Accessible Design is Good Business

One in five Americans has some kind of disability. There are over 55 million Internet users with disabilities in the US alone. As the population ages, that number is expected to grow. Many disabled users are able to access the Internet through assistive software programs like screen readers for the blind or controlling the size of the text that displays in their monitors. Sites that use pop-up windows and animation are often inaccessible for these users. Sand Tiger uses accessible website coding that allows all users to use your website, not just the ones on broadband using high resolution monitors.

A website designed around accessibility is easily available to those using dial-up Internet connections instead of broadband, older computers and hand help computer devices like palmtops or PDAs. Users should have a reasonable expectation when they visit your website that it will load quickly, easily and without having to install the latest version of Macromedia Flash. A recent study found that only 36% of Americans have broadband or high-speed Internet connections at home and those living in rural communities are even more likely to be accessing the web by slower dial-up Internet connections. An accessible web design means that anybody visiting your website will be able to use it no matter what type of computer hardware, software or browser type they are using and that the social, economic, or geographic environment where a person lives will not prevent access to your website. This brings you the greatest number of potential customers.