Go shopping today at any mall and you’ll see cars chasing up and down the parking lot as drivers try to get as close to the entrances as they can. Many times, however, just as they think they’ve beaten a perceived competitor to an open parking spot, they find themselves out of luck––not because another driver got the space, but because it is clearly marked for use only by handicapped drivers.

Today, everywhere you go you find accommodations for handicapped consumers; sporting venues, parks, hospitals, churches, government offices and businesses of every type have eliminated barriers to access. That’s because these businesses and organizations know people with physical handicaps spend money, too.

As our society ages and we live longer, the number of shoppers needing some accommodation will increase. Some will be unable to drive, others may be losing their eyesight or hearing, while others may develop manual dexterity problems due to arthritis or other debilitating conditions. This growing segment of the consumer market will want to park in spaces convenient to their shopping destinations––not just their cars but their own “behinds,” as they do more shopping and business from home.

The solution for many handicapped consumers could be increased use of the Internet. More and more Web-savvy consumers will go shopping, pay bills, receive healthcare assistance, get the news and communicate with the outside world through their computers. The question for forward-thinking businesspeople should be, “Is our website prepared to handle this business?”

If your website isn’t up to the challenge, you might get “help” from the federal government, which could disable your website though expensive “non-compliance” fines.

The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, passed by Congress over a decade ago, is intended to eliminate all barriers faced by people with handicaps in accessing public institutions. As with all government regulations, requirements under this act change to meet new, unforeseen developments. Thus in 1998, the federal government amended the act to include regulation of all forms of technology used by federal government employees and the public to obtain and use information.

This means that not only must government agencies modify their online access, but businesses that provide services to the government must do so as well. Those who are blind, who can’t hear, and who cannot type on a keyboard must have access to and use of online information and services provided by the regulated businesses.

Vendors doing business with the government eventually will apply the same open-access technology to their consumer retail operations. As more companies face the loss of business to companies that provide open access to people with disabilities, this will become standard practice. Federal legislators, sensing public pressure to ensure all businesses provide access to all via the Internet, could further expand the Americans with Disabilities Act to apply to all business websites. Businesses looking to future marketing advantage and increased sales can get to the head of the pack today by making their sites open and accessible.

What it means to be disability friendly on the Web

Actually, it is quite easy, and many business today are already helping those with disabilities use their websites.

Website usage becomes a problem for those with disabilities when the business tries to collect information through “dynamically created” screens, which appear when the person accessing the site enters information or provides some other interactive response. If the site’s Web pages are preprogrammed (static pages), there usually is not a problem.

Without getting too technical, when you have your static or dynamic Web pages designed, be sure to have text messages stored in the nonvisual layer. These meta tags, as they are generally called, can be captured and converted to sound or print. Screen readers for the visually impaired capture the text on the screen and convert it to audible sounds. If hearing is a problem, a Braille printout of the on-screen information could be created.  

Be aware that flashing images and color patterns on your site may make it impossible for screen readers to capture text for the disabled. Secondly, screen savers may have no stored database of symbols or icons for comparison. Without simple text to read, the tools provided for disabled users may be useless.

Your business website shouldn’t be friendly only to those without disabilities. If you make your website accessible and “barrier free,” you open opportunities for your business to expand into a whole new market of those who want access to what you are offering. Why wait to lead the field until the government tells you “have to”?

		Ed Sarpolus is vice president and founding partner of EPIC MRA, a Lansing-based survey research team.