Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes

The Why of Web Accessibility

Developing a better web for everyone

Humans, and web designers and developers by extension, are not unique in our capacity to feel empathy. In fact, the ability to predict and solve other people’s problems is as foundational to the definition of empathy as it is to our job descriptions.

However, we often neglect this fundamental aspect of our humanity for a large subset of people by developing websites that reflect the privilege of our own context. While the principles of inclusive design are a solid beginning to better, contextually-sensitive products, recognizing that empathy also requires additional considerations for people with disabilities means adopting an accessibility-first mindset.

Web accessibility is a human right

Web accessibility, at least as a concept, has existed for almost as long as the Web. In 1991, Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act “prohibit[ed] discrimination on the basis of disability in the activities of places of public accommodations.” The Web Accessibility Initiative launched in 1997 with an endorsement by the White House. In addition, that same year, Congress updated Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act to require electronics and information technologies produced for all Federal agencies be accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public. However, for the private sector, accessibility was not really a consideration at that point with less than 3% of Americans using the Web. Times, as is said, were a’changin. The growth trajectory of the Internet in the ensuing two decades goes without saying, where now 51% of Americans bank online, 69% of the U.S. uses social media and ecommerce is over $1 trillion annually. With an ever increasing adoption rate for basic societal functions, accepting that the Web is now the new public space, albeit a virtual one, is not difficult.

The United Nations took this a step further and identified accessibility as human right. Effective May 2008, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (“The Convention”) “reaffirm[ed] that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms.” The Convention effectively put the burden on society to overcome by removing barriers and making accommodations for the individual (known as the Social Model of Disability) rather than the onus on the individual to overcome their disability. Article 21 specifically declares that signatories “promote access to information by providing information intended for the general public in accessible formats and technologies.” In short, all information intended for the general public, including information on the Internet, must also be made accessible to persons with disabilities through the use of accessible formats and augmentative and alternative communication.

Why is accessibility important?

“The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.”

Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director

Accessibility is intrinsic to the Web. When designed properly, people with a wide range of disabilities can communicate and interact online in ways they may not be able to in the physical world. Marie-France Bru, a woman with advanced amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, navigates accessible websites using muscles in her cheek, and continues to play a vital role in her household.

University of Wisconsin assistant professor Rakesh Babu, who is also blind, describes the challenges of using a screen reader with non- and under-accessible websites:

“Because sighted people rely on their vision to construct models in their minds, blind people often think about computer tasks differently. Understanding these different ways of thinking is critical to designing blind-friendly systems and environments.”

Moreover, consider your own experience by letting me paint you a picture: A bolt of lightning suddenly hits and you have a Million Dollar Idea™. Immediately you think “this will need some money to get going” and proceed to create a Kickstarter account. Before you complete your account, your mother calls (Hi Mom!) to tell you about her trip to see your brother. Information takes about 20 seconds to fade from your brain, and this conversation goes on for at least a hundred times that. After the phone call ends, you jump back to your computer and you see:

Was the email supposed to be filled twice? Or was that just autofill making a mistake?

That’s short term memory loss from placeholders being used instead of visible labels. In the course of your average day, that little challenge will likely not be insurmountable. Instead, the example intends to illustrate how disability can also be contextual and small considerations in our process and product can have profound impact on the lives of everyday people.

So, what does this mean for us as web creators?

Accessibility is a very meaty subject, so — assuming you found this article at 9pm because your team lead just frantically messaged you that the client is now expecting you to come in prepared to talk about accessibility tomorrow morning — just remember to POUR:

Perceivable
Operable
Understandable
Robust

If only there were some mnemonic to remember the acronym tomorrow morning. Credit

If you’re already familiar with design fundamentals, keeping these in mind will go a long way to making your site accessible.

P for Perceivable (i.e., make sure this content is accessible to everyone)

For example:

1. Provide text alternatives for non-text content, such as images or video
2. Provide alternatives (transcripts, descriptions) for time-based media (audio/video, animations)
3. Create content that can be viewed in different ways

O for Operable (i.e., make sure all UI components and navigation are operable by keyboard)

For example:

1. Make it easier to see and hear content: use plenty of white space and visually distinct font sizes for headers to allow individuals to “chunk” information
2. Make sure everything is navigable via keyboard
3. Don’t auto-close alerts; people need enough time to read everything
4. Don’t <blink> anything and cause seizures (I can’t believe this needs to be said)
5. Help users determine where they are and navigate

U for Understandable (i.e., make sure the information on the page and the navigation operation are learnable)

For example:

1. Use simple language (avoid idioms and complicated phrasing)
2. Have a consistent visual pattern and behavioral vernacular (e.g., what to expect after an action is taken)
3. Assist users in identifying and correcting errors

R for Robust (i.e., make sure you accommodate for all disabilities, not just one or two)

For example:

1. Maximize compatibility so everyone can access

Better products for everyone

Accessibility is often pigeon-holed as only benefiting a minority when, in fact, 40 million Americans have a disability. That’s not an edge case. Predicting and solving problems for these users should be foundational to our process, not just because understanding their needs is the right thing to do, but because the capacity to do so is so easily within reach.

Moreover, web accessibility just makes good business sense. Persons with disabilities control over $8 trillion in disposable income and up to 20% of sales are lost by ignoring accessibility. While many considerations are technically-oriented, accessibility is also about visual clarity, finding focus and communicating effectively. And, in a point that cannot be overstated: Simple brands win.