What is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility makes websites usable for people with disabilities, including visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments. This means designing websites that allow users to perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the content and functionality, regardless of their ability or disability. Web accessibility also involves providing alternatives for audio, video, and other media content and testing websites with assistive technologies to ensure they are accessible to all users.

Why is Web Accessibility Important?

Web accessibility is important because it helps ensure that the Internet is usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. Some reasons why web accessibility is essential to include:

• Legal compliance: Many countries have laws that require websites to be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Failing to comply with these laws can result in legal action and significant financial penalties.
• Inclusivity: Web accessibility ensures that everyone can access and benefit from the information and resources available on the Internet, regardless of their abilities. This helps to create a more inclusive society where everyone has equal access to information and opportunities.
• Improved user experience: Accessible websites provide a better user experience for individuals with disabilities, as well as for older adults and those with limited technology access. This helps to create a more satisfying and engaging user experience for all users.
• Increased accessibility for assistive technologies: By incorporating accessibility into the design and development process, websites become more usable for individuals who rely on assistive technologies, such as screen readers or alternative keyboards.
• Better search engine optimization: Accessible websites are often better optimized for search engines, which can improve their search engine ranking and make them more visible to users.

By making websites accessible, everyone can benefit from the wealth of information and resources available on the Internet.

Who defines web accessibility?

International and national laws, industry standards, and best practices define web accessibility. Some of the key organizations that define and promote web accessibility include:

• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C): The W3C is an international organization that sets standards for the Web and provides guidelines and resources for accessible web design and development.
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO): ISO develops and publishes international standards for various technologies, including web accessibility.
• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act: Section 508 is a US federal law that requires electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the federal government to be accessible to people with disabilities.
• The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI): WAI is a project of the W3C that provides resources and guidelines for making the Web accessible to people with disabilities.

These organizations and initiatives work to promote web accessibility and ensure that the Internet remains accessible and usable by everyone, regardless of their abilities. They provide guidelines, standards, and resources to help website creators design and develop accessible websites functional for individuals with disabilities and those using assistive technologies.

Web Accessibility Principles

The web accessibility principles outline the key elements that must be considered when designing and developing accessible websites. The four main principles of web accessibility are:

• Perceivable: The information and user interface components must be presentable to users in a way that they can perceive, either through visual, auditory, or tactile means.
• Operable: User interface components and navigation must be operable through a keyboard or other means without using a mouse.
• Understandable: The content and user interface must be easy to understand, including clear and straightforward language, consistent navigation, and predictable behavior.
• Robust: The content must be robust enough to be interpreted reliably by many user agents, including assistive technologies.

These principles provide a framework for creating accessible websites and ensuring that they are usable by people with a wide range of disabilities. Adhering to these principles helps ensure that the Internet remains accessible and usable by everyone, regardless of their abilities.

Perceivable principle

Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive, such as visually or audibly.

Here are some specific guidelines to help meet the Perceivable principle:

• Provide text alternatives for non-text content: This includes adding alt text to images and captions to videos to provide descriptive information for visually impaired users.
• Make it easy to distinguish foreground and background content: Ensure sufficient contrast between the text and background colors to make it easier to read.
• Make it easy to see and hear content: Provide captions and audio descriptions for videos, and make sure that audio content doesn't start automatically and can be turned off or turned down.
• Provide enough time for users to read and use content: Allow users to adjust the time limits for content updates and avoid content that blinks or flashes.
• Help users avoid and correct mistakes: Provide feedback when a form is filled out incorrectly, and allow users to review and correct their entries before submitting the form.

Operable principle

Users must be able to operate the user interface, including navigation and finding content, without assistance.

Here are some specific guidelines to help meet the Operable principle:

• Provide keyboard access: Ensure that users can interact with all the functionality on the website using only the keyboard without requiring a mouse.
• Make all functionality available from a keyboard: Make sure that all functionality, including links, buttons, and form controls, is available to users who use keyboard navigation.
• Allow users to control time-sensitive content updates: Allow users to pause, stop, or hide any content that updates automatically, such as blinking or flashing.
• Provide clear and consistent navigation: Ensure that the navigation is consistent across all pages, easy to understand, and provide clear and descriptive headings and labels.
• Help users find content: Provide clear and descriptive headings and links and allow users to search for content on the website.

Understandable principle

Content and user interface must be understandable to users, including those with cognitive and learning disabilities.

