Open your business front door with 3 easy steps – web site accessibility

At-a-glance:

• Building an accessible website is about creating an inclusive digital space where everyone can engage with your content equally.
• Accessible websites don’t just benefit people with disability – they offer a better experience for everyone and are a reflection of your commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Take action:

• By taking simple, practical steps like adding alt text, improving colour contrast, and ensuring keyboard accessibility, you’re opening the door wider for everyone.

This year Perspectivehive.com.au has had more than a make-over. It needed a full renovation that reflected the skills, capabilities, and services I offer. My first priority when briefing in web designer @belindaowen, was to ensure that the design would be accessible and inclusive. This was an absolute non-negotiable as my front door had to be open to everyone as I implemented my vision of a consulting business web site that was user-centred in a format of you need to… and I can deliver…

An estimated 1.3 billion people – about 16% of the global population – live with some form of disability, ranging from visual impairments and hearing loss to cognitive challenges and mobility issues. Inaccessible websites exclude everyone from participating fully in the digital landscape.

For a person who is blind and uses a screen reader, a well-designed website means being able to shop online independently, apply for a job, or read the news without assistance. For a person with dyslexia, a site with good contrast and easy-to-read fonts means a less frustrating and more engaging reading experience.

However, accessible websites don’t just benefit people with disability – they offer a better experience for everyone. For example, captions on videos not only help those who are Deaf or hard of hearing, but are also useful in noisy environments. Clear, structured content aids people living with cognitive disabilities or who are neurodivergent, but also makes navigation easier for all users, including those on mobile devices.

There are Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which outline the ways to make web content more accessible to people with disability.

Here are just three of the guidelines we implemented to make www.perspective.com.au inclusive and accessible:

1. Adding alternative text (alt text) to images: This provides a description of images for people using screen readers. It’s a simple yet impactful way to ensure everyone can understand your content. When adding alt text, describe the image clearly and concisely—think about what information the image conveys and why it’s included in the context. Example: Instead of using “image123.jpg,” use alt text like “Two colleagues sit around a table in a café, looking at graphs on a laptop”
2. Ensure sufficient colour contrast: Low contrast between text and background can make it difficult for people with visual impairments to read your content. Use a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. There are free tools online, such as WebAIM’s Contrast Checker, that can help test your website’s colour contrast.
3. Make your website keyboard-friendly: Many users with mobility impairments, as well as those who rely on assistive technologies like screen readers, navigate websites using only a keyboard. This means they use keys like Tab, Enter, and the arrow keys rather than a mouse. Ensure all interactive elements—links, buttons, forms—can be accessed and used without a mouse. Tip: Try navigating your website using only the keyboard. Can you reach every element and complete tasks easily? If not, it’s time to make adjustments.

Belinda Owen adds: “Grazia’s brief was clear and accessibility was front and centre of the new design. Initially, I adjusted her branding colours to ensure an acceptable contrast level between the colours – especially for colours that were on top of each other, such as for buttons used on a page. I used the Accessibility Checker to check for appropriate contrast of images, text and colour to ensure it met the required standards. Alt text was included for each image added to the web site, which helps with screen readers as well as Google Search Engine Optimisation. It’s good practice to consider implementing these features as it will open your website and business to a whole new level of customer”.

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Take action or get support:

1. Boost your organisation’s disability confidence
2. Measure your organisaton’s disability inclusion
3. Contact me to find out more