Target Sued for Inaccessible Web Site, How to Make Sure Yours Isn’t

Claims were made against Target stating that their web site was inaccessible to the blind, and a federal judge in California has certified a class action lawsuit.

By not making their site accessible, Target is said to have violated federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination against the disabled. The National Federation of the Blind is included as one of the plaintiffs.

What does this mean for your site?

Using alt and title attributes (in hyperlinks) should be part of your best practices no matter what. Not only do they help make your web site more accessible to people with disabilities, they also makes your site more accessible to the search engines.

If laws are passed, web site owners and companies may be forced to make these changes.

What can I do today?

First off, read up on the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). Then, make sure you are using Alt and Title attributes in your site at the very least. You will be making your site more accessible to both your visitors and the search engines.

Here are 10 Quick Tips
to make your site more accessible from the WAI:

1. Images & animations: Use the alt attribute to describe the function of each visual.
2. Image maps. Use the client-side map and text for hotspots.
3. Multimedia. Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video.
4. Hypertext links. Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid “click here.”
5. Page organization. Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible.
6. Graphs & charts. Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.
7. Scripts, applets, & plug-ins. Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported.
8. Frames. Use the noframes element and meaningful titles.
9. Tables. Make line-by-line reading sensible. Summarize.
10. Check your work. Validate. Use tools, checklist, and guidelines at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG