Would you intentionally isolate 15% of your customer-base?
If you aren’t using accessibility best practices on your website - you’re doing exactly that.
15% of the population - roughly 1 billion people - according to the World Health Organization, are living with a disability. People with inhibited motor functions may use key strokes to get around online, rather than a mouse. Users who are visually impaired may use a screen reader. If a website doesn’t have accessibility built into their code, these tools are rendered useless.
What’s more, according to a 2021 PEW study, 23% of people with disabilities said they almost never go online. Why? Because the internet isn’t built with them in mind.
You might be thinking, but there are laws about accessibility compliance, right? While the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Section 508 have linked up to improve accessibility across the web, section 508 does not apply to private company’s websites, unless they receive federal funds or are under contract with a federal agency. This leaves nearly 90% of websites non-compliant with basic accessibility guidelines.
So how can we do better?
If you work in software, invest in resources for your devs to learn about accessibility standards and best practices.
You can view a free checklist of the WCAG guidelines.Make accessibility an expectation from the start. This can save you time and money down the line and it ensures everyone who wants to access your site can do so successfully.
Avoid relying on AI & overlays. Most AI tools are works in progress and while there may be uses for them in the future, right now they aren’t as good as traditional, hard-coded accessibility methods.
Overlays claim to be quick tool for making your website WCAG compliant. Adding one line of code to your website sounds like a no brainer - don’t fall for the marketing. These overlays can conflict with screen readers, making it even more difficult for users with disabilities to navigate your site.
Haben Girma, a Disability Justice Lawyer, gives a wonderful overview of why relying on AI and overlays prevents people with disabilities from interacting with your site effectively.
Ask real users with disabilities to test your site. There is no substitute for asking people who depend on accessibility to let you know what works and what doesn’t.
Finally, if walking through resources and checklists alone feels overwhelming or you want more insight into the business value accessibility can give you-attend a free, virtual web accessibility training on Thursday, November 16th at 11am CT.
Register for the workshop here: https://www.bitovi.com/events/accessibility-training
Will you and your company prioritize accessibility?
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