Tools and Technologies
On the internet, there is large amount of information available for the users related to different aspects, such as education, health, technology, business, entertainment and day-to-day life. Today users of all age groups such as children, college students, working adults, senior citizens and even people with disabilities are accessing the internet for finding required information.
Web page authors are using different tools for creating web pages that are not only attractive but also lead to improved user experience. Now-a-days, web pages include content in different formats including HTML/XHTML, Microsoft Power Point Presentations, Microsoft Word, PDF etc. Web developers are using different technologies such as ASP.Net, Flash, and JavaScript etc. for creating web pages.
On the other hand, users browsing the web are using different browsers for accessing the information. Users are using browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Netscape Navigator, Safari, Text-only browsers etc. Browsing the internet is no longer done only through computers but also through alternate input devices such as mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistances (PDA) etc.
The primary goal of web developers is to make the information accessible for all the users including users with disabilities, irrespective of the device used for browsing. In this competitive era, developers are striving to attract more and more customers on their websites and make the information accessible to as many users as possible.
As rightly stated by Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web–"The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect."
In order to make web–related items accessible, there are a number of tools and technologies available. These tools enable web designers, developers, and authors create web pages, applications and software that are accessible for people with disabilities. There are also some tools that assist end users including users with disabilities to access web pages. We have broadly categorized these tools as:
