When developing your website, it is important to follow as many standards as possible. Websites have been sued in the past (Target) because of their lack of accessibility. Screen readers is another reason to make accessible websites, besides the other obvious reasons. This is one lesser known subjects.

The best way to make a website accessible for a screen reader is to view your website with all style sheets and images disabled. If you can still navigate your website easily, and if your still able to get your message across then your good!

There are many ways to do this. Use title tags, alt attributes, the abbreviation tag

<abbr title="Michigan">MI</abbr>

so that the screen reader will know how to properly pronounce the word.

This is my website without any styles or images:

VisualRise Media

Web Design is our passion. We bring your ideas to the web.

Click here and let us get to know you better.
What we do

We create unique web brands. We bring your ideas to the web.

• xhtml
• css
• javascript / dom
• web standards
• accessibility
• usability
• seo
• consulting
• branding
• content management
• php
• database

What we did

Take a look at our previous clients.

• Previous Client: Riot Nation
• Riot Nation
• Skills Used

What can we do for you?

Contact us. Share your ideas. Promote yourself on the web.

VisualRise Media understands that with today's evolving web, it is becoming increasingly harder to become recognized. With our advanced skills and knowledge, let us help you move your brand forward. Let's work together to make a better web.

Click here and let us get to know you better.

© 2007 VisualRise Media All Rights Reserved

As you can read, the site is still very accessible.

Now why should you care?
A search engine is just like a screen reader. It does not interpret images and style, all it does is read the plain text from your website. The more text you can give it to understand and explain your site the better.

I recommend reading up on image replacement techniques.

Hope you found this informative

I posted a similar topic in the Reference stickie up above:

http://www.webmaster-talk.com/html-f...rspective.html

Thanks Chris (and LNR for the sticky). Even if it doesn't help your site one bit building accessible sites is the right thing to do.

And it only adds to the being right that it ends up being good for search engines and even users who aren't using screen readers.

Accessible sites are win-win situations all around.

In the UK it's the law.. so resident web builders need to be aware of it.

Originally Posted by LadynRed

In the UK it's the law.. so resident web builders need to be aware of it.

There was a tremendous debate a few years ago on one of the net's largest and most trafficked digital photography sites, which happened to be hosted in the UK by an ex-pat living in Hong Kong. Many of the residents felt it was unfair and infringed on individuality and freedom of speech.

Accessibility is like doors on a car. You could access your car through the window, Dukes of Hazard style, but why on Earth would anyone set up barriers to entry when most people who run a web site want more traffic instead of less?