You’ve probably heard about accessibility and recognize its importance, but what exactly is it? In simple terms, accessibility is synonymous with an even playing field; it means everyone, regardless of ability, has access to something (a service, product, device, event, place, etc.).
Web accessibility is about making the internet accessible, something vitally important as the world wide web becomes a one-stop-shop for everything from buying groceries and finding medical care to securing employment and applying for credit. Web accessibility is designed to help people with permanent disabilities, as well as those with temporary conditions and situational disabilities (which are short-lived and caused by a particular situation).
Why Is Web Accessibility Important?
An accessible website that is well-designed and easy to navigate quickly conveys necessary information and offers a user-friendly experience to all people, complying with disability laws and moral responsibility. From a business standpoint, an accessible website shows that you care about people with disabilities, are willing to make efforts toward inclusion, and value consumers with a variety of strengths and skills.
Accessibility is beneficial to website visitors and companies alike. In other words, it’s a win-win for everyone.
How Do You Know If Your Website Is Accessible?
You can’t really tell if your website is accessible just by surfing it. Rather, determining compliance can be a somewhat complicated process and tends to start with the following steps:
- Auditing your site for accessibility issues
- Assuring images have descriptive alt tags
- Reviewing your site for style elements that can compromise visibility and clarity (such as headings, font size, or font color)
- Using sub-headlines and headlines
- Cleaning up outdated or erroneous code
How Can You Make Your Website Accessible?
accessiBe is leading the charge in simple, effective solutions that make websites accessible to people everywhere. This service helps your company with all the above and makes your website compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Web Accessibility Initiative, and other disability laws. Using accessiBe AI and automation allows visitors of all abilities to navigate your website easily and effortlessly while saving you time and money.
If you’re in the market for an ADA-compliant website, we can help! Please contact our team today.