find what they want more quickly.
Accessible websites are more readily adaptable for handheld and other devices.
About The Author
Faheem Razak is the CEO of 1075 Web Design Agency (www.ten75.com) based in London specialising in accessible standards compliant website design.
Have your website tested for usability issues, register for a free at http://www.ten75.com/offers/website-usability-review.htm.
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