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Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

Definition - What does Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) mean?

The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is an initiative developed by the World Wide Web Consortium to help make the internet more accessible to people with disabilities. The WAI applies to all types of disabled populations, including the growing elderly population. Equal opportunity and equal access rights are the crux of the WAI.

WAI's focus is on modifying software or websites to accommodate disabled persons. Resources, guidelines and strategies are developed through WAI and other international initiatives.

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Techopedia explains Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

The WAI seeks to make the internet more accessible to people with auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech and visual impairments. This is largely accomplished through what the organization calls "inclusive design." This includes some of the following features:

  • Providing text alternatives for non-text content
  • Presenting the same content in different ways
  • Ensuring content is easy to see and hear
  • Designing pages so that content appears and operates in predictable ways

The tools that can help designers and developers create inclusive design includes web content, software and authoring tools.

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