What does website accessibility mean in the first instance?
Ultimately, the aim is to give everyone, regardless of any limitations they may have, the opportunity to access all the functions and information on a website independently without exception and with a reasonable amount of time and energy.
On the one hand, the social aspect alone should be motivation enough for implementation. It is perfectly logical to install wheelchair ramps or elevators to provide physical access for people with limited walking ability, thereby recognizing and integrating them as full members of society. It should be just as logical to facilitate virtual access to websites for people with visual, cognitive or various other impairments. One difference is that the latter problem is less obvious to those not affected. People often don't see their disability at first and find it difficult to put themselves in their shoes. How often have I personally been thought stupid and even called that because I couldn't read something in public? Fortunately, I don't get any astonished or derogatory looks. What's more, access to the virtual world usually takes place at home, where outsiders can't see the difficulties someone may have.
As a society in a welfare state like Germany, but also in many other countries in Europe and the world, I believe it is our duty to give everyone equal access to public space and therefore also to theInternet .
A second, more material reason is, as always, money. It's quite logical: if you don't make your website accessible, you make it difficult, if not impossible, for several million people in Germany alone to access it. These may be paying customers or simply people looking for information. Ultimately, this leads to less traffic and therefore a lower value of the site. As a person with a disability, I will always choose a website that makes it easier for me to use, and people without such problems will also do so to express their support and solidarity.
Comprehensive accessibility on all websites on all platforms is therefore highly recommended for all parties involved and should be our goal.
