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During the past 20 years, the author has watch China move from being a developing country into an industrial superpower
Money Moves, 5/24: Chocomize Co-Founder Fabian Kaempfer talks with Bloomberg’s Deirdre Bolton about the business of customizing chocolate
The president's campaign has a new rule—no cell phones allowed
In honor of remote control inventor Eugene Polley, we recognize other influential but neglected inventors who have felt the sting of stolen glory
Forget Adderall. Traders now pop chia seeds to stay focused and energized
The Italian automaker and others are adding hybrid technology to elite cars
The storied bridge that links San Francisco and Marin County changed the face of California
Schools cultivate ties with startups before they're big successes
Dave McClure's traveling venture capital show scours the world for promising startups
Get Four
|  | OCTOBER 27, 2004
By Sarah Lacy For the Blind, a Welcoming Web [Page 2 of 2] FRIENDLY TACTICS. By all accounts, the amicable approach is working for Feingold, too, who often represents advocacy groups such as the American Council of the Blind. Just last summer, she wrote a letter to Citizens Bank, of Providence (R.I.), asking for talking ATMs and blind-friendly improvements to its Web site. Citizens Bank agreed, and three months ago detailed its plans for both by the end of the year. She's helped negotiate similar agreements with more than a half-dozen other financial institutions, ranging from Bank of America (BAC ) to Citibank, part of Citigroup (C ). For all the friendly talk, the advocates' attorneys are hardly powerless. There's a potential for lousy public relations if a company ignores them. Many believe that the ambiguities of the ADA will be better defined in the courtroom. And companies are always reluctant to lock out potential customers. "We really don't even have an idea how large a market it potentially represents," says Priceline's Ek. Nonetheless, adding accessibility for blind people to a Web site can be a costly process. If a company isn't starting a site redesign, retrofitting can be cost about $160,000 estimates Forrester Research. In the case of Sovereign Bank, Andrew Peterson, vice-president of Internet and emerging technology, says there was tremendous pressure to create a flashy, glitzy site -- the sort that aren't as easily comprehensible to screen readers. "If we hadn't be contacted by an advocacy group," Peterson says. "I'm not sure we would have addressed it." WEB WATCHERS. So why do it? Feingold hopes common sense wins out. By making a Web site accessible to a blind person, the bank wins fans and keeps lawsuits at bay. And it's not always expensive -- at least if a site is already undergoing a redesign. In the case of Philadelphia-based Sovereign Bank, complying with accessibility guidelines carried just a 5% to 10% addition to the budget when it launched its new site late last year. It's hard to say exactly how many Web sites are becoming more friendly to blind people. Watchfire Corp. a Waltham (Mass.) tech outfit that makes tools to measure how well Web sites work and comply with various regulations, says its software is selling fast. Sales of its accessibility product, Bobby, are projected to increase 79% this year. Agency.com and Avenue A/Razorfish, a division of aQuantive (AQNT ), say more than half of big corporate customers ask about Web accessibility for the blind. Just a few years ago, it was no more than 10%. However, Jakob Nielsen, of the Nielsen Norman Group, doubts it's that high across all businesses. His firm does usability studies for Web sites and says every year companies with accessible sites increase by about 4%. UNGENTLE PERSUASION? Advocacy groups aren't insisting sites be perfect. Most just want a signal that companies are trying. But make no mistake -- it's serious business. The NFB wasn't around when the printing press was invented, but "we're around today, and we do believe the Internet should be accessible," Hodges says. The friendly letters are working. But if the carrots can't encourage more progress, expect the lawyers with their big sticks to get to work.
 Lacy is a BusinessWeek Online reporter in Silicon Valley Get BusinessWeek directly on your desktop with our RSS feeds.  Add BusinessWeek news to your Web site with our headline feed. Click to buy an e-print or reprint of a BusinessWeek or BusinessWeek Online story or video. To subscribe online to BusinessWeek magazine, please click here. Learn more, go to the BusinessWeekOnline home page  | | |
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