I was browsing the BBC news as I frequently will and found a very depressing article for all web designers. Most people who know me and have ever asked about web development have heard me preach about standards and accessibility. I realize my site itself is pretty plain, but it is very functional for screen readers among other things. I even verify it works on mobile devices (though I can’t post with my blackberry. That failed horribly). I know that most people don’t like to think about it, but it is really not that hard to keep things accessible. All of the people who need them will love you for it. If you have a really accessible site, I would love to even show it off. For a nice example, take a look at Molly Holzschlag’s homepage. Molly is an advocate of web standards and a good designer to boot. She is a good author and excellent speaker on the topic of web standards and accessibility. Her site is a good example.
So what is most of the web like according to Nomensa (referenced in the BBC article)? Almost all major sites do not even provide basic access to those needing assistance such as screen readers or magnifying tools. That is not acceptable. We as web developers need to think about more than just how pretty things are. Standards are your friends! Follow them and all of these problems will virtually go away. The article is a good read. Even if you do follow standards. The article is ‘Most Websites’ failing disabled.
Oh and if I remember, I have some music news to post as well.