New Technology Primer Helps Hoteliers Create ADA Friendly Web Presence

A new resource from the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Creating an Accessible Web Presence for the Lodging Industry, teaches hoteliers how to create an online accessibility strategy, while increasing business, boosting customer loyalty, and complying with the law.

Ensuring an accessible Web site is equally important as ensuring accessible physical facilities – and, it’s the law. A disability is not simply blindness, deafness, or paralysis. Many impairments – from arthritis to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to color blindness—prevent people from fully utilizing the Internet. Additionally, the population of people with disabilities is a large one, and as the enormous Baby Boomer generation ages, the number of people worldwide with disabilities will increase significantly.

Users with different disabilities have different needs. A visually-impaired online visitor using assistive technology such as a screen reader will perceive site content far differently than one who has a hearing impairment. The primer helps hoteliers look at every aspect of their site and ensure all content is usable and understandable no matter how it is presented, and that it integrates seamlessly with other platforms like social media networks and mobile devices.

The primer covers a wide range of areas and provides solutions that can be easily implemented:

• What is a disability, how many Americans live with one
• How do users with disabilities interact with the Web
• How can my organization build an accessible Website
• Why is an accessible digital presence critical to the success of my business, how will it put “heads in beds”
• What is the law regarding people with disabilities accessing online information
• How can I be sure I’m compliant with accessibility laws and standards

“Creating an Accessible Web Presence for the Lodging Industry” is the newest publication in the Technology 101 Primer Series, which also includes Principals of Privacy, Technology Security Primer: The Fundamentals of Systems & Security Maintenance, E-Commerce: Frequently Asked Questions, Hotel Technology Infrastructure, Tech Primer: Revenue Management, and Tech Primer: Telecommunications in the Hospitality Industry.

Spearheaded by the AH&LA Technology Committee, the publication’s funding was procured from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF), the not-for-profit affiliate of AH&LA.

The primer is $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers. To purchase "Principles of Privacy" online, visit AH&LA’s Website or call AH&LEF's Educational Institute at (800) 752-4567 or (517) 372-8800. Outside the U.S. and Canada, call (407) 999-8100. Members can access the primer for free on the Members Only section of AH&LA’s Website at .

AH&LEF is the charitable fund-raising and endowed fund-management subsidiary of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Founded in 1953, AH&LEF is the premier organization for scholarships, professional certification, and instructional material as well as funding for hospitality industry research.

Serving the hospitality industry for nearly a century, AH&LA is the sole national association representing all sectors and stakeholders in the lodging industry, including individual hotel property members, hotel companies, student and faculty members, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides members with national advocacy on Capitol Hill, public relations and image management, education, research and information, and other value-added services to provide bottom line savings and ensure a positive business climate for the lodging industry. Partner state associations provide local representation and additional cost-saving benefits to members.