Purpose

Abstract: Universal web design is the practice of designing and developing web content that is accessible to the broadest possible audience, including people with disabilities. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) published its Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 in May 1999. More recently, Adobe has built accessibility features into its Portable Document Format (PDF) and Macromedia has similarly equipped its Flash platform with accessibility features. However, research continues to show that few web authors are using the available tools to create accessible content. Solutions include authoring tools more assertively prompting authors regarding accessibility, and widespread efforts to promote universal web design through polices, best practices, and advocacy