che Usability?

Not really my area of expertise but an important piece of the development puzzle is web site accessibility.

The lawsuit
The National Federation of the Blind filed a lawsuit against Target Corp (TGT) in U.S. court claiming that Target did not provide an accessible web site to people with visual impairments.

A federal judge then granted class-action status to the lawsuit alleging that Target Corp. (TGT) is breaking California and federal law by making its web site unusable for the blind.

Further to this, California may require web sites to be accessible to visually impaired users and this requirement could extend to all U.S. states under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Existing law
Already implemented in the U.S. is Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. This section requires Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities.

Currently, there are no laws in Canada that explicitly require web sites to comply with accessibility standards. There are, however, some statutes that impose obligations on the Federal government, federally regulated bodies and provincially regulated bodies, to make their web sites accessible to people with disabilities.

The Federal Government of Canada, through the Treasury Board, has implemented Common Look and Feel (CLF) standards for all Government of Canada websites. CLF uses the W3C standards to ensure that Government of Canada sites are accessible to as many users as possible.

Taking steps towards accessibility
Start taking steps towards making your site accessible. With the accessibility requirement already law for both U.S. and Canadian government agencies, it is only a matter of time before this requirement is extended to privately owned sites. 

In addition, it not only makes good business sense, but it will improve your web site not only for visually impaired users, but it will also benefit users without impairments.

To see how accessibility changes the lives of people with impairments, check out these videos.

A valuable resource to learn more about accessibility is the World Wide Consortium (W3C). Started by the dude who created the internet, the W3C creates web standards and guidelines. Check out the W3C Accessibility guidelines and tools section for more information on accessibility.