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Meeting web accessibility guidelines: two approaches to consider
Ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities is paramount. Yet, numerous websites inadvertently pose obstacles that hinder or even prevent access for these individuals. The significance of having an accessible website aligning with WCAG guidelines goes beyond mere preference—it's a legal requirement. Despite the absence of enforceable ADA standards for website accessibility, the past five years have witnessed a surge in litigation against businesses that fail to adhere to these guidelines.
So, what drives the need to conform to ADA web accessibility guidelines?
- Mandatory Compliance: Various sectors like government agencies, government-funded entities, and financial or educational institutions are bound by regulatory compliance.
- Equal Access: It's imperative to offer all users, irrespective of disabilities, unfettered access to information, content, and interactive elements on your site.
- Legal Obligation: Avoiding legal entanglements is a compelling reason in itself.
Strategies for Achieving Web Accessibility:
- Operates as a superficial solution, offering some user tools but not a holistic accessible experience
- Temporary respite from potential litigation
- Significantly less costly than option 1
Approach 1: Crafting from Scratch
Designing and developing a website while bearing accessibility guidelines in mind is the preferred method. This approach systematically ensures adherence to each guideline, facilitating a thoughtful user experience.
Key considerations under this approach include:
- Ensuring adequate color contrast for optimal readability
- Opting for legible typefaces and avoiding excessively small fonts
- Employing text in conjunction with images or colors to convey information
- Guaranteeing proper color contrast for focus indicators, enhancing cursor visibility
- Designing user inputs, such as form fields, with clear labels and additional guidance
- Furnishing consistent and lucid navigation choices
- Incorporating user controls for auto-playing content, complete with pause/play functionality
- Envisaging tasks from a keyboard-only user's perspective
- Ensuring strict adherence to coding guidelines
Pros:
- Thoroughly considers design and coding, aligning with WCAG guidelines
- Cultivates a meaningful user experience tailored to all users
Cons:
- Potentially costly, as it affects both design and code, necessitating extensive testing
Approach 2: Integrate an Automated Widget
An automated accessibility widget, with tools like accessiBe, involves embedding a code snippet into your website. This gives users a simple and easy to use interface for adjusting page elements to facilitate accessibility. While this may seem like an easy solution and could stave off immediate legal repercussions, it falls short in terms of providing a genuinely meaningful user experience. Think of it as a temporary fix—a band-aid for the problem. This tool endeavors to interpret the site for users, but it might not always align with the user's best interests.
Pros:
- Simple installation, configuration, and testing process
- Temporary respite from potential litigation
- Significantly less costly than option 1
Cons:
- Operates as a superficial solution, offering some user tools but not a holistic accessible