What is Website Accessibility?

Web Content Accessibility makes Web content and Web Interface more usable for users with physical and technical limitations.

Web Content Accessibility means the ability to use the website regardless of:

• Web Browser type;
• Device type: desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices;
• Physical limitations and other user’s characteristics.

According to WCAG 2.1, the International Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, there are 4 principles of website accessibility:

1. Perceivable – Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
   • This means that users must be able to perceive the information being presented (it can’t be invisible to all of their senses).
2. Operable – User interface components and navigation must be operable.
   • This means that users must be able to operate the interface (the interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform).
3. Understandable – Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable.
   • This means that users must be able to understand the information as well as the operation of the user interface (the content or operation cannot be beyond their understanding).
4. Robust – Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.
   • This means that users must be able to access the content as technologies advance (as technologies and user agents evolve, the content should remain accessible).

Important to note that already in many countries: Israel, Australia, Canada, Singapore and other, companies are required to have accessible web content, in accordance with the requirements of the International Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

What makes the website accessible?

First, the site must be adaptive and responsive for any kind of device, from computers to tablets.

Secondly, the absence of restrictions in the using of the website interface, i.e. access to use the site using a keyboard, mouse, touch and voice control or other assistive technologies. Example: the ability to navigate in a website using the keyboard only, without a computer mouse.

Thirdly, web content should have alternative versions of information perception using assistive technologies: screen readers (software that reads text aloud) in case of vision problems, subtitles in case of hearing impairments etc.

All requirements for website accessibility are based on the basic principles and provisions for building a website in accordance with international recommendations and state laws.

You need to think about the availability of the website from the beginning of its design. Accessibility must be provided, thought out and implemented at all stages of development: from design to the final result. It is hard and sometimes impossible to make a website accessible, which was originally developed with technical violations without considering web standards.

Why is it required?

The goal isn’t only people with disabilities, who are about 15% of the world’s, but also about factors that affect our capabilities.

Chronic diseases, professional characteristics, age, learning difficulties, common fatigue or stress affect our perception and understanding of web content on the website. Even a temporarily incapacitated person, for example, a cut of a finger, a broken arm, should be able to use the website interface. Such people may also be interested in your product and service, while they are ready to pay for it. This means that making the website accessible leads to an increase in the number of your potential customers.

Beside that, when we develop an accessible website, we use semantic HTML, which improves not only accessibility, but plays an important role in SEO optimization, improving the position of your website in search engine results.

Our company WebTo.PRO has highly qualified specialists to provide the accessibility of web content on the website. According to the analytical programs, our websites are available for all the requirements of international guidelines WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1. 

We create only accessible websites!

Order your own accessible website today!