Why bother about web accessibility?
Not everyone accesses and/or interacts with web content the same way.
As web developers or designers, chances are that we’re creating content in beautifully set-up workspaces using high-end monitors, a fancy keyboard, and a sophisticated mouse. Or if not, we’d probably like to.
But it’s crucial to know that quite a number of users of our content can use only some, or even none of these devices. In fact, users with certain limitations make use of special devices or software known as Assistive Technologies (AT’s).
These AT’s are well-equipped to access content in a way the user can best relate with. But that can only work IF the content is optimised for these various kinds of interactions. This is what Web Accessibility makes possible.
In this post, I talk about why we developers and designers should be concerned about making our web content accessible to all persons regardless of how they interact with it.
Happy reading!
We don’t all use the web the same way
A few examples of Assistive Technologies used by persons with various conditions:
The statistics are no joke
The World Health Organization estimates 16% of the global population currently experience significant disability.
That’s 1.3 billion people with the right to equal access to information.
Most websites are not accessible
90% of websites are inaccessible to people who rely on assistive technology.
It is disappointing to find out how much accessibility is overlooked, even in large businesses with massive customer bases.
A large number of users are completely left out of essential services like commerce, health, finance and education.
Web accessibility benefits everyone
The concept of web accessibility does not apply only to persons with disabilities. Further, the concept of disability is itself broad, as it classifies people with permanent, temporary, and situational disabilities.
There are legal risks of inaccessibility
As the use of the web grows, it becomes more important for the rights of persons with disabilities to be enforced, and governments are addressing this through legislation.
Some policies and laws that address this include the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
With these in place, the number of lawsuits pertaining to web accessibility continues to increase each year, with ADA-based lawsuits alone totalling 4,605 in 2023.
The standards and guidelines are available
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) — the main international standards organization for the Internet — through their Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) develops detailed standards and guidelines which help web creators make their content more accessible.
Up next…
In the upcoming post, I introduce the W3C’s WAI resources, and talk about how people with various roles can adopt them to make the web more accessible to all.
Stay tuned for more!
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This article was written as an accessible alternative to the post shared on my LinkedIn account.
