Every day, approximately four billion people browse the Web. They use it to stay updated with the latest news, shop from the comfort of their homes, and remain connected in an increasingly digital our current society, the internet has become an essential communication tool for everyone, including people with disabilities. It's crucial for web developers and online businesses to understand that certain design choices can inadvertently create barriers, preventing users from accessing content. With around 2.2 billion individuals living with visual impairments or blindness worldwide, the urgency to make online platforms accessible cannot be overstated.
Accessible web content is media that's been crafted and developed so that everyone, regardless of health conditions or impairments, can easily consume and interact with it. This includes accommodating:
In essence, Web Accessibility means designing or adapting websites to ensure they don't prevent impaired individuals from accessing or interacting with online content. This promotes inclusion, autonomy, privacy, and personal development. Non-accessible websites impact not only people with disabilities but also create barriers for any user accessing the site under challenging conditions. These scenarios, increasingly common, lead to what are known as artificial impairments.
Examples include:
Artificial Vision Impairment:
Artificial Arthritis and/or Tremors:
Artificial Hearing Impairment:
Web accessibility not only enhances the inclusion of individuals with disabilities but also improves overall user experience. Additional benefits include:
Understanding the importance of accessibility is one thing; implementing it is another. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) set the international standard for accessible web content. These guidelines are applicable to dynamic content, multimedia, mobile platforms, and more, ensuring web content is accessible to people with disabilities globally.
The Success Criteria: WCAG 2.2, released on October 5, 2023, outlines 13 guidelines organized under four principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Compliance is measured through testable success criteria across three levels: A (must have), AA (should have), and AAA (good to have).
Meeting these criteria signifies conformance to WCAG. Learn how to meet these guidelines here. Additionally, websites like UserWay and AccessibilityChecker offer tools to audit your site's accessibility and provide scores corresponding to the WCAG levels, helping you start and progressively improve.
Making your website more accessible doesn't have to be a daunting task. By focusing on a few key areas, you can significantly improve the experience for all users, including those with disabilities. Here are three easy-to-implement tips that can make a substantial difference:
Think of your website as a narrative, with each piece of information playing a part in a larger story. Information should be organized logically and purposefully. Screen readers, which are often used by visually impaired individuals, interpret text in a sequential and hierarchical manner. If your website has an attractive design but lacks a well-thought-out structure, screen readers may present the content in a disorganized fashion, confusing the end-user. Pay careful attention to your use of heading labels and overall structure to ensure your content is accessible and understandable.
Images play a crucial role in conveying information that isn't explicitly stated through text, such as emotions, product uses, or context. For people with visual impairments, screen readers can interpret images through alternative text (alt text). Effective alt text should describe the purpose of an image beyond its obvious appearance. Ask yourself why you chose to use an image instead of text. This reflection will help you craft alt text that conveys a meaningful and descriptive message. Additionally, for decorative images that add no informational value, tools like Webflow allow you to mark them as decorative, so screen readers will bypass them, preventing unnecessary clutter.
While animations can enhance a website's visual appeal, they can also create barriers for people with disabilities if not implemented thoughtfully. Animations should be used sparingly and designed in a way that doesn't negatively affect accessibility. Certain animations may not activate under the conditions that navigation tools for visually impaired users rely on, potentially making your site difficult to use or even entirely inaccessible. Before adding any animation, consider its impact on all users, especially those using assistive technologies.
By implementing these three tips, you can take significant steps toward making your website more inclusive and accessible to everyone. Remember, accessibility is not a one-time task but an ongoing commitment to ensuring your digital content can be enjoyed by all.
Credits:
https://websitesetup.org/news/how-many-websites-are-there/
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment
https://govtnz.github.io/web-a11y-guidance/ka/fundamental-concepts-in-web-a11y/what-is-web-a11y/
https://web.accessibility.duke.edu/get-started/awareness/benefits-web-accessibility/
https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/#wcag2
https://www.w3.org/WAI/tips/designing/
https://www.w3.org/WAI/perspective-videos/
https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/es
https://www.accessiblemetrics.com/blog/6-benefits-of-web-accessibility/
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/Understanding_WCAG
https://gs.statcounter.com/platform-market-share/desktop-mobile-tablet
