We have so many examples of accessibility in the real world like wheelchair ramps, special parking spots, and special traffic lights and so on. All these facilities are created to facilitate handicapped people so that they can take an active part in society.
The real meaning of web accessibility
The term “web accessibility” means that irrespective of the constraints and abilities, everyone can actively access the internet. This means accommodating people with temporary or permanent disabilities. Temporary disabilities such as a fracture in hand or situational disabilities such as residing in a place that lags in internet connection should be considered.
Similarly, permanent disabilities like hearing or visual disability should also be considered. Thus, web accessibility provides equal opportunities to everyone in making full use of the internet.
Law related to web accessibility
There is a standard law related to web accessibility for every business. It is declared by the American Disabilities Act that a business will have legal liability if it fails to fulfill the standard requirements of web accessibility.
With the passage of time, several guidelines have been issued related to web accessibility and they are listed in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG 2.1 contains the latest guidelines but it will soon be updated as technology is growing with each passing day.
The benefit of accessibility for your business
One thing is clear that every business has to follow the law related to web accessibility. Following it will not put a legal liability on your business. However, if your website reaches a huge audience, it will benefit your business. Higher accessibility means a large audience and a large audience increases your probability of having higher sales.
Let us see how we can make our website accessible:
1- The website should be keyboard-friendly
Make sure that your website is keyboard-friendly in nature. It means that it should also work without the use of a mouse. Some of the technologies demand only keyboard navigation to work. Keyboard navigation is easier than a mouse and it makes the website highly accessible. Your website should be designed in a way that all major areas can be easily accessible with the help of a keyboard. For this, one can use the Tab key. Tab key makes it easier to jump on major areas like content, links, and main pages and so on.
2- Colors should be carefully selected
When selecting colors for your site, make sure that they are selected in a way that people can easily distinguish one part from another. A combination of light and dark is always ideal. It means a lighter background with a darker text. Keep in mind that every section should have a different color so that readers will not get confused. However, a reasonable combination of colors should be selected so that people with a weak eye vision will also be able to read the text.
3- Easy to access content
One thing that should be kept in mind is that the content of your site should be easy to access. Usually, it is not a problem but when there is dynamic content, it becomes a problem with respect to access. The content becomes dynamic if it changes even when the page is not on reloading. It creates a problem when the tools of assistance are not informed about this change. For example, the screen readers read the site on the first load. The user will miss the content if the reader is not informed about the change.
You can use ARIA landmarks for resolving this problem. It also helps in taking the visitor directly to the main content.
4- Avoidance of automatic media
Automatic media is now banned on the internet and one should avoid it as it can make the visitors frightened. Similarly, it is difficult to find out how to turn off this sudden noise when one is using a screen reader.
5- Create forms
Forms are really helpful when it comes to accessibility. You can use a tool called Caldera Forms builder. These forms should be designed with acute care. Make sure that every field has a separate label beside it so that it becomes easier for readers to understand.
It has been observed that many online business owners become perplexed when it comes to accessibility. They do not know that there are several trustworthy companies that can provide web access to our business.This article will provide complete details about these companies. Let us see:
Online ADA, Make-Sense, Accessible
These companies are an excellent place for you to have free guidelines related to accessibility compliance. They have a team of experts that can provide excellent accessibility in minimum time. One thing that is of great concern for every website owner is the price.
Price is not clearly mentioned on their website because pricing depends on your specific project. For instance, a carpet cleaners London website wanted to have a text to speech feature on their website. They will give pricing with respect to this particular feature.
They also provide a free audit of your home page so that everyone can get an idea of what they do. There is a customer support number given on their website through which we can contact their customer support representative at any time. They also provide a messaging option if we do not want an immediate answer.
In general, they provide Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 accessibility to their clients.
Thus, there are numerous benefits to making your website ADA compliant. If you do not focus on web accessibility, you will lose a large portion of your audience, which you could have targeted. Some people prefer doing accessibility work themselves. However, a professional expert on accessibility can make sure if your website is fulfilling the entire legal criteria or not.
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