The World Report on Disability estimated that about 15% of people worldwide lived with a disability. This underscores the need for inclusive, accessible digital platforms.
What is w eb accessibility?
Accessibility is part of user experience. Content should work across platforms so people can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with a website or application.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 describe four core principles:
- Perceivable.
- Operable.
- Understandable.
- Robust.
These guidelines also define three conformance levels: A, AA, and AAA. A is the basic level, AA is intermediate, and AAA is the highest.
AA is often used as an accessibility target. These principles help designers build sites that more people can use, regardless of disability.
Some countries also have accessibility laws aimed at broader inclusion; applicable requirements depend on the jurisdiction.
Why should a website or application be accessible?
We share responsibility for making digital products usable by everyone. This makes the internet more inclusive and benefits both visitors and site owners.
An accessible site can strengthen a company's identity, broaden its audience, and improve discoverability. Most importantly, it allows people who might otherwise be excluded to use the product. Digital innovation should be inclusive.
How can you make a website accessible?
The following practices are a good starting point:
- Include accessibility from the earliest design and development stages, considering different kinds of limitations.
- Provide alternatives for visual content, including images, videos, and charts, so people with visual disabilities can access the information.
- Use semantic markup to structure content and support navigation and interpretation.
- Make navigation clear and understandable; avoid unnecessary technical jargon and abbreviations.
- Offer contextual help or tutorials for complex tasks and give clear error messages.
- Write descriptive links so users, including screen-reader users, can understand where they lead.
- Keep text readable, with suitable font sizes and sufficient contrast.
- Offer ways to adjust text size, color contrast, and audio volume when appropriate.
Review navigation, visual design, text, wording, images, and sound when assessing accessibility.
These are useful practices for an accessible site. Even if some changes take time, accessibility should remain an ongoing goal.
At EthicsGlobal, we believe following accessibility guidance is a shared responsibility. It shows empathy and improves usability, user experience, and search visibility.
You have read Why an Accessible Website Matters for Everyone. We also recommend: Web Accessibility: Toward Digital Inclusion, Part Two.
To learn more about these topics, follow us on: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.