Understanding Accessibility laws, testing and tools to achieve WCAG compliance

An Overview:

Accessibility is the process of designing and creating technologies, tools, and websites so that individuals with disabilities can use them without difficulty. In simple words, accessibility refers to the process of making digital content inclusive and available to all.

As digital content becomes more and more important in today's world, it is imperative to ensure that it is accessible to all, including those with disabilities. Making tools, websites, and technologies accessible is therefore essential to the advancement of digital technology.

The growing dependence on digital technology for communication and information has made it necessary to incorporate accessibility tools that can remove barriers to digital access.

Target Audience:

All people should benefit from accessibility, regardless of their level of ability. Information and communications can reach a wide range of individuals when used appropriately, leaving no one out. Accessibility considers people from all backgrounds

People with Disabilities: The people who stand to gain the most from accessible technology are those with disabilities. Disability is defined as a condition that "impairs, interferes with, or limits a person's ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities and interactions”

Types of Disabilities:

• Visual disabilities: Non-sighted people, people with low-vision, people with obstructed vision, people with issues caused by old age
• Auditory disabilities: Deaf or hard of hearing
• Motor disabilities: People With physical deficits that hinder their operation of a computer
• Cognitive disabilities: Learning deficits that hinder learning and comprehension

Organisations: The aim of accessibility is to make the content readable and accessible to as many people as possible. It means offering the products or services to everyone, which benefits both clientele and business. Digital accessibility is critical for businesses as well as customers who utilise their services. In a similar vein, digital accessibility offers numerous advantages to website visitors as well as the business owners

Elderly People: Older web users are an increasing market segment and an important target group for many businesses, governments, and other organisations. It gets harder to see words and images clearly, and it gets harder to hear sounds. This is especially true for the elderly, whose mobility, hearing, and vision begin to deteriorate as they get older

Accessibility Standards:

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): ADA is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability just as other civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, and religion. The ADA guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to enjoy employment opportunities, purchase goods and services, and participate in state and local government programs

Section 508: The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is tasked under?Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act?to provide technical assistance to help federal agencies comply with Section 508 requirements, and ensure that covered ICT is accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities. While Section 508 is a US law that impacts the federal government, many states have adopted similar accessibility laws. Other countries have also adopted similar accessibility laws

WCAG: Web accessibility is essential to digital design and development because it guarantees that people with disabilities can access and utilise the content on the web in an efficient manner. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) covers a wide range of recommendations for making Web content more accessible

The primary distinction among WCAG, Section 508, and ADA is how they rank various facets of online operations in relation to compliance with the goal of creating a more accessible digital environment. The WCAG may have stricter requirements in some situations, while Section 508 or the ADA may apply in others.

WCAG Standard:

It focuses on two main areas: how people with disabilities access web content and how web content is created and developed to be compatible with assistive devices used by people with disabilities. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) offer a flexible set of standards that include four key principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR) for digital accessibility. These standards help to ensure digital accessibility.

Usability Vs. Accessibility Testing:

Usability Testing: The goal of usability testing is to assess a software product or application's value from the perspective of the user. After determining how user-friendly the software product or application is, user feedback is gathered. The team makes additional changes based on the feedback received to make it more user-friendly

Accessibility Testing: Testing a website's accessibility and making it user-friendly for people with disabilities are the main objectives of accessibility testing. We will learn the distinctions between accessibility and usability testing in this article. Accessibility is the technical side of a website or app, and it's important for everyone, not just people with disabilities

Accessibility focuses on ensuring that people with disabilities can use a website or app as easily as everyone else.?Usability focuses on the quality of the user experience, and making sure that the website or app is effective, efficient, and satisfying for all users

