Web Accessibility
The web is For All and as Web Developers, it’s our duty to keep this consideration in mind while developing for the Web.
The Web is accessed by many people around the world on various devices including those who have certain disabilities they access the Web through assistive Technologies like Screen Readers, Joysticks, etc to access your Content.
Some of the disabilities include –
Visual Disabilities (Includes Low Vision, Color Blindness, etc)
Audio Disabilities
Physical Disabilities (Motor)
Neurological Disabilities.
Cognitive Disabilities.
Although Most of the Web Accessibility discussions are around Enabling Web Access for People with Disabilities in General its related to User Experience and Usability which includes making the Web Accessible to All irrespective of Language, Cultural, Socio-Economic, and other barriers.
Here are some of the things that are
- Use of Alt Tags for Images.
- Proper use of headings and other structural elements to convey the organization of the content on the page.
- Use of Color Contrast Checker.
- Keyboard Accessibility to Most of the Functionality.
- Descriptive Links Avoid Click Here, Read More, Learn More.
- Don’t Just rely on Colors/Images use captions or Descriptive Tags.
- Allow Zoom, Line Height, and Font Size.
- Don’t Have Horizontal and Vertical Scrolling for Content.
- Do not Use All Caps Text, or Underlined text (until it’s not a link).
- Make sure that videos and other media are captioned and provide transcripts.
- Avoid Blinking Flashing Content.
- Use of ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) to provide additional information about elements on the page for assistive technologies.
There are several tools available for checking the Web Accessibility of a Site,
1. A11Y https://color.a11y.com/?wc3 is a Web Accessibility Color Checker Tool Available for color contrast checking. You can use two colors to see if they will work as a background and foreground color.
2. Wave https://wave.webaim.org/ has a variety of tools to access your website and tell you the specific parts which have Web Accessibility Checker issues.
3. Chrome Developer tools also give some insight into the accessibility score of your website.
By following these and other web accessibility guidelines, you can help ensure that your website is usable by as wide a range of people as possible.
It is also important to note that accessibility is not just about the technical aspect but also about the content and language used on the website. It should be simple, clear, and easy to understand for everyone.
In summary, web accessibility is an important consideration for anyone building or designing a website. By following the guidelines and best practices outlined above, you can help ensure that your site is usable by as wide a range of people as possible, including those with disabilities.