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Re: The cost of accessibility

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From: Iza Bartosiewicz
Date: Oct 5, 2010 7:00PM

Hi Denis,

Looks like you've started a very interesting discussion! :)

It may be worth getting in touch with Mike Davies [1], who worked on redevelopment of Legal & General (UK) website. That site became 'famous' few years ago for generating a considerable ROI from accessibility improvements, so Mike should know about the costs involved in making this happen.

His presentation about this project [2] might be of interest to you too. One thing that caught my eye was his statement that accessibility improvements focussed 'Particularly [on] the use of simple language' (the good old checkpoint 14.1), with great benefits. It is unfortunate then that WCAG 2.0 made this requirement optional. I brought this up, because any 'fully-skilled and experienced' team should include web developers as well as web writers (as Dey Alexander aptly put it: "Don't forget the 'C' in WCAG" [3]).

The Legal & General website project was also discussed by MicroAngelo [4] and on Accessify Forum [5].

Are you also considering the ongoing costs of maintaining accessible website?

[1] http://www.isolani.co.uk/
[2] http://www.isolani.co.uk/presentations/wsg/wsg-webaccessibility.pdf
[3] http://www.deyalexander.com.au/blog/2009/12/a-resolution-for-the-new-year-dont-forget-the-c-in-wcag/
[4] http://www.microangelo.co.uk/2006/apr/news/pas78.php
[5] http://www.accessifyforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4798

cheers

Iza Bartosiewicz
www.linkedin.com/in/izabartosiewicz
twitter.com/mr0wka18


>>> Denis Boudreau < <EMAIL REMOVED> > 05/10/10 7:48 >>>
Hi a11y folks,

For a study we're conducting with the Quebec government, I'm trying to evaluate general cost of accessibility when building a website.

Back in 2004, Andy Budd [1] was saying it was around 2%. I tend to agree with him, though my own experience suggests it's more like 2 to 5%.

So, if you had a fully-skilled, fully-experienced team at your disposal (where everyone knows what they're doing), in a website redesign project, what percentage of your budget would you reserve to cover the cost of accessibility?

[1] <http://www.andybudd.com/archives/2004/01/the_business_case_for_web_accessibility/>;.

Regards,
--
Denis Boudreau
Téléphone : +1 514.730.9168
Courriel : <EMAIL REMOVED>