Charities: a business case for web accessibility
With the Internet becoming increasingly important in people's lives, web accessibility is an opportunity that charities can no longer ignore.
The most obvious benefit of web accessibility is the freedom and equality it gives to disabled users online. In the UK 8.5 million consumers have some kind of mental or physical disability. Any charity wanting to maximise their income is missing a huge gap in the market if they are excluding these users from their fundraising efforts. However, creating an accessible website could reap many other benefits for your organisation which you may have not be aware of.
Legal advantages
Making your charity's website available to those with disabilities is not only a benefit for users; it is a legal obligation. It is a legal requirement for any company that offers goods and services on the Internet to ensure that their site is accessible (Disability Rights Commission, 2004). The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) states that all service providers must take reasonable steps to change a practice which makes it unreasonably difficult for disabled people to make use of its services.
Any organisation's website should strive to achieve Level AA of the W3C W.C.A.G 1.0 Guidelines.
It makes good business sense for charities to ensure their sites adhere to good practice. Additionally, the risk of future litigation, and any potential legal costs will be cut out at an early stage.
Driving revenues
As well as putting your organisation on the right side of the law, prioritising accessibility could boost your charity's income. Around 14 per cent of the population has some form of disability, according to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). That's 8.5 million people who might be excluded from your fundraising efforts. It makes obvious commercial sense to invest in accessibility and reach these potential donors.
An accessible website is also more usable. So, perhaps the most straightforward benefit of creating a clean website with easy navigation is that users will stay longer, and return to your site time and time again.
Accessible websites are more search engine friendly and therefore help maximise ranking potential. This gives your charity's website more exposure, increasing public awareness and boosting revenues and public support.
Reducing costs
Accessible websites use W3C standards compliant clean code that make websites easier (and hence cheaper) to maintain. It also make your website future-proof. Income you may have to spend on fixing a website that no longer displays correctly in latest browsers'versions can be spent on more important things. Read our article on the benefits of accessible web design for more information.
Raising your charity's profile
In the 21st century climate of ethical business practice, accessibility for all is an instant gold star for PR and customer relations. Showing corporate responsibility gives the public trust in your organisation, and can only boost your reputation. By showing online social responsibility your charity will be able to generate more positive PR and ultimately increase brand awareness.
As the word about accessibility spreads, so has the positive publicity surrounding it. There are a couple of awards for accessible websites which will add kudos to any organisation's home page. Accessites showcases attractive and accessible websites which have been fully vetted to comply with stringent standards. The annual Accessibility in Focus is another award which is reserved for charitable organisations, and is well worth entering if your charity or not for profit organisation has an accessible website to be proud of.
