Promoting Inclusion Through Web Accessibility
What is web accessibility?
According to the Web Accessibility Initiative, “Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them.” Everyone should be able to perceive, understand, navigate, interact with, and contribute to the Web. Web accessibility is important for people with all types of disabilities, including auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual, but it also benefits people without disabilities.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG, outline requirements for web accessibility. WCAG is an international standard published by the Web Accessibility Initiative that provides a set of technical guidelines explaining how to make websites, apps, and other digital experiences accessible to people with various kinds of disabilities.
One aspect of web accessibility is designing and building websites in a way that supports a variety of navigation methods. For example, people who are deaf or hard of hearing often use captioning. People who are blind may use screen readers which speak site content out loud. People with mobility-related disabilities may use voice recognition, keyboard navigation, or other devices instead of a mouse.
Why does it matter?
Web accessibility promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities, older people, people in rural areas, and people in developing countries. It also improves the overall user experience for all users, including able-bodied individuals.
According to the World Health Organization, about 15% of people worldwide live with some form of disability. The organization also states that “almost everyone is likely to experience some form of disability — temporary or permanent — at some point in life.” Temporary disabilities, also known as temporary limitations, include things like a broken arm, lost glasses, limited mobility while recovering from surgery, and more.
Web accessibility is also required by law. Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities by businesses open to the public, also called “public accommodations.” The Department of Justice has consistently taken the position that the ADA’s requirements apply to all the goods, services, privileges, or activities offered by public accommodations, including those offered on the web.
How do you create an accessible website?
The most important aspect of creating an accessible digital experience is having a proactive approach to accessibility. Accessibility cannot be an afterthought. It’s much easier to make your site accessible from the beginning than to go back and attempt to make it accessible once everything is already designed and coded.
When creating a website, some common accessibility barriers include not supporting captions on videos which can prevent people who are deaf and hard of hearing from understanding the content. Poor color contrast and using color as the only indicator (such as only indicating required fields with the color red) can create barriers for people with limited vision or color blindness. Not including alternative text descriptions, aka “alt text,” can prevent people who are blind from understanding images, charts, and more. Not supporting keyboard navigation can prevent people that cannot use a mouse or trackpad from accessing a website.
Resources to learn more:
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview
- How to Meet WCAG 2 (Quick Reference)
- Google Accessibility Guide and Resources
- Wave WebAIM accessibility audit tools
- WCAG Color Contrast
- 80 Web Accessibility Resources and Tools
How does the Lab create accessible experiences?
Here at the Lab, we think about accessibility at every stage of a project, from concept to design to development. As Ellen Cochran wrote in her article, we put a huge emphasis on human-centered design in all of our projects. Making our projects accessible is a big part of ensuring we meet our users’ needs. This doesn’t only apply to web-related projects. Accessibility is a part of all of our projects including virtual reality experiences, video games, and robotics.
