According to Tom Krazit, web designers are starting to take accessibility as seriously as button placement or heading layout and this is shared by a number of big companies who now recognise that accessibility is not just about doing the right thing, it actually makes business sense. For example, google to launch automated captions, apple announces new Snow Leopard accessibility features, and facebook more accessible thanks to work with American Foundation for the Blind.
The immediate challenge is to ensure that accessibility standards are included in HTML 5. We must also consider the increasing demand for accessible web products as the number of seniors using the Internet regularly has increased by 55 per cent. According to Nielsen, seniors are sharing photos, social networking and reading the news. Facebook is where the most growth among seniors was seen, supporting the argument that Facebook's accessibility initiatives have actually benefitted their growth.
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