First Monday Editorial Group
This paper explores the concept of Web accessibility and how technologies, guidelines and policies have evolved since the turn of the twenty-first century in order to address the ideals of equitable access to online content for all people. The paper discusses the high availability of assistive technologies built into consumer devices and the associated accessibility guidelines for Web sites and content. Through examination of the literature, this paper shows that the accessible design and assessment of Web sites can be complicated, and that social media, corporate and government Web sites are yet to fully realise the goals of an accessible Web. The paper concludes with the view that disability awareness, more than technology and policy, is perhaps the primary obstacle to a more universally accessible Web.