Fw: Building a business case for web accessibility

----- Original Message -----
From: "Roades, Adam" <ARoades@anteon.com>
To: <sec508@trace.wisc.edu>
Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2001 1:50 PM
Subject: RE: Building a business case for web accessibility


> As a contractor for the federal government, we have been discussing how
our
> "metrics" are affected by section 508.  What we've found - mostly from
> experience in designing/developing the 508 Universe and training for GSA -
> is that our total costs increased 25% of the total project cost (compared
to
> not considering accessibility issues).
>
> Most of this increase was due to quality control cycles that incorporated
a
> new level of complexity. We tested the site for 508 compliancy using
> different AT - such as JAWS and Home Page Reader - that were identified by
> the client as representative of the audience's needs.  In the future, we
> hope this cost will decrease as we reuse templates that are considered
> compliant, use a formal quality control process for accessibility, and use
> previously identified resources to test pages.  Of course, as we
experiment
> with different designs in an effort to create new templates, this increase
> cost will need to be considered.  And as new technologies are developed,
> we'll need to consider incorporating them into the quality control
process,
> possibly lengthening it further.
>
> Adam Roades
> Instructional Designer
> Anteon Corporation
>
> Web: http://www.anteon.com
> email: aroades@anteon.com
>
>  -----Original Message-----
> From: Glenda Watson Hyatt [mailto:Glenda@eaglecom.bc.ca]
> Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2001 2:43 PM
> To: Webwatch; WebAIM accessibility forum; Sec508@Trace. Wisc. Edu;
> Disacc@Yahoogroups. Com
> Subject: Building a business case for web accessibility
>
> Hi all,
>
> Please pardon this cross-posting.  I'm seeking some information and need
to
> cast my net as widely as possible.
>
> I am attempting to build a business case for web accessibility and am look
> for actual dollar costs [or percentage of total cost] of making sites
> accessible, both new and existing sites.  We all know the legal
> ramifications, but has any research been done into the actual cost to
> business?  I'd appreciate any and all leads to information.  And, as
usual,
> time is a factor here.  Thanks.
>
> Looking forward to hearing from you.
>
> Cheers,
> Glenda
>
> *********
> Glenda Watson Hyatt
> Soaring Eagle Communications
> "Creating freedom and power through accessible communications"
> E Mail: mailto:Glenda@eaglecom.bc.ca
> Website: http://www.eaglecom.bc.ca
> Want to know how to make your website accessible to more people?
> Subscribe to our FREE newsletter by emailing
> mailto:newsletter@eaglecom.bc.ca
>
> *********
>
>

Received on Friday, 10 August 2001 20:51:37 UTC