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Why Accessibility is Important for Healthcare Websites 

  • Author: Jill Wolters

  • Date:

52% of consumers search medical providers online before engaging with hospitals per a study conducted by Deloitte on health care consumer engagement.

Patients with disabilities and the aging population face a number of significant barriers that prevent them from accessing online health information. Some examples of barriers include: 

  • A patient who is blind and can't search the website because the website isn't compatible with screen reader software. 
  • Helpful videos on what to expect before major procedures, but there is not captioning or a transcript for patients who are deaf or hard of hearing.  
  • A website that requires the use of a mouse and can't be used by patients with mobility issues such as spasticity and chorea. 

Help keep UCSF off the list of recent healthcare companies sued over ADA website compliance. Accessible UCSF health-related websites are critical to attract and keep patients, plus it's the right thing to do. 

Learn more about how we support digital accessibility and web standards at UCSF. Reach out to Jill Wolters, Web Standards Program Manager, at [email protected].