Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Today marks Global Accessibility Awareness Day - a celebration and education of ensuring an inclusive digital experience for all courtesy of the GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day) Foundation .

We believe that the web should be inclusive for everyone and digital accessibility is the foundation behind making it inclusive and accessible to all.

"The power of the web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect." - Tim Berners-Lee

Below are some snippets of our latest articles on the importance of digital accessibility and inclusivity ahead of next year's European Accessibility Act and the upcoming WCAG 3.0.

Is Personalisation the answer to Web Accessibility?

Poor accessibility affects every user. Throughout the web design process, accessibility should never be an afterthought.?

A 2019 survey of one million websites revealed 97.8% of homepages failed to meet web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) - effectively making them inaccessible to people with disabilities, along with those that use assistive technology.?

With personalisation, businesses can cater to disabled users on a greater scale so their user experience is not limited to the constraints of a tech stack.?

• Personalisation can have a significant impact on the user experience and the success of engagement rates and customer loyalty.
• Personalised experiences based on user interests can help individuals find what they are looking for quicker and easier.?
• It can also help improve the overall usability of a website by adapting to each user’s requirements.

Read our blog on how personalisation can help to improve accessibility with some web accessibility insights.?

How businesses can improve Digital Accessibility

There are retailers still struggling to make websites truly accessible to people with certain disabilities and as a consequence, missing out on connecting with a?large consumer base?and subsequent revenue.

Disability is acknowledged as a spectrum, rather something that's binary. There are users with physical, sensory, behavioural and cognitive traits who do not identify as disabled, yet still face significant barriers when trying to access websites and apps.

That also includes users with permanent, temporary, or situational impairments.?

Businesses need to consider accessibility in their digital framework and design - leaving it in the testing stages is far, far too late. They must ensure that their digital websites or applications are easy for everyone to use when determining the user experience.?

Catering for everyone improves usability, subsequently resulting in a more intuitive user experience for all.

Here's how retailers can improve online accessibility.

Inclusive Cybersecurity: Keeping Vulnerable Users Safe Online

In a world dominated by digital, robust cybersecurity is paramount to keeping our personal data safe.

People are dependent on essential digital services that involve their finances, healthcare and education - all of which require stringent cybersecurity settings.

Secure solutions like multi-step authenticators and facial recognition software are effective at keeping cybercriminals at bay, but do they render websites inaccessible to certain people with disabilities?

From visual impairments to cognitive and neurodiverse conditions, each disability presents unique challenges when it comes to navigating the web safely.

By working together to address each challenge and the vulnerabilities faced by disabled users, we can create a safer and more inclusive digital landscape for everyone.

Read this blog in full here.