Accessibility is the practice of having usable websites that as many people can use as possible. Although most people will think about people with disabilities when talking about accessible web development.
The truth is that making websites accessible also benefits other groups who might have issues accessing a specific website for many reasons. These groups can be users accessing from their mobile devices or users that have slow network connections.
Read this #article and learn more about things that you should #pay #attention to when building an inclusive #website.
Due to all the reasons that might complicate access to sites, accessibility is needed more than ever. In the development context, you should think of accessibility as treating all your users the same and ensuring they have equal opportunities.
In some countries, having an accessible site has become part of the law, addressing, even more, the value it has for the audience. Learn what you need to keep in mind when building inclusive websites.
All the Benefits of Accessible Websites
As we already said, everyone benefits from having accessible websites. Having semantic HTML, which improves accessibility and SEO, will also enhance the ranking of your website. Besides the technical side, caring about accessibility as a company will significantly improve how your target audience perceives you.
By looking at the example of those countries that have laws about accessible websites, we can only assume that the rest of the world will follow. So, before you have to do it, we encourage you to make your website accessible because you want to. This way, you can take your time and implement all the right solutions, both for yourself and your users.
Websites for People With Disabilities
People with disabilities will want the same access to your websites as the rest of your audience, and you should provide them with it. If you wish to start understanding this perspective. You’ll need to think about how you use your computer to find the information you need on the web, as well as how others use it.
You will need to become familiar with many regulations and standards. Such as 508 compliance consulting, created for companies to follow a set of rules to be considered accessible in terms of web development and design.
Users With Visual Impairments
Those who have any visual impairment might have blindness, low-level vision, or color blindness. Luckily, most browsers and operating systems have zoom capabilities, while other users will rely on screen readers.
These users will use screen magnifiers that are either software zoom capabilities or magnifiers in a physical form. Also, this is software that reads the text on your website aloud to the user with visual impairment.
If you want to have an accessible website, you will need to understand how screen readers work. Besides, the best way to do that is to set up a screen reader for yourself and play around with it. Then, you will see what your website needs to deliver the best experience for those with any visual impairment.
Users With Hearing Impairments
Deaf and hard-of-hearing users have numerous levels of hearing loss, which range from mild to profound. Although some do use AT, they are not as widespread as screen readers. So, to provide access to your website, you will need to provide textual alternatives. You will have to caption videos manually, and you will also need to provide transcripts for audio content.
Users With Mobility Impairments
These users have disabilities concerning movement that might involve physical issues or neurological/genetic disorders that result in weakness or loss of control in limbs. Some users might have problems making the particular hand movements required to utilize a mouse. In contrast, other users can be more severely affected if they get paralyzed; they must use a head pointer to access content on the web.
Here, keyboard accessibility is the essential thing to ensure these users can also enjoy your website. Make sure they can use your website without a mouse, and you can go through the pages just by using your keyboard.
Wrap Up
Your website should be accessible, without a doubt.
Go step by step and implement each of the accessibility tactics, and you’ll start noticing many benefits soon.
From learning what VPAT compliance is and how any of these compliance norms affect your business to having skilled professionals who can turn your website into an accessible one, your plan will need to be gradually executed.