“The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.”
-Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web
The Web is fundamentally designed to work for all people, whatever their hardware, software, language, location, or ability. When the Web meets this goal, it is accessible to people with a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight, and cognitive ability.
We make things for people. When designing these things, common sense dictates that we put our target audience – humans – at the center of this process.
If you want to make things that are usable by people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, there is a universal design philosophy for that. There are specific Universal Design principles for technology.
And, within the context of Universal Design, is accessibility. Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible.Accessibility can be viewed as the “ability to access” and possible benefit of some system or entity.
Accessible for the Web helps make the Web a better place for everyone. When websites and web tools are properly designed and coded, people with disabilities can use them. Making the web accessible benefits individuals, businesses, and society. International web standards define what is needed for accessibility.
Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them. More specifically, people can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web and contribute to the Web.
Web accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the Web, including:
- auditory
- cognitive
- neurological
- physical
- speech
- visual
Web accessibility also benefits people without disabilities, for example:
- people using mobile phones, smart watches, smart TVs, and other devices with small screens, different input modes, etc.
- older people with changing abilities due to ageing
- people with “temporary disabilities” such as a broken arm or lost glasses
- people with “situational limitations” such as in bright sunlight or in an environment where they cannot listen to audio
- people using a slow Internet connection, or who have limited or expensive bandwidth
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a part of W3’s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) to help websites meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
The WCAG uses a rating system that web designers and developers can follow:
Level A is the minimum acceptable threshold for accessibility features and doesn’t achieve broad accessibility. It must be navigable with a keyboard and convey meaning through non-visual elements. This level includes rules around CAPTCHA presentation, alternatives to text for prerecorded audio and video content, and prerecorded captions and text alternatives to sensory content.
Level AA means a site has acceptable compliance — most visitors find it usable, including disabled people. Websites at this level must have alt text, consistent navigation elements, logical headings, and more. These designs also include accessibility options such as live video captions and prerecorded audio descriptions, depending on the site’s content.
Level AAA is optimal for site design and includes everything covered in the first two levels as well as maximum contrast options, the three-flash rule (no more than three flashes in one second), sign language interpretation for audio or video content, and expanding abbreviations. Although there’s no such thing as a perfectly accessible website, those at this level are as close as they can get, according to WCAG standards.
These are just a few examples of accessibility rules found within the WCAG’s four main guidelines, each with a subset of descriptive factors:
Perceivable: includes text alternatives, time-based media, adaptable inputs, distinguishable use of color and audio controls, and text sizing and spacing.
Operable: includes keyboard accessibility and shortcuts, enough time to operate, physical reactions, navigable web pages, and clear headings and input modalities such as pointer gestures and target size.
Understandable: concerns readability, consistent navigation, and input assistance options such as error identification and clear labels and instructions.
Robust: concerns interpretable content by a wide range of people, including those using assistive technologies.
For more details about Web accessibility and guidelines, visit the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative – https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/
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Introduction to Web Accessibility. W3C Web Accessibility Initiative. https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/
Webflow Team. Accessibility design guidelines: building websites for a wider audience. https://webflow.com/blog/accessibility-design-guidelines