Optimizing for Website Accessibility

If your website is accessible, it can be navigated using tools and technologies designed for people with disabilities as well as traditional visitors. It is critical to provide equal access and opportunity for everyone to have the ability to access the information.

Who Benefits from Website Accessibility?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has guidelines for businesses to make websites inclusive for people with physical impairments, hearing or vision loss, and cognitive disabilities. By making websites more inclusive and accessible, the user experience improves for everyone, including those with temporary disabilities or limitations. This benefits both users and businesses, enhancing SEO, expanding the audience reach, and improving the brand’s reputation.

What Are the ADA Guidelines?

Title III of Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA | ADA.gov states, “The ADA requires that businesses open to the public provide full and equal enjoyment of their goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations to people with disabilities,” which the department affirms applies to all businesses on the web as well.

How to Optimize Your Website for Accessibility

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) has four main principles for web developers. According to  WCAG 101: Understanding the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines | WCAG, websites should be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.

1. Perceivable

For your website to be perceivable, it must ensure that the information provided is easy to understand and can be accessed using different senses. According to WCAG, some examples include adding captions for audio content and descriptions for video content, using color contrast effectively, and supporting multiple screen orientations.

2. Operable

Your site is considered operable if no obstacles prevent someone from navigating it. WCAG explains that all content should be operable through a keyboard or voice control so someone who cannot physically use a mouse can still access the information.

3. Understandable

This principle is simple yet essential. The language must be specific, necessary labels must be provided, and proper navigation mechanisms are easy to see.

4. Robust

For your site to be robust, it must have a wide range of capabilities to interact with user agents and assistive technologies.

Examples of Website Accessibility Barriers

According to the ADA guidance, here are a few website characteristics that can hinder accessibility.

• Poor color contrast. People with limited vision or color blindness cannot read text if there is not enough contrast between the text and background (for example, light gray text on a light-colored background).
• Use of color alone to give information. People who are color-blind may not have access to information when that information is conveyed using only color cues because they cannot distinguish certain colors from others. Also, screen readers do not tell the user the color of text on a screen, so a person who is blind would not be able to know that color is meant to convey certain information (for example, using red text alone to show which fields are required on a form).
• Lack of text alternatives (“alt text”) on images. People who are blind will not be able to understand the content and purpose of images, such as pictures, illustrations, and charts, when no text alternative is provided. Text alternatives convey the purpose of an image, including pictures, illustrations, charts, etc.
• No captions on videos. People with hearing disabilities may not be able to understand information communicated in a video if the video does not have captions.
• Inaccessible online forms. People with disabilities may not be able to fill out, understand, and accurately submit forms without things like:
  • Labels that screen readers can convey to their users (such as text that reads “credit card number” where that number should be entered);
  • Clear instructions; and
  • Error indicators (such as alerts telling the user a form field is missing or incorrect).
• Mouse-only navigation (lack of keyboard navigation). People with disabilities who cannot use a mouse or trackpad cannot access web content if they cannot navigate a website using a keyboard.

Website Audits

We recommend that you work with professionals who can perform a website accessibility audit to evaluate your site based on WCAG standards. They will assist you in understanding how to improve user accessibility and help you make your site more user-friendly for people with disabilities.

At Lodestar Marketing Group, we understand the importance of web accessibility for all users and following ADA & WCAG regulations. Let us know if you need help getting started!