When building a website, it’s vital that it is accessible to everyone - Not only does this make good business sense, but it’s also required by law.

By accessibility we mean, ensuring your site can be used by all Internet users, including people with disabilities, and regardless of what browsing technology they're using.

There are many different types of web browsers commonly available, including:

• Screen readers (eg JAWS)
• Braille display browsers (eg Lynx)
• Text-only web browsers for visual-users with low bandwidth (eg Links)
• Handheld devices including PDA's and mobile phones
• TV web services (eg WebTV)
• Screen magnifiers (eg Lunar)

Does your website work for all these?

Each of these browsing technologies has different accessibility requirements and Lead Technologies understand the technical considerations that must be met for each.

The development team take every care to adhere to the requirements of the Disability Discrimination act (DDA), and the guidelines set down by the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C).

One of the main goals of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is to make the web accessible to all by promoting technologies that take into account the vast differences in culture, languages, education, ability, material resources, access devices, and physical limitations of users on all continents. Many users may be operating in contexts very different from our own.

This is where at Lead Technologies we see the bigger picture, offering a professional approach to developing systems for the future.

If you have any questions about Lead Technologies's approach to accessibility, please email accessibility@fmedia.co.uk.

For further information about W3C, visit www.w3.org.