Skip to main content

Web accessibility: What is it and how do I use it?

Image
Written by On

What is web accessibility?

The process of designing and developing websites and web tools in such a way that people of varying abilities can perceive, interact, understand and navigate the web.

Making web content accessible to all individuals benefits the society and businesses alike. Standards of web accessibility, also known as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, are defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).


(source: Flaticon)

Why do we need them? 

The web, or the internet, has become an integral part of our lives. It encompasses all areas of our lives including economic, educational, social and professional. This makes it important that people with disabilities can have the same access to information and communication as everyone else. 

How does it apply to you?

Making information accessible to everyone makes for a more just and open society for all of us. According to WHO (World Health Organization) around 15% of the world's population has some form of disabilities. This number continues to grow because of population aging and the rise in chronic conditions. 

Around half the world's population is online (source: Invesp). That means that a large segment of the population online as of today, most likely suffers from some sort of physical, intellectual or some other form of disability. Designing or developing a website that cannot be accessed or navigated comfortably by a person with disabilities is denying access to a growing segment of the audience.  

Imagine a visually impaired person living independently. The person can see, but needs thick glasses to be able to visually interact with the world. One day the person comes across your website.

Are the fonts big enough for the person to be able to read them? What about the color scheme used on your website? Will it strain the reader's eyes to read it? 

How do people with disabilities use the web?

People with disabilities such as auditory, cognitive, physical, speech or visual interact with the web in variety of ways. 

Examples: 

  • People with varying degree of visual impairment rely on screen readers to 'read the web' for them.
  • People with varying degree of physical impairment or senior citizens experiencing loss of dexterity from aging, who cannot use a mouse. Making the web accessible for them means making a website that does not rely on input from the mouse. 
  • People who cannot use the keyboard, due to their physical limitations, use assistive technology like speech input, to mimic the keyboard. 
  • People who are deaf or hard of hearing rely on text transcript when watching videos.
You can read more about this here.

Some tips for designers/developers to make the web accessible

  • Use a proper font size: This makes the content easier to read


  • Provide sufficient contrast between text and it's background




  • Clear designs, with easy to navigate menus
  • Provide text alternatives, ie. ALT text for images that can be read by the screen readers
  • Create different designs for different "viewports" - responsive web design. 
 To read more, follow this link. 

Making the web accessible allows all users to have equal access to information. This makes resources available to everyone, irrespective of their varying abilities. Web accessibility provides better user experience for everyone.


Labels:

Popular Posts

Want a website? Start here: Things I need to consider before I talk to my designer.

Written by On
You want to have a website for your growing business, but do not know where to start? Whether you are a first time entrepreneur or have been around the block a couple of times, having a checklist of things to consider before you start on your project always helps. In this blog, we give you a checklist of some important points you have to consider before you decide to embark on this process. How will I find a good website designer/developer? The first place to start is your immediate circle. Word-of-Mouth. Reach out to your family, friends and associates to ask if they know someone who can sit with you and help you navigate this journey. Ask for past references. Chances are that you will end up finding someone who meets your needs through these channels.  If this does not work, widen your net. This is where your trusty friend Google comes to help. There are many websites you can find freelance website designers whole are willing to work on your project with your budget. Don't be shy...
Read more

Keyword research in SEO

Written by On
What is keyword research in SEO and why is it important? Have you ever wondered about keyword research and why is it important to your SEO strategy? We have you covered. In this guide we explain some definitions, show you how to use a free tool for keyword research and explain to you why it is important to do it before you implement your SEO strategy. What is a keyword? Keyword is a word or a string of words (called a phase) that users type into the search engines, to find the content they want. The most common search engine users use to find information is Google . These keywords can also be referred to as ' SEO keywords ' or 'Search Queries'. Though these terms are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between the two terms . Keywords are used to for SEO purposes, while search queries are what the user type in the search engines to locate the information they need.  Another common tern is long-tail keywords. Long-tail Keywords are usually longer than most...
Read more

Is search engine optimization still relevant? and should I invest in it?

Written by On
YES - a simple answer to the question.   As a digital marketing service provider, I find SEO to be one of the toughest services to sell to small businesses. Reason: you cannot see the results immediately. SEO is a long-term strategy to rank your website for relevant keywords. This makes small businesses reluctant to invest resources in SEO.  What makes SEO so important? Let us dig deeper to understand the relevancy of SEO better. What is SEO?   SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. It refers to the process of optimizing your website (design and content) so that it becomes more attractive to the search engine. This is done in hopes that the search engine will display our website on top of the search engine result pages, sending more organic or unpaid traffic to our website.  Why is SEO relevant to small businesses?  In simplest terms, good SEO helps your website or blog stand out. Google generates 1.1 million GB of internet traffic per minu...
Read more