Disenfranchising the disabled: the inaccessibility of Internet-based health information

Individuals are increasingly turning to the Internet for health-related information. The acquisition of this information influences how people decide to treat an illness or condition, the types of questions doctors are asked, and how people take care of themselves. The power and importance of this information makes it essential that it be accessible to all individuals. This research explored the extent to which Internet-based health information is accessible to visually-impaired individuals who rely on automated screen readers (the most common way that visually-impaired individuals access the Internet). The home pages of 500 individual web sites representing 50 common illnesses and conditions were selected for evaluation. Findings indicate that accessibility is currently very low; only 19% of examined sites' home pages were accessible. Analyses of reasons why home pages were inaccessible indicate that accessibility could be improved if recommended design and coding changes are implemented.