Preety Kumar Mass Marketing & Communications Blog

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Web Accessibility for Mass Marketing and Communications in the Private Sector

When General Electric (GE) discovered that its website was not accessible to persons with disabilities, it knew that it had to do something about it. There was a simple reason for this: it was not in keeping with the company's values. There were significant secondary benefits to reap. GE recognized that the efficient use of accessibility techniques would benefit its bottom line. Roughly 20 percent of potential GE customers are persons with disabilities. Principles of accessible design increase content discovery and device independence. The rapid convergence of devices that can access the Internet is another reason web operators should not assume the current path of communication between input and output as the only way of interaction. Clearly, increasing market share - especially a loyal customer base - makes a difference. Although the business benefits were alluring, GE's move to make the principal functions of its website accessible supported the idea that diversity is essential and that the company should always pursue technological innovations that support its corporate responsibility mission.

Read the rest of my white paper on how we achieved Web Accessibility for General Electric