Benefits of 508 Compliancy for the Client??

[TigerGirl7]

Hi,

In the spirit of my previous post, would anyone care to chime in on the actual real-world benefits of having a website that complies with section 508 and uses css instead of tables? Do the benefits include browser compatibility? PDA compatibility? Are the major benefits short term? Or is this approach primarily a longer-term strategy?

What's the major benefit? Just as important... what are the cons?

Cheers.

 

[stormbind]

The benefits for them are customer satisfaction.
The benefits for you are recurring contracts, and referals.

How does lynx display tables?

--Glen

Memoria mihi benigna erit qui eam perscribam

 

[BabyJeffy]

I am guessing that 508 compliance on their website would be advantageous to the client when applying for state/government funding (you mentioned in your original thread that the client in question was a not-for-profit organisation I think).

I personally see 508 compliance as a means to remove the walls that prevent blind/deaf/disabled users from accessing web content through specialist (or even not-so-specialist) browsers/devices -- this is content we take for granted (like train times, movie showings, on-line grocery shopping).

Imagine if an organisation that serves the same blind/deaf/disabled community of users had a site that was unable to be accessed by a majority of it's members! What an outrage. So I guess the client gains credibility amongst it's membership as well as credibility amongst the wider community of like-organisations.

Stormbind certainly put it bluntly... but the benefits to you are invariably repeat business and new business based on your successful implementation (word of mouth). Seriously... I am seeing so many job specs at the moment where they want to see w3c this, 508 that... this will glow on your CV.

For the client: state/government funding ability and credibility
For you: more like-business and repeat work

Jeff

 

[jstreich]

How does lynx display tables?

It displays each collum... i.e.

colum1 row 1
colum1 row 2
colum1 row 3
colum2 row 1
colum2 row 2
colum2 row 3
...

In general, I test with Lynx, if it works well as a table in Lynx then I leave it as a table.

[plug=shameless]

http://game-master.us/phpx-3.4.0/

[/plug]

 

[TigerGirl7]

thanks, babyjeff. excellent comments.

Jen in UK!!!