What is website accessibility?

Introduction

Websites connect individuals, businesses, and organizations. However, not everyone can fully benefit from the vast online information and services. Website accessibility addresses this issue by ensuring that websites are designed and developed to be inclusive. This allows people with disabilities to access and navigate them effectively.

What is Website Accessibility?

It is the practice of designing and developing websites in a manner that allows all individuals, including those with disabilities, to understand and interact with the content effectively. People with disability may not be able to see, read, or listen to your content. You need to have this in mind when you design your website.

Mandatory Website Accessibility Laws

There are laws and regulations that ensure website accessibility. Here are some examples:

1. Alternative Text (Alt Text) for Images: Providing descriptive alt text for images allows individuals with visual impairments to understand the content the images convey. Screen readers and assistive technologies can read aloud or present this alternative text to users.

2. Keyboard Accessibility: Ensuring that all functionalities on the website can be accessed using a keyboard is important. Many individuals with mobility impairments rely on keyboards instead of a mouse.

3. Captions and Transcripts for Multimedia: This includes captions for videos and transcripts for audio content. This allows deaf individuals to understand the content through visuals.

4. Clear and Consistent Heading Structure: Organizing content using proper titles and subtitles organizes the content and helps individuals using screen readers or other assistive technologies navigate the content more easily.

5. Color Contrast: There should be color contrast between the text and background to make the page easy to read for individuals with visual impairments or color blindness.

6. Skip Navigation Links: Including skip navigation links allows users to bypass repetitive navigation menus and go directly to the main content, which is particularly helpful for individuals using screen readers.

These are some of the features you must include on your website to comply with the website accessibility regulations and accommodate people with disabilities. You can visit the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 for more information.