The ADA requires businesses to make reasonable accommodations for everyone, and the Justice Department has repeatedly stated that it also applies to websites. Although the ADA does not include a technical standard for web accessibility and technologies like accessibility overlay tools, many international laws follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). They are the consensus standards for developing accessible web content.
While
compliance is substantial, brands should build a better web experience for all
users for various reasons. Adhering to the WCAG will make it so any user will
have comfortable and easy access to your website.
In
other words, if your company hasn't already prioritized digital accessibility,
now is the time to start. This section will look at six common WCAG conformance
issues that cause a poor user experience for people. Download our free
Definitive Website Accessibility Checklist for more information.
Images without Alt Text
Image
alternative text (also known as alt text) describes non-text content, ensuring
that people who cannot see the content can have an equivalent experience. For
example, suppose someone uses a screen reader (software that converts text to
audio or braille output) to access your website. In that case, the alt text
provides another way to understand the visuals.
Unfortunately,
many designers and developers fail to provide alternative text. In a 2021
analysis of the internet's top one million websites conducted by WebAIM (Web
Accessibility In Mind), 26 percent of all home pages lacked alt text.
Make
sure that your alt text is accurate, descriptive, and useful. Provide a clear
description of each image in plain language, using the first words that come to
mind. Alt-text is not crucial for purely decorative images (such as dividers).
Inadequate Color Contrast
Low-contrast
text can be challenging for people. Therefore, the WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines
recommend color contrast ratios of at least 4.5:1 for regular text and 3:1 for
large-scale text.
When
deciding how to present text, many designers fail to consider accessibility.
According to WebAIM's 2021 analysis, 86.4 percent of homepages had low-contrast
text that did not meet WCAG thresholds. You can quickly remedy this
accessibility issue using the free Color Contrast Accessibility Validator
tools.
Keyboard Accessibility Issues
Users
may be unable to interact with your website due to keyboard accessibility
barriers. In addition, severe issues with your website may prevent people from
regaining control of their browser or software.
Keyboard
accessibility issues can occur when a website uses third-party widgets,
incorrect WAI-ARIA markup, or poor visual focus indicators, among other things.
Of course, you can perform a basic accessibility test by visiting your website
without using a mouse. Still, if your content is complex or dynamic, you'll
want to conduct a full accessibility audit to identify (and fix) barriers that
affect keyboard users.
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