According to WHO, an estimated 1.3 billion people suffer from disabilities. As per a report by Pew Research, 23% of disabled persons don’t go online. This means that the remaining 77% have some form of digital device to stay connected on the internet. Although the Internet is supposedly an all-inclusive place, most of the websites don’t adhere to web accessibility standards. This leaves a considerable section of the population unable to use the Internet and websites effectively. The simple question to be asked is: if your website can’t be accessed by people who don’t have the same ability as others, how can you call your website a comprehensive one? To know more, read our ultimate guide to web accessibility.
What Is Web Accessibility?
Web accessibility is the practice of creating websites for all users, including those with disabilities and limitations. It’s a means of making your site easy to access without any hindrances. But which group of people will require web accessibility?
There are four main groups of disabilities used as references while constructing a web-accessible site. They are:
- Physical: Examples include physical disabilities and loss of motor skills.
- Intellectual: This category includes cognitive disabilities, development delays, and intellectual disabilities.
- Mental: Includes mental illnesses such as anxiety, schizophrenia, and depression.
- Sensory: When one loses senses such as sight and hearing.
The Importance Of Web Accessibility
A lot of people can’t make optimum use of the internet because of accessibility issues. For the disabled, web accessibility ensures that the playing field is balanced by creating equal opportunities. This gives them a chance to interact and be more active on the web.
Some additional reasons why web accessibility is important are:
- Inclusivity: By making your website more accessible, you’re showing your visitors that you care about them. This results in trust, which can lead to conversions.
- Customer Retention: Many websites focus on a variety of techniques to improve customer retention. But, a handful pay heed to web accessibility and this is what drives disabled customers away. By setting your website to web accessible guidelines, you’re not only being inclusive but also providing a base to have loyal customers.
- Building A Good Reputation Among Clients: You want your website to be holistic so that people know that you cater to all types of users. This builds a good reputation, increasing your chances of your brand being recognized by high-profile prospects.
Who Is Responsible For Overseeing Web Accessibility On The Internet?
General guidelines are set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) under The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) initiative. Companies follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) drafted by this organization while designing websites. We’ll describe the guidelines in the latter section of this article.
Web Accessibility Standards
The WCAG has formulated four basic principles when one creates a web-accessible site. Bear these values in mind while designing or repurposing your website.
- Perceivable
When customers visit your website, they should be able to understand the information that’s been presented. They should be aware of the words that are fed into the site.
“Perceive” doesn’t relate to “sight” inherently in this context. People who have poor eyesight or lack vision use screen reading programs to comprehend text. Remember to take these users into consideration as well when constructing and updating your site.
- Operable
Once users can perceive your content, the second principle takes things up a notch. After users are aware of what your content means, they should be able to navigate through the site with ease.
It should not be disruptive, so that the user can access every part of the site with ease, including clicking and pausing videos.
- Understandable
Building on principles one and two, the third principle is about increasing the chances of content being understandable. This is where the kind of language you use comes into play.
Jargonized expressions, overly complex terms, and tedious instructions obstruct the journey of users with disabilities. That’s why it’s important to keep the language convenient.
The same applies to your user interface (UI) too. It should be instinctive, organized, and easily navigable.
- Robust
A website is considered robust if it can be interpreted reliably by a wide range of user agents, including screen readers, braille displays, and voice recognition software. It’s the web developer’s job to see that the website is compatible with different browsers and assistant technologies. For instance, the Heritage Bank of the Ozarks optimized its website to provide a seamless experience, regardless of the assistive technology being used. This is an example of how a robust site should be made.
The fourth guideline stresses making your website robust so that it functions as intended. Also, it ensures that assistive technologies and future browsers are supported.
Making Your Website Accessible
Let’s dig a bit deeper into these four principles and see how they apply to your website. First things first, check if your website is web accessible by using accessibility testing tools. Using tools such as Dynomapper or WAVE will give you a good idea in which areas you can begin your site evaluation.
Now, let’s look into each guideline one by one based on these four principles:
Perceivable Web Accessibility Guidelines
- Provide Text Alternatives: Elements that are non-text such as images, videos, and audio files must include a text alternative for people with visual impairments to understand. Adding alternative text or alt text is the best way to adhere to this guideline. Do this for images, charts, tables, audio, and video objects. However, for decorative images, you can leave the alt text blank.
- Provide Alternatives To View Media: If you have an audio recording, ensure that there’s a transcript along with it. Similarly, for videos, see that your subtitles are in sync with the content. These methods will help those who have difficulty hearing.
- Make Sure That Your Content Is Easily Readable And Audible: Include a color contrast button so that those impaired with color blindness have better visibility. This will allow them to see visual elements better. Also, keep an option to switch auto-playback off or to control background audio.
Operable Web Accessibility Guidelines
- Make Sure Your Website Can Be Navigated Via Keyboard: Not all visitors will use a mouse or touchpad for navigation. Therefore, create your website in such a way that all functions can be operated with the keyboard. For example, the arrow keys should allow scrolling of content on the web page or the tab key for switching links.
- Provide Enough Of Time For Engagement: If you have a time limit set, see that you provide the user ample time to view your content. Give users the flexibility to extend time if they have to perform an action within a time constraint. This principle also extends to side navigation bars. Set a slight delay when the pointer leaves the bar so that users have a good time frame to view the menu.
- Refrain From Using Flashing Content: This guideline is for those who are prone to seizures as content that flashes more than three times in a second. It’s safest to stay clear of this. If you happen to have such content on your page, then it’s best to provide a warning.
Understandable Web Accessibility Guidelines
- Tailor Your Content To Be Readable: Have a broad approach when you’re following this guideline. Remember that all sorts of readers will be coming to your website, so keep the language simple and easy to understand. Avoid using jargon-heavy terms, but if necessary, explain what they mean in simple language.
- Provide Clear Error Messages: Provide a clear description of the error the user encounters and provide the next steps to rectify it.
Robust Web Accessibility Guidelines
- Use Of Standards-Compliant Code: Websites should be built using standard, well-established web technologies and markup languages such as HTML to ensure that assistive technologies can correctly interpret and present the content.
- Ensuring Compatibility With Assistive Technologies: Websites should be designed and tested to ensure compatibility with a range of assistive technologies, including screen readers, magnifiers, and braille displays.
Summing Up
As per reports, 98% of the world’s top one million websites lack the basic web accessibility requirements. To avoid being in that number, it’s important that you talk to a digital accessibility expert to audit your site and pinpoint areas that need web accessibility fixes. Think about it this way: web accessibility is customer experience, but done more holistically.
FAQs
What Is Web Accessibility?
Web accessibility refers to the practice of designing and developing websites in a way that can be easily accessed by people with disabilities.
Why Is Web Accessibility Important?
Web accessibility is important because it ensures that people with disabilities can access and use websites without barriers. It promotes inclusivity and equal access to information, services, and opportunities on the Internet.
What Are Some Common Types Of Disabilities That Affect Web Accessibility?
Some common types of disabilities that affect web accessibility include visual impairments, hearing impairments, cognitive impairments, and motor disabilities.
