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The term Web accessibility has been defined differently by various scholars, yet these definitions have some similarities. Petrie et al. (2015) conducted a study to analyze 50 definitions of Web accessibility. The definitions were taken from different sources, such as guidelines, standards, books, research papers, and online sources. The authors found a unified definition of Web accessibility that they considered to be the most comprehensive: “All people, particularly disabled and older people, can use websites in a range of contexts of use, including mainstream and assistive technologies; to achieve this, websites need to be designed and developed to support usability across these contexts” (Petrie et al., 2015, p. 3).
Web accessibility is defined by Letoumeau, as cited in Abanumy, Al-Badi, and Mayhew (2005) as
Anyone using any kind of web browsing technology must be able to visit any site and get a full and complete understanding of the information as well as have the complete ability to interact with the site if that is necessary. (p. 2)
From the definitions, four crucial components shape Web accessibility: all users, assistive technologies, computer technologies, and well-developed websites according to accessibility guidelines. All users can access the Web directly or indirectly using assistive technologies. Mainstream and assistive technologies are tools, such as computer technologies (e.g., desktop and laptop computers), that assist users with disabilities to access the Web with a reliable Internet connection. Well-structured websites that follow Web accessibility guidelines are more accessible for all users.