SB+Lab+11

**__Universal Web Accessibility: __**

 * 1. How would you describe web accessibility?**

Web accessibility allows people with impairments to use the web without having to rely on other people. With web accessibility, an impaired person can easily access information from media content without having to feel different or separate from the 'normal' people of society. In other words, web accessibility is an element of the internet that unifies society by making people feel equal regardless of impairment or disability.


 * 2. Who do you think benefits from accessible websites and how?**

Everyone benefits from accessible websites. This is because an accessible website provides the ability to use accessible functions that can be universal tools for the entire website community. For example, a person that is considered to be 'normal' (in accordance to the Accessibility board standards) can use a website that has a program that allows a person to have their web content be read aloud. This is beneficial to the 'normal' person especially if they are in a crowded place or can not understand certain words. Originally, a screen reader is for those that are blind, but it can be seen that it becomes a universal accessibility tool.


 * 3. Do you think your website/blog should be accessible? Should all Canadian websites?**

It is actually hard to say if a personal user site should be accessible. My argument would be that if a site is sponsored or hosted by a board or institution (i.e. school or organizations like Green Peace) then the site should be accessible. But since personal sites (i.e. blogs on Facebook or google) do not hold relevant information that will impact a persons life, I would say accessibility functions are not needed. I would argue that sites that will impact a person's life (in terms of legal issues or business matters) those sites should be required to be accessible.


 * 4. What do you think is the biggest challenge of making a website accessible?**

The biggest challenge of making a website accessible is that its hard to cater to all people of disability. This is to say that since disabilities vary, it is hard to adjust a site to suit everyone. For example, if I have the disability of being visually impaired, I can access a site such as youttube.com. But yet, people that have hearing impairments, it is hard for them to access youttube.com due to the content being audio rather then visual.