All You Need to Know About Web Accessibility

Undoubtedly, the internet is one of the most important inventions in our modern time. Currently, there are 4.33 billion internet users, which is equivalent to half the global population.

The internet technology has truly changed the way we do things. From accessing news and information to obtaining an education, planning our career, seeking jobs, transacting with government offices, buying things, etc. It’s hard to imagine life without it.

With its growing importance, it is inevitable to make the web accessible to everyone. More than a requirement under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, web accessibility is a social responsibility of those who design and develop internet sites, tools, and applications.

What is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility is making sure that the internet (from websites to tools and other platforms) can be accessed by everyone. And by ‘everyone’ we mean all individuals, including those who have cognitive or physical impairments or limitations.

When people think about ADA web accessibility, they usually think about blind or deaf people. But it’s not just them who should be given the opportunity to access the internet with ease. Every individual who suffers from any disorder, disease, or disability should also be considered when designing websites. In addition to physical disabilities, web accessibility also covers people who have situational disabilities and socio-economic restrictions (e.g. those with lower bandwidth should still be able to access the information or service they need online).

Accessibility is Important for Individuals, Businesses, and the Society

It isn’t hard to see the importance of web accessibility to individuals. Think of a first-time mom who has to learn to do everything with a baby in her arms or a person who has just been through major surgery. Another example is a retiree who is still learning how to navigate the internet from her phone. Making the web accessible to individuals regardless of their status, age, condition, or situation is important to make their web experience a positive and meaningful one.

But how about businesses? Isn’t designing an inclusive website means extra work and investment? Are there any real benefits of web accessibility to businesses?

Well, the answer is a big YES.

First of all, it connects you to a larger pool of potential customers. A user-friendly website can attract younger people, seniors, veterans, people with cognitive disorders (e.g. those with very little attention span or have memory problems), and those with mobility issues. Meanwhile, adding braille functions, captions/subtitles, or audio transcripts to your website can help you reach out to people with sensory problems who constitute a significant percentage of the global population.

With its huge benefits to individuals and businesses, web accessibility, therefore, plays a critical role in society. An accessible website enables people with disabilities to participate more actively in society.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Published in 1990, the ADA is a civil rights law that provides protection against discrimination in all areas of public life. This means that like everyone else, people with disabilities can enter all public and private places with ease and convenience, attend school and use tools or technologies available for individuals without disabilities.

In 2008, amendments were made to the ADA to include web accessibility. Under the law, online content should be made accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities, including those who suffer from blindness and hearing impairment, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity, learning limitations, and more.

WCAG 2.1

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 [WCAG 2.0] outlines the recommendations and policies concerning web accessibility.

According to this guideline, web content should be perceivable, operable, understandable, robust, and conforming. It covers everything, from choosing a text alternative to making the keyboard accessible, the content readable and language understandable, and the website or tool compatible with varying devices.

Elements of an accessible website:

• Perceivable. The WCAG 2.1 makes it clear that the information and user interface components of a website should be presented to users in ways they can perceive.
• Operable. All the functionality of the website should be operated through a keyboard interface without requiring users for specific timings for individual keystrokes.
• Understandable. The way the information is presented, as well as the layout of the content, should be easy to understand.
• Robust. This suggests that the content should be robust enough so it can be interpreted by a wide range of user agents or tools, such as assistive technologies.
• Conformance. This involves testing the content for accessibility.

Making Your Website Accessible

It’s helpful to make your website accessible in the very beginning so you don’t have to go back and forth or do a massive rework. Thankfully, many aspects of accessibility are fairly easy to understand. You can also take advantage of the tools and technologies that help you create an accessible website with functions and features that cater to individuals with disabilities.

Evaluating Accessibility

Creating an accessible website starts with a plan. To determine how you can fully serve people with disabilities, begin by evaluating your website to understand accessibility issues and improvements you need to do.

Consider this checklist for creating an accessible website:

Accessibility Statement

This is a declaration of your commitment to making your site accessible to everyone. Your accessibility statement should present your target level of web accessibility and how you are going to achieve it.

Alternative Text for Images

All non-text content on your website such as images, videos, and infographics, should be available in other forms that can be accessed or understood by people with disabilities. For time-based media, text alternatives should provide descriptive identification of the content. If using CAPTCHA functions, consider creating output modes to accommodate people with different types of sensory perception.

Keyboard Input

Many people with disabilities rely on a keyboard when navigating websites. Make sure that your content is keyboard-focused, meaning all functions can be activated using keyboard shortcuts. Consequently, the components of your site should be arranged in a logical and intuitive manner (left to right, or top to bottom).

Transcripts for Audio

Audio content should have corresponding text alternatives or transcriptions so people with hearing problems can still understand it. Make sure that your users are able to find such transcripts easily. Most transcripts on the web are presented in an HTML format. Add headings or links that will make them more usable and separate sections into headings.

Headings

Headings are crucial to make it easy for people to read your content. Headings are also utilized by assistive technologies, web browsers, and plug-ins to facilitate in-page navigation. Follow these guidelines to properly structure your content using headers:

• Structure headings based on their rank or importance (with H1 as the most important and H6 as the least). Do not skip a heading level. This means H1 should be followed by H2 and not H3 or H4.
• Use headings to label page regions.
• Use them to organize passages of text on a page.

Accessible Forms

Many websites make use of forms to gather customer information when logging in, subscribing to newsletters, commenting or joining discussions, and purchasing. Accessible forms are first and foremost — simple and short. Thus, only ask for the information you need. Next, make use of labels, grouping controls, clear instructions on text alternatives, custom controls, and user notifications.

Disabling Automatic Media and Navigation

Automatic media files aren’t accessibility-friendly. For instance, people using screen readers may find it hard to turn off automatic media or those who have bandwidth issues might find it annoying and disrupting. Furthermore, people with hearing problems won’t be able to access the content unless you provide transcription. Even so, they might still find it hard to follow through. If using media files, be sure to disable auto-play functions and give your users the power to decide whether they want to access it or not.

Examples of Accessible Websites

For a better idea of how ADA-compliant websites look like, check out these popular examples:

This website uses contrasting colors to make the content easier to perceive, operate, and understand. Additionally, all sections are found on the upper portion and clickable for easy navigation. They also have an accessibility statement that presents the features they’ve incorporated into their website to accommodate users with disabilities.

This provides different ways for people to reach out to them. Donors and volunteers can contact them through phone, email, and even visit their office. Furthermore, calls-to-action (CTA) buttons are highly visible.

This leading news website has a page guide for people with disabilities who are accessing their site. Each disability category has corresponding navigation guidelines and all the user has to do is choose which one he or she needs.

Usability & Accessibility Testing

Once you have made the necessary adjustments or changes to your website, the next step is to perform an accessibility test. You can do this by asking users for feedback (through surveys) as well as hiring a company to test whether all the components of your site adhere to the ADA requirements. If you choose to work with a third-party, they will be the ones to recruit users with a range of disabilities to test your site, conduct a pilot test to identify issues, and analyze findings and provide helpful recommendations.

Conclusion

Web accessibility is important to individuals, businesses, and society as a whole. For this reason, the American Disability Act of 1990 was amended to include accessibility. WCAG 2.1 outlines the guidelines and recommendations for creating an accessible website. Incorporating functionalities that make your site usable and accessible will not only help you connect with more people but will greatly improve your online reputation as well. While it’s impossible to make your site accessible for all forms of disabilities, you can make a huge impact on everyone else in this sector by making simple changes on your site.