Toronto, Canada
WSI Internet Consulting & Education, the global leader in providing Internet Solutions to the small and medium-sized business market, takes pride in educating the business community and the public in general about Web Accessibility. Through the media, client seminars and the over 1000 strong network of WSI Internet Consultants who operate around the world, WSI is opening the door to accessible websites. Recently WSI published a comprehensive report on Web Accessibility for Technology-Reports.com, a leading technology research and education website maintained by Sapien Partners (formerly Chase Associates).

This report covers all the most important aspects about this increasingly relevant topic, including an overview of what Web Accessibility is and how to make a website accessible. Business owners, government bodies and special interests groups will find this report’s discussion regarding the economic and legislative implications that providing information without barriers is having and will have in the near future particularly pertinent. As WSI VP of Knowledge Management, Valerie Brown-Dufour states, “We have made our physical world more accessible for disabled persons. The next logical step is accessibility for disabled persons in the electronic world”.

According to WSI, universally accessible websites are not just the ethical choice, they make economic sense. The economic benefits of accessible websites are widespread but rarely understood by most businesses that don’t factor in that an accessible website is more likely to generate a greater Return on Investment because it services more people. As WSI’s report states, Web Accessible sites also have better rankings on search engines because the content can be more accurately predicted and linked to relevant search terms. And, websites that meet even the minimum level of Web Accessibility standards have the added function of being accessible via PDAs, telephones, and similar devices that use alternative browsers. With the market for these devices booming, so too will the demand for websites that conform to Web Accessibility standards and are thereby compatible with these technologies.