Innovation
RAN RONEN | January 18, 2022
Web accessibility is the increasingly popular practice of optimizing websites and applications so that people with disabilities are able to utilize those assets completely. As a matter of fact, there are a number of web standards defined by the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) that specify standards that IT teams can follow to build accessible websites and apps.
The law also requires some industries and agencies to be accessible. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ACA), and EN 301 549 are just a few examples of regional regulations that require government agencies and other organisations to be accessible to people with disabilities. However, without a universal web accessibility standard, digital platforms could struggle to account for differing compliance standards and penalties, putting them at risk of litigation while eroding the user experience.
Since web accessibility isn’t only about regulations but also about providing users with a worthwhile experience, it is essential to explore the winning trends in web accessibility that ensure websites comply with regional standards while enhancing the user experience.
Customizable Profiles for Web Accessibility and User Experience
If one were to follow the WCAG standards without creating user profiles, they would provide a good experience for some while harming the experience of others. The primary reason behind this is that people with disabilities have different accessibility needs.
Visual Impairment
In a fact sheet on visual impairment and blindness, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 246 million people worldwide have low vision and 39 million people are blind, indicating that 86% of the people with visual impairments have low vision.
People with visual impairments (blindness, low vision, color vision impairments) experience difficulties browsing the web. Perhaps the most notable challenge is an inaccessible document object model (DOM). The DOM is like a map that tells the browser where to find things on a website. Other user agents, such as screen readers, also interact with the DOM and read out the information to screen reader users. Thus, when a website is poorly formatted due to generic HTML tags rather than semantic tags, misusing JavaScript commands, and a lack of descriptive alt text for images it all becomes a navigation horror.
Innovative web accessibility solutions can solve this problem through the use of dedicated web accessibility profiles that provide a unique experience for people with visual impairments. Furthermore, they provide compatibility with all the major screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver, making them utility-conscious and suitable for a wide range of devices.
The WCAG recommends that all non-text content that is presented to the user has a text alternative that serves the equivalent purpose, except for special situations like captcha, decorative texts, tests, etc. It also states that “color is not used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.”
Hearing Impairment
Captions and transcripts provide a means for individuals with hearing impairments to experience and enjoy video content. The WCAG states “captions are provided for all pre-recorded audio content in synchronized media, except when the media is a media alternative for text and is clearly labelled as such.”
However, it is not so easy to regulate websites online. The best way to enable people with hearing impairments to always get the best possible experience from videos is for websites to abide by WCAG recommendations regarding the use of audio and video content.
Motor Impairment
There are a lot of people who have limitations in their movement. These limitations could be due to temporary, situational, or permanent disabilities. Whatever the case, motor impairments reduce a person’s ability to navigate websites. WCAG recommends building websites that are navigable via keyboards, as it’s easier for people to operate keyboards with accessibility needs.
In fact, the WCAG in fact states that "all functionality of the content is operable through a keyboard interface without requiring specific timings for individual keystrokes, except where the underlying function requires input that depends on the path of the user's movement and not just the endpoints.”
Various modern technologies, including Equally AI, have a dedicated profile for people with motor impairments. The technology optimizes website elements to ensure a smooth and dynamic keyboard navigation experience. It lets users close pop-ups, fill out forms, navigate entire websites, and everything in-between, using their keyboard.
Cognitive Impairments
For people with ADHD, it can be quite challenging to focus on what matters. Web accessibility technology can help them attend to what is important. Using a dedicated cognitive profile, assistive features are made available to people with autism, dyslexia, or ADHD. It helps them read better by giving them control over the webpage. For example, they can dim inactive sections and highlight the active areas.
Speaking about dyslexia, the WCAG recommends “when text requires reading ability more advanced than the lower secondary education level after removal of proper names and titles, supplemental content, or a version that does not require reading ability more advanced than the lower secondary education level, is available”.
For people with seizure disorders, the WCAG recommends that:
Web pages do not contain anything that flashes more than three times in any one second period, or the flash is below the general flash and red flash thresholds.
Closing Thoughts
People with accessibility needs should be considered when web products are conceptualized and built. This ensures that the accessibility process isn’t cumbersome and confusing. Through the use of dedicated profiles, it has become imperative to ensure that people with disabilities are catered for to enhance their experiences without hindering others.
Newer trends in web accessibility technology involve partnering with people who have accessibility needs to create powerful and personalized experiences for everyone. This not only improves web accessibility compliance, but also ensures that everyone’s needs are met.
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