Web accessibility is not just a legal requirement; it's a social responsibility. Making your website accessible ensures that all users, regardless of their abilities, can access and understand your content. While the subject of web accessibility is vast, here are three fundamental points that every developer should focus on. If you're not technical, feel free to send the information below to your developer. Have questions? Send us a question, and we'll be happy to help.
1. Make Content Easily Navigable
Use semantic HTML tags (<header>
, <footer>
, <main>
, <section>
, etc.) to provide a clear structure to your web pages.
Include keyboard-friendly navigation, ensuring that all interactive elements can be reached and activated using the keyboard alone.
2. Ensure Readability and Understandability
Choose text and background colors with good contrast, making the content readable for all users. Use a contrast checker to confirm your colours are accessible to all.
Use ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) labels and roles to improve the accessibility of complex elements like sliders, accordions, or modal dialogs.
3. Make Multimedia Accessible
Always provide alternative text for images using the alt
attribute.
For video or audio content, offer captions or transcripts to make the information accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Conclusion
Accessibility is everyone's responsibility, and by focusing on these three core elements, you can take significant strides toward making the web a more inclusive place. For a quick accessibility check of your site, you can use WAVE by WebAIM.
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