The Basics of Web Accessibility
Website accessibility is all about making sure that websites are usable for everyone, including those with disabilities. From visually impaired or blind users to those with limited mobility, web accessibility ensures that online experiences are available to everyone.
Let’s use a simple example to illustrate the importance of accessibility – website imagery. If there’s not a proper alt text, or alternative text, screen readers can’t convey to a blind user what the image is about, and the user may miss out on important context. The same way, providing proper color contrast between text and background ensures readability for visitors with varying degrees of color blindness. Making small changes like that may have a significant impact on how users experience your website.
Another kind of assistance is that of voice activated assistance that helps users with motor disabilities to still get around your website. One example of this is our
AI widget assistant that a user can talk to and tell it what to activate or deactivate.
Expanding the Scope: eAccessibility
While web accessibility zeroes in on websites, eAccessibility casts a wider net, encompassing all types of digital content and technologies. This also includes documents, software, mobile apps and even emerging technologies like virtual reality (VR).
Document accessibility is a huge part of this, like PDF documents. Consider what happens if a PDF document lacks the proper tagging needed that a screen reader might use in order to read it properly to a blind or visually impaired user.
PDF accessibility is therefore a huge part of eAccessibility.
Even devices themselves fall under the umbrella of eAccessibility. Let’s take refrigerators for instance. If the touchscreen on these appliances isn’t calibrated for accessibility users with a visual impairment may not be able to use them.
Why accessibility matters
The benefits of embracing accessibility, web or eAccessibility go beyond compliance. It affects people’s lives on a very real basis. By making a digital platform usable for everyone you open the doors to millions of additional users. In the US alone 61 million people are living with a type of disability. That’s a HUGE number!
But all that aside – having an accessible website or app or anything else shows a commitment to equality and social responsibility. It shows that you and your brand value inclusivity and are willing to invest in creating a digital space that’s welcoming to everyone.
Investing in accessibility is also a sound thing to do from a business perspective as it can protect any business from costly lawsuits that have been on the rise over the last few years, and it’s not showing any signs of slowing down. On the contrary, more and more lawsuits are filed – and won – each year.
Conclusion
Web accessibility and eAccessibility both play crucial roles in building an inclusive digital world. While web accessibility focuses on websites, eAccessibility broadens the playing field by covering every digital area possible. Businesses that prioritize accessibility don’t only foster inclusivity, but they also increase their reputation and create a loyal customer base.
Think of it this way: if you site is accessible and you competitors aren’t, who do you think that the disabled clientele will choose over and over again? And once we, as humans, begin with someone we by and large prefer to stay with that someone. Seeing how 4% of the websites out there are accessible today I would say that anyone’s chances of standing out by being accessible are pretty awesome.
Besides – it’s the right thing to do