Benefits of Accessibility Compliant Application

• Avoid Legal Complications: Accessibility testing has become essential to meet legal compliance requirements, as many countries now mandate that websites meet accessibility requirements. A website that complies with accessibility guidelines can prevent legal issues, including lawsuits
• Search Engine Optimisation: Search engine optimisation is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or a web page from search engines
• Screen Reader Compatibility: An accessible design enhances the user journey, especially those using screen readers, to increase customer satisfaction
• Brand Image: ADA-compliant websites signify a brand’s commitment to inclusivity and equal access. This proactive stance enhances brand reputation, consumer goodwill and customer loyalty, and strengthens audience relations
• Improved Usability: Accessibility features play a crucial role in ensuring that users can access and interact with digital content regardless of their abilities. By incorporating accessibility features into apps, developers can create a more inclusive and user-friendly experience for all users
• Easy Data Entry: Restrict text entry by incorporating features such as autofill, radio buttons, select menus, and checkboxes. Ensure users can input information through various methods, including an on-screen keyboard, a Bluetooth keyboard, and speech recognition
• App Navigation: Maintain a uniform and logical navigation flow within the mobile app, ensuring easy navigation across various platforms for users with special needs. Provide the ability to skip navigation, enabling users to bypass non-essential or non-actionable content and swiftly access the main elements of the application
• Compatibility: Streamline the content on each screen using responsive design.

Accessibility Testing Tools:

Testing and evaluation are necessary to achieve website accessibility, and they can be carried out with a range of tools and services. The tools can assist developers in determining accessibility problems and implementing the required changes to guarantee adherence to accessibility guidelines.

The most popular techniques for testing the accessibility of web and mobile content are manual testing, semi-automated tools, and assistive technologies. Assistive technologies come in a variety of forms to facilitate the interaction of people with digital content.

Best Practices:

• Skip Navigation: The website needs to have a skip navigation feature so users can move past repetitive or needless content
• Forms need to have accurate labels: Forms on the website need to be labelled correctly so that users can fill them out easily
• Videos must have captions: The website's videos ought to have captions and transcripts, respectively, to enable those with hearing impairments to view them
• Tables ought to be positioned correctly: The website's tables need to be properly structured and arranged in order to maintain the page's overall alignment
• Compatibility with screen readers: For the website to be usable with a screen reader, it must be compatible with both keyboard and mouse
• Avoid "Click Here" links: Website links ought to have purpose rather than just saying "Click Here" or "More." This facilitates users' access to the content
• Images must have: A webpage's images ought to have meaningful and descriptive text attached to them in the attribute. For users with visual impairments, this is crucial for screen readers to comprehend and communicate the content; otherwise, if the images are purely decorative, provide empty alt (alt=” ”)
• Colour Contrast Issues: For small text, the colour contrast ratio should be at least 4.5:1, and for text that is at least 18 points or bolded by 14 points, it should be at least 3:1. Focus indicators, edit field default borders, and customised informative icons should contrast with the background by at least 3:1.
• Version Control: We should make sure we don't overlook anything important when it comes to web compliance by continuously reviewing. In the process, we'll also be able to confirm that our digital product is current and compliant with the most recent version of the WCAG

Conclusion:

Although it is now required by law, web accessibility is often disregarded as a crucial testing requirement for websites. All websites must now meet this requirement. Accessibility has many advantages, not the least of which is that it makes it easier for individuals with disabilities to read, navigate, and comprehend websites than it does for everyone else. Ensuring the accessibility of web content is not merely a service; it is an obligation to ensure that everyone can access the world.

References:

• https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/
• https://moduscreate.com/blog/usability-testing-and-accessibility-testing/
• https://www.webfx.com/web-design/learn/ada-vs-508-compliance
• https://aem.cast.org/create/designing-accessibility-pour
• https://www.section508.gov/about-us/
• https://www.acadecraft.com/blog/ada-mobile-app-accessibility-compliance-requirements/
• https://adasitecompliance.com/accessibility-ada-website-compliance-benefits/
• https://huddle.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/differences-between-usability-and-accessibility-testing/
• https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/
• https://www.w3.org/TR/pointerevents/
• https://www.iso.org/standard/56350.html
• https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-usability-inclusion/
• https://adasitecompliance.com/differences-between-wcag-2-1-wcag-2-2/

#AccessibilityTesting #UserExperience #WebAccessibility #AccessibilityStandards #AssistiveTechnology #AccessibilityBestPractices #AccessibilityCompliance