Website accessible for everyone – What does it mean?
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Author
Binny Chanchal -
Published
The Website is accessible when all the users can understand and read its content. Easy and convenient navigation of the site enables intuitive, logical, and meaningful interaction with the accessed site. Removing all barriers in the path of accessing the site by a wide spectrum of a group of users shall be desired by all.
Accessibility issues concern all
Difficulty in accessing any content affects each of us in a given situation. Providing effective solutions to accessibility issues improves user experience be it elderly, people with disabilities, poor eyesight, on a shaking train, or at a place with poor internet coverage. It’s no longer a fact and belief that accessibility issues concern only a small group of recipients in elderly persons or persons with disabilities.
The right approach to accessibility
While designing the website considered input should be focused on meeting the standards of accessibility requirements. By removing the barriers and making the site easily accessible to all, the organization loses nothing but gains the most at a low cost. They increase the organic traffic and expand their group of potential customers of their website. Enforcing a few techniques facilitates the accessibility requirements broadens the audience, improves user satisfaction, and enhances the brand image. It’s no longer the aim to build websites catering to only people with good eyesight, dexterity, perfect hearing, and the perfect psychophysical condition.
How to implement web accessibility?
Most countries have their own defined and formalized accessibility standards. They are based primarily on Web Content Accessibility Guidelines which is a universally acclaimed set of rules on accessibility. In the United States, it is included in the Rehabilitation Act. A certain group of defined entities must be strictly enforced to meet the desired accessibility standards. It also defines certain essential rules and tips like:
– Properly structure the headings
Website headings should have the most appropriate HTML structure and the content of the page should correspond to the structure. It assists the users to navigate and find the relevant content on the searched website. HTML structure has a direct impact on the SEO so taking addressing the semantics of the code generates additional benefits.
– Audio and video subtitles
The accessibility standard requires adherence to a proper text equivalent to the audio content in the form of movie subtitles or the form of a proper transcript for the greater benefit of the readers.
4. COMPONENTS
These are blocks that build the application. The logic is combined with the styles and template.
– Keep users informed about errors
The users should always be informed about any specific errors that have occurred and why they have occurred on the given website. The best practice is to include a text alert separately. It can also include any error in the title element of the page.
– Images to have a text description
Images should have an alternate attribute. A comprehensive concise but brief description is very important to truly represent the image. The alternate attribute will validate the function and not the appearance in the image as sometimes the image has a different purpose or function. The precise description will help to understand the function and the conveyed content even if the image is not displayed.
The universal appeal of the internet and the web power is awesome. So, all effort shall be channelized into making available this important media to all regardless of their disability, location, and other physical barriers. Access to media and a huge volume of different subject content to everyone conveniently is an all-important aspect. Internet connects all and removing all hurdles in accessing it is better. Accessibility issues can be tackled with technologies with expert input from professionals, so make use of it and make your website fruitful.