What is the Definition of Digital Accessibility?

People with disabilities can use services, products, and functions that are made accessible through digital accessibility. People with sensory, cognitive, or physical impairments or limitations must have equal access to public and private settings, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which the United States Congress approved in 1990. The Americans with Disabilities Act principles have been expanded to incorporate assistive or adaptive technology in digital accessibility.

For example, audiobooks that convert text to speech can let blind or partially sighted persons read closed-captioned video transcripts. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) were created in 1999 as a result of the impact of the World Wide Web. WCAG are a set of recommendations for making web content more accessible to individuals with disabilities and a guide for businesses on how to meet the requirements.

The protocols, on the other hand, ensure that corporations always follow them. Almost every website appears to violate at least one of the WCAG standards. Low-contrast text, missing text for photo alternatives, textless buttons, and empty links are examples of infractions.

Many firms seek assistance with their internet content from QualityLogic design. They will undoubtedly assist you as a software firm that specializes in making websites accessible. They can help you rapidly build and implement a better plan, from assessing your software for holes to educating you and your workers.

What is the Importance of Digital Content Access?

Digital accessibility should be a guiding concept for technology and website design for a range of moral and legal grounds, including those stated below.

Violations of the ADA may result in severe fines and other penalties. Assume a business’s website is inaccessible to persons with disabilities. It may face fines and other monetary penalties, as well as legal expenses and the need to alter the website to comply in such cases.

One billion individuals, or 15% of the global population, are believed to be visually impaired. Potential clients may be turned away due to a lack of technology or websites, or they may be denied access to essential services.

Visitors who are not visually impaired can benefit from digital accessibility as well. Most individuals can explore a website more readily because of its accessibility features.

Creating an inclusive culture may benefit both customer and employee relationships. Despite the fact that companies have begun to emphasize DEI programs and policies, there is still more work to be done.

What Are the Four Principles of Digital Accessibility?

POUR is an abbreviation for the four Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) web accessibility principles that serve as the foundation of accessible web content.

Perceivable

Nothing should be concealed or unavailable to the user when it comes to the user interface and content information. A disabled person should be able to access the material in another way. People who are blind or partially sighted, for example, may need to utilize touch or audio to use the Internet, whereas the majority do it visually.

Operable

Even if the majority of visitors do not utilize them, users should be able to navigate a website using the controls they are accustomed to using. Controls, buttons, and other interface components that may be physically controlled using different interaction methods, such as voice instructions, should be provided.

Understanding

Websites should be basic enough for all users to comprehend while also being simple. Based on projected usage patterns, a website should be structured and behave similarly to comparable websites. The content should be presented in such a way that the end user comprehends its significance and purpose.

Robust

Content must be interoperable with a wide range of technologies and platforms, including PCs, mobile devices, and web browsers.

If any of these four requirements are violated, the website will become inaccessible to individuals with disabilities.

Exploring Digital Accessibility

Some common instances of digital accessibility for a well-designed website are as follows:

Image Description

Text on a screen may be read by screen readers and other assistive technologies. Graphics, on the other hand, are unreadable. Everything visual must have a full-text counterpart, such as a description of the image or the words that appear there. Flowcharts, schematics, graphs, maps, menu buttons, infographics, and instructional PowerPoint presentations may all require this.

Making Use of the Keyboard

A disabled person can use a keyboard instead of a mouse to browse the web. Tabs should be utilized to move logically and consistently between sections, menus, form fields, and links, as well as other content areas, on a totally keyboard-accessible website.

Alphabetical Order of Headings

Not only are sequential page names vital for aesthetics, but also for navigation and content organization. The material should be arranged and presented in a clean and easy-to-read fashion, with headings made from true heading components.

Links With Proper Formatting

People with and without impairments may struggle to use hyperlinks due to features such as light connecting color. A reliable connection is one of the most critical criteria for all consumers. Users of reading aids often seek out clearly recognized hyperlinks. They do, however, arise in rare instances. The following three elements must be present for a link to be effectively formed:

The term “readability” relates to the URL as well as the common language.
Clarity denotes the content of the relationship.
Uniqueness separates the link from other information in the body text by including a description.

All pages on a website should have the same or similar design, layout, and navigational controls to give a consistent user experience (UX). Customers are more willing to study a website if they know they will get a uniform and error-free experience. It is vital to employ consistent iconography and control components throughout all pages and position repeat navigation links, including skip links, in the same location.

How Can Companies Increase Their Digital Accessibility?

What can company owners do when so many websites fail to meet digital accessibility guidelines? The following proposed strategies may be beneficial to enterprises in terms of digital accessibility support and development:

Create a Strategy

Employees who will benefit from accessibility requirements should be encouraged to help establish a compliance strategy. Consider the ADA’s consequences for web accessibility while you’re at it.

Conduct an Internal Audit

Before building externally accessible services, businesses should assess their internal networks. Platforms that employees often use for meetings, sales, and support, among other job-related duties, should be included. Understanding how to build successful digital accessibility would be useful.

QualityLogic may do an audit on your website by scanning it and advising you on what needs to be modified.

Summary

While this may be a difficult task, we are here to assist! QualityLogic has experts on staff that can help you manage your systems and ensure their digital accessibility. Visit www.qualitylogic.com to learn more about all of their services or to purchase their starter kit.