Website Accessibility
Create accessible websites that are WAI-ARIA and WCAG compliant
Importance of Web Accessibility
One of the most important considerations for any website is accessibility. People interact with the web using a variety of different technologies and methods. For example, people with disabilities may use screen readers or audible web browsers. Some people prefer text-only browsers while others might be in a location where their internet access is restricted or slow.
It is important to think about accessible techniques, standards and guidlines when designing your website — content should be available to everyone!
Benefits of Web Accessibility
Creating accessible websites are beneficial to people in different ways:
- They cater for people with disabilities — providing better access to the visually impaired, hard of hearing or people using assistive technologies or specialised input devices.
- Higher performance — websites can be developed and coded to provide faster speed and full functionality.
- Further reach — information is available to as many people as possible, no matter what technology they’re using.
- Better business — customer experience is improved and you gain a wider audience with the added benefit of being search engine friendly.
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
The Web Accessibility Initiative is a technical specification established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The WAI provides standards, guidelines and strategies for creating websites that are considered accessible. Most of the specifications are to assist people with disabilities but they also benefit people using non-standard web browsers or devices.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are developed by the Web Accessibility Initiative. WCAG version 2.0 is an approved ISO standard. A community of people and organisations worldwide contribute to its development with the aim of making the web more accessible.
Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA)
Accessible Rich Internet Applications are specifications and standards defined by the WAI. They add semantics to web content and applications in the form of roles and attributes.
Websites applying ARIA standards are more accessible to people with disabilities, who are given full funtionality and interactivity. Obstructions to complex UI controls and dynamic content (usually coded in JavaScript) are removed.