Visual Impairment Accessibility and Section 508
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 1999 there were over 1.5 million visually impaired Internet users in the United States over the age of 15. Visually impaired users require the use of specialized software to “read” the Web site to them and help them navigate. Poorly designed sites can severely encumber the use of such software.
Section 508 of the 1998 Rehabilitation Act requires many government sites
to be accessible by users with visual disabilities by outlined standards.
Having your site, government or not, compliant with these standards will
ensure you are not turning away a significant Web user population.