Gain insight, reach more users and improve your website with a
Website Accessibility Report.

Why worry about accessibility?

An accessible website has many benefits:

• reach more disabled and special needs users
  There are 4.4 million disabled people in Canada⁽¹⁾ with a combined spending power of about $25 billion⁽²⁾. Does your website welcome them or turn them away?
   
• improve search engine rankings
  Many of the techniques of accessible web design overlap with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies. When you improve accessibility, you improve search result rankings.
   
• reach users who access the web in non-standard ways
  An accessible website will also be easier to access from via handhelds, PDAs, WebTV and Screenreaders.
   
• improve cross-browser compatibility
  By improving your website's accessibility, it will work better at different screen sizes on all browsers.
   
• gain more positive exposure
  Get your accessible website listed in directories that promote sites optimized for accessibility.
  Place logos on your site for valid markup, valid CSS, and meeting W3C Accessibility Guidelines.
   
• improve web page download times and cut bandwidth costs
  Using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) in place of tables for layout, a web site can reduce its file sizes by up to 50% while removing hurdles for disabled users.

What you get

• executive summary for non-technical managers
• easy-to-read compliance report for each of the WCAG 17 Priority 1 checkpoints
• details with specific examples from your site for each area of non-compliance
• code samples to help fix specific issues
• recommendations for short-term and long-terms actions

How it works

• fill out the quick submission form to get things started
• an accessibility expert will examine the most important and popular pages of your website in detail for compliance to WCAG Priority 1 guidelines
• the full report will be emailed to you in PDF format along with an invoice
   

More details:

What areas of accessibility do your Reports cover?

Our Reports cover the 17 most important areas (or 'Checkpoints') from the Worldwide Web Consortium's (W3C) "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines(WCAG) 1.0". You'll notice that the only thing the W3C WCAG loves more than acronyms and accessibility is techno speak and verbiage. But we make accessibility simple. Our Reports clearly and quickly illustrate how well your website meets each of those 17 Checkpoints on one page, in clear and simple language. Then we provide straight-forward information on how to increase accessibility. When you commission an Accessibility Report from us, we will scrutinize a selection of your website's most popular and important pages against each of the 17 Checkpoints, leaving you with a clear indication of how accessible your website is.

What is the difference between your Accessibility Report and an automated validation report?

An automated validation report, such as the W3C Validation Service is a useful tool. The automated service takes a specific page of your website that you provide and runs it through a computer program to see if the underlying code breaks any structural mark-up language rules. It's kind of like your Grandma giving you the once-over before you head outside - she can tell you if you've got your shirt on backwards but she isn't going to offer any useful advice on how to make friends at the park. Our Accessibility Reports are assembled by experts who understand accessibility issues AND web design, so their advice is both correct AND useful.

What is the difference between you Accessibility Report and an accessibility audit?

If an automated validation report is at one end of the spectrum, an accessibility audit is at the other end. Think of an automated report as someone giving you directions at a gas station and an audit as flying to your destination on a private jet - one is free but you have to fend for yourself - the other has your every need taken care of by others but you have quite a bill to pay before you ever take off! Have you ever heard of the '80-20 Rule'? It states that 80% of the benefits come from 20% of the efforts. For most websites, an automated validation report is akin to the first 1% - you're headed in the right direction but you've got a long way to go. An audit involves paying through the nose to reach the 100th percent. Our Accessibility Reports allow you to achieve a high degree of accessibility at a fraction of the cost of an audit.

How long does it take for my Report to be completed and delivered?

Your Report is prepared by real people who are experts in website accessibility. Your Report will be delivered in PDF format via email in less than 10 working days under normal circumstances. And we're available to answer any follow-up questions that you have.

I have other questions, who can I contact?

Please email Dean Reeds with any other questions.

(1) 2009 Federal Disability Report
(2) Royal Bank of Canada report