Here are some specific guidelines to help meet the Understandable principle:

• Use clear and simple language: Avoid using complex and technical jargon, and use clear and concise language that is easy to understand.
• Provide clear and descriptive headings and links: Use clear and descriptive headings and links to help users understand the structure of the page and the relationship between content.
• Ensure the user interface is consistent: Use a consistent layout and navigation structure on all pages to reduce confusion and help users understand the website.
• Use meaningful text alternatives: Provide meaningful text alternatives for images, videos, and other non-text content, and ensure that the options accurately describe the content.
• Provide clear error messages: Use clear and descriptive notes to help users understand what went wrong and how to correct the problem.

Robust principle

Content must be robust enough to be interpreted by many user agents, including assistive technologies.

Here are some specific guidelines to help meet the Robust principle:

• Use semantic HTML: Use semantic HTML elements, such as headings and lists, to provide structure and meaning to the content, rather than using non-semantic details like divs and spans.
• Ensure that the content is accessible to all user agents: Make sure that the content is accessible to all user agents, including assistive technologies, and that it can be interpreted consistently and predictably.
• Provide alternative content for non-text elements: Provide alternative text for images, videos, and other non-text parts, and make sure that the alternative content accurately describes the content.
• Use ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes: Use ARIA attributes to provide additional information about the content and user interface, including accessibility information, to assistive technologies.
• Avoid using deprecated or inaccessible technologies: Avoid using technologies that are known to be unavailable or deprecated, such as Flash, and use more accessible technologies, such as HTML5, instead.

Who is Affected?

Web accessibility affects a diverse range of individuals, and website creators need to consider the needs of these various groups when designing and developing accessible websites.

• People with disabilities: This includes individuals with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments, as well as those with temporary impairments, such as a broken arm or temporary loss of vision.
• Older adults: As people age, they may develop disabilities that impact their ability to use technology, such as decreased vision or mobility.
• People with limited technology access: Web accessibility also benefits individuals with limited access to technology or limited technology skills, such as those living in rural areas or developing countries.
• People using assistive technologies: Individuals who use assistive technologies, such as screen readers or alternative keyboards, rely on accessible websites to access information and interact with the web.

Types of Disability

Many different types of disabilities can impact an individual's ability to use the web. Some of the most common disabilities include:

• Visual disabilities: This includes individuals who are blind or have low vision and those with color blindness.
• Auditory disabilities: This includes individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Motor disabilities: This includes individuals who have difficulty using a mouse, keyboard, or other input devices.
• Cognitive disabilities: This includes individuals with learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or other cognitive impairments.
• Speech disabilities: This includes individuals with difficulty speaking, such as those with cerebral palsy or stuttering.
• Temporary disabilities: This includes individuals with temporary impairments, such as a broken arm or temporary loss of vision.
• Age-related disabilities: This includes older adults who may experience age-related disabilities, such as decreased vision or mobility.

Things we Can Do Right Now for a More Accessible Website

• Use semantic HTML: Use HTML tags to clearly define headings, paragraphs, lists, and other elements on your page, making it easier for screen readers to understand and navigate your content.
• Add alt text to images: Adding descriptive alt text to images provides information about an image's content to visually impaired users using a screen reader.
• Make text readable: Use a font size and color that provides good contrast and is easy to read. Also, avoid using color as the only means of conveying information.
• Test your site with assistive technologies: Test your website with different assistive technologies, such as screen readers or alternative keyboards, to identify and fix any accessibility issues.
• Make sure your site is keyboard-friendly: Ensure that users can navigate and interact with your website using only a keyboard, as some users may not be able to use a mouse.
• Provide captions and transcripts for videos: Provide captions and transcripts for videos on your website to make the content accessible to users who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Use descriptive links: Use descriptive text that clearly describes the link's target instead of using "click here" or "read more."
• Provide alternative text for visual elements: Provide alternative text for visual elements, such as charts or graphs, to make the content accessible to visually impaired users.

• Web Accessibility: A Foundation for Research by Wendy Chisholm and Matt May
• Accessibility for Everyone: Understanding the Section 508 Accessibility Requirements by Deborah A. Kaplan
• Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/
• Accessibility Guidelines Checklist: https://a11ychecklist.com/
• The Accessibility Project: https://a11yproject.com/
• WebAIM: https://webaim.org/
• Accessibility Guidelines: https://accessibility.psu.edu/guidelines/

These books and resources are great starting points for learning about web accessibility and how to make your website more accessible to users with disabilities.

In conclusion, web accessibility is an important aspect of website design and development that enables users with disabilities to access and use the content on a website. By following the four main principles of web accessibility, including Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust, website creators can ensure that their content is accessible to a wide range of users, including those with disabilities who use assistive technologies.

In addition to following the accessibility principles, it is also important to stay updated with the latest best practices and guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.

By committing to accessibility, website creators can improve the user experience for everyone and create a more inclusive and equitable web for all users.