“I define disability as an opportunity for innovation.”
In May 2019, Haben Girma, Harvard Law School’s first deafblind graduate, and a disability rights advocate spoke at a keynote conference on digital accessibility. Speaking at AccessU, she made the above statement as she spoke about her experience learning sign language and the keyboard-to-Braille communication system.
Contrast her statement with the current status of web design, and you realize how much of accessibility in web design is overlooked. Building accessible websites is hardly ever given thought to and is mostly restricted to a set of very complicated rules and tacky regulations.
Creating accessible websites fits into the broader subjects of technology and design that is inclusive and focused on disability. So what are accessible websites? Let’s find out.
Accessible Websites: The Path to a More Inclusive World
An accessible website is one that’s usable by all, no matter what kind of disability they have, and falls under the umbrella term of assistive technology. Assistive technology helps people with disabilities access devices and utilities that would otherwise be not possible.
For instance, captions and subtitles let people with hearing impairment easily watch videos and films. So the big question is, what is exactly a disability?
According to the World Health Organization, a disability is not a shortcoming or individual characteristic. It is instead defined as a mismatch between the environment and the individual’s capacities.
So how do you go about building accessible websites that are genuinely inclusive? The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines have drafted a clear set of rules to help designers develop safe spaces on the web. The outline is incredibly detailed and comprehensive and is now an international standard for designers everywhere. We’ll help you understand the guidelines with our little framework of rules here.
The How Question
There are a few questions that you can ask yourself to tick the website accessibility checklist:
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How would you use this website if you can’t see the screen?
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What if you can’t move your arms or hands or fingers?
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What if English isn’t your first language?
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What if you are very sensitive to light or flashing images?
There are four parameters by which you can judge how accessible your website is:
I. Visual
Ii. Cognitive
Iii. Auditory
Iv. Motor
In a way, these parameters are not much different from those in the real world: accessible spaces. When it comes to diversity and inclusion, the same factors come into play that would govern technology and design.
How To Make a Website More Accessible?
The internet was intended to be accessible to all from its very birth. Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, once stated, “The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone, regardless of disability, is an essential aspect.”
What technologies are emerging that can make the web a more accessible and safe space?
There are now screen readers that read out pretty much everything on the screen. There are Braille displays for web pages too, and alternative input devices.
Some other ways of improving website accessibility are:
Putting in Captions and Transcripts for Video
Video and film content are veritable minefields for accessibility. Individuals with hearing disabilities particularly have it rough with videos, and in most cases, subtitles aren’t quite enough. Subtitles can’t capture the sound of falling rain or let a user know that a horn is honking in the video or film.
But captions are a whole different ball game. Audio events and all kinds of sounds are beautifully captured in captions, making it easy for hearing-impaired users to understand what is going on.
Tagging images and graphics
People with visual impairments need to listen to every page element to figure out what’s going on. And if you, as a designer, fail to put in the right tags to your images, videos, and photos, you’re depriving your users and stopping them from truly enjoying what your site has to offer.
Not tagging your images or putting in alt-texts leaves users with disabilities at a loss of what to do. It’s as good as handing them a white page with nothing on it.
Easy-to-find Web Accessibility Tools
When you’re about to design an accessible website, make sure users find it easy to locate the accessibility options. Consider Amazon’s accessibility page. The page lists all kinds of options for people with varying disabilities, ensuring that the company offers an inclusive experience.
Image: But the page isn’t easy to find, especially not so for users who are impaired. You can access the site only if you look for it on Google.
If you want your business to be more accessible to users, you need to start with the people in charge of the design.
The best web design agency will make sure that your site has great accessibility plugins and is built with WCAG 2.1 standards of code.
Clarity and coherence are two of the most crucial web accessibility standards. Make sure your website complies with these.
Getting The Right Kind of Design Help
If you’re still feeling a little hesitant or unsure about the best way to build an accessible website, it’s time you look for professional help. Web design experts can help you come up with a truly accessible customer experience without the need to go into these guidelines yourself.
You can hire a website development company that will take care of everything so that everyone can interact with your business. Whether you get someone to do the work for you or you, do it yourself, taking an initiative to enhance your website’s accessibility will contribute towards a more inclusive web and the Internet.
