Path to Access

My latest endeavor is a new technology consulting company called Path to Access. Path to Access’s mission is to consult with and guide companies in making their new and existing websites accessible to everyone, including those with visual, audio and mobility disabilities.

Most people don’t know that the majority of current websites are not accessible to those with disabilities—the exceptions are government sites that are required by law to meet compliancy standards and a handful of large corporate websites who voluntary comply. Only about 95 percent of U.S. websites are currently compliant.

Path to Access’s mission is to consult with companies to show them where they stand in terms of their website’s accessibility and show them how to expand their audience to the millions of disabled people that are not currently able to use their site or who may be unable to use certain features of their site.

Path to Access consists of a team of internet pros who specialize in online accessibility as well as a quality assurance team that is comprised of people with disabilities—ensuring the usability of the site is adequate for those with differing abilities.

Some of the site modifications that help people with disabilities are resizable text, screen reader capabilities, limited use of Flash animation, tab-through functionality and closed captions on videos with sound.

I wanted to build a large website that is 100 percent accessible to prove that accessibility can work on any scale. FindAnyFloor.com was the test model for a large, fully compliant website—and it was a success. FindAnyFloor.com has paved the way for companies in the private sector to make their websites compliant and I believe this should be the standard for the future of all websites. We will measure the company’s success based on how many websites are compliant today and how many are compliant in the future.

Path to Access will donate a portion of its profits to local and national charities. Path to Access will launch its own website and open its corporate offices in October of 2008.