Having good web accessibility basically means that websites are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them .
The W3C Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI ) develops specifications, guidelines, techniques and supporting resources that describe accessibility solutions. These are considered international web accessibility standards .
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
W3C Accessibility Consortium Website
When designing the architecture and design of the website, accessibility must be taken into account . In other words, websites must be developed with accessibility in mind, so as not to have to make unnecessary corrections later.
Once the website is laid out, several analyses must be carried out on the accessibility of the website . Apart from manually analysing all the important points for a correct assessment, we will also use external tools to carry out several tests to check its level of accessibility. Even so, no tool alone can determine whether a website complies with accessibility guidelines. A human evaluation with sufficient knowledge must be carried out to determine whether a site is accessible .
Tools can help us, but the intervention of an accessibility expert will always be necessary to determine and apply the final solutions. Another idea and option is to test users with special conditions (color blindness, blindness, and other disabilities) to confirm that they can navigate without any problem.
Examples of free tools could be:
Siteimprove
AChecker
Among many others…
Kiwop accessibility test
Our website is accessible for AA level
It is important to note that, although they are related, accessibility and usability of a website are not the same thing. Although both aim to improve the user experience of web visitors, they do not have the same goal. So you have to know how to differentiate them.
To conceive architecture and design taking into account web accessibility, one must base oneself on:
4 points of accessible design
Perceptibility
Text Alternatives for Non-Text Content
All non-text content must have text alternatives. By non-text content we don't just mean images, with their corresponding "alt" attribute. We're also talking about icons, buttons, graphics, form fields, visual content (audio, video and multimedia), diagrams, illustrations, etc.
Text alternatives must convey the purpose or function of the element in a way that provides an equivalent user experience. For example, an appropriate text alternative for a search button would be “search” instead of “magnifying glass.” This is a clear example where accessibility analysis tools would consider it valid (since it would have an alt attribute), but an expert would see that it is a clear error since the function of the icon is “search,” even though “magnifying glass” is an accurate description of the image.
We will avoid images with text embedded within the image itself whenever possible, since neither search engines nor assistive reading tools can yet read text within images.
It will be important to add the label attribute to all form fields.
Links should make sense out of context. Phrases such as “click here,” “more,” “more information,” etc., are ambiguous when read out of context. Use appropriate phrases for links.
Accessibility programming
Subtitles and other multimedia alternatives
We will provide alternatives to time-dependent content (audio, video and multimedia) such as audio description, subtitles, etc.
Content can be presented in different ways
We will create content that can be presented in different ways without losing information or structure. Meeting this requirement allows the content to be read aloud correctly, expanded or adapted to meet the needs and preferences of different people. For example, it can be presented using colour schemes, different text sizes or different styles to make it easier to read.
The content is easy to see and hear
We will make the visual presentation as easy as possible for brazil telegram people with disabilities to perceive, that is, elements such as buttons, video players or others will be perfectly identifiable and executable.
Meeting this requirement helps to separate the text from the background, making the information more distinguishable. For example, many people with colour blindness do not use any particular tool and rely on an appropriate design that provides sufficient colour contrast between the text and its surrounding environment. For other people, for example, if the audio of an audiovisual resource were to play automatically it could interfere with their text reader or assistive listening devices.
Video
Operability
Web functionalities are available from the keyboard
All functionality must be accessible via keyboard, meaning that the website can be navigated without a mouse. Many people cannot use a mouse and rely on the keyboard to interact with the website. To do this, all available functionality on the website must be accessible via keyboard, including input controls on forms and other user interface components.
Provide users with sufficient time to read and use the content
The content does not cause seizures or physical reactions
We will not use any content that could cause disturbances to users. For example, we must avoid visual effects with very marked color changes or with different shapes and colors that might seem very good at first, but could cause epileptic attacks, among other things.
Users can easily navigate, find content and determine where they are
We will provide users with permanent help in navigation, in locating content and in positioning. Breadcrumbs are very important for users, since they place the page they are on in a specific context of the website.
Comprehensibility
Textual content must be readable and understandable. Unusual words should be avoided or at least definitions or a helpful glossary should be provided.
We will present the content in a predictable way, along with easy, intuitive and simple navigation. A good example is to always keep the same main menu on all pages, so as not to confuse the user. And if different menus are needed depending on the page, do so in the form of secondary menus.
You also have to avoid possible common errors on the part of users. You have to give them guidelines and help when you require their actions. A good example would be to mark the mandatory fields in forms before the typical mandatory field error appears.
Sturdiness
We need to ensure compatibility with all web browsers, on all devices, and with all technologies. We will conduct studies to determine if there are errors on any specific device or browser. All new programming that we incorporate will go through a compatibility process with all browsers and devices before being applied.
At this point it is important to note that the web has to be accessible not only for typical devices and browsers, but also for special devices that use some kind of assistive technology . We are talking about technologies such as JAWS ( Job Access With Speech ): a commercial screen reader provided by Freedom Scientific, or NVDA: an open source screen reader, Zoomtext from ONCE or even browser extensions.
