If you have researched web accessibility, then you have quickly learned that there is a lot of information and it’s difficult to understand what is relevant, useful, and up-to-date. To avoid all of this, I recommend that you build foundational knowledge by studying just two areas.
A major challenge in the accessibility space is that decisions about how a site should be implemented are often made by site owners, designers, and developers with little-to-no experience or exposure to people with disabilities or assistive technologies. This was the case with me.
To build empathy and better understand what it feels like to face accessibility challenges, I am actively learning more about disabilities, assistive technologies, and alternative browsing preferences. If your organization is involved in this effort, I encourage you to step into the shoes of a person who experiences web accessibility issues by researching the areas highlighted below.
We will discuss the following topics:
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than 1 billion people worldwide who live with some form of disability. While not all of these disabilities affect a person's ability to access the internet, a significant number of people with disabilities do face barriers when using digital technologies. This means that a portion of your website users will have a diverse range of abilities across the following categories:
This category includes people with low vision, color blindness, and complete blindness. People with low vision may have difficulty seeing small text, and those with color blindness may have difficulty distinguishing between certain colors. Blind users rely on screen readers and other assistive technologies to navigate websites and consume content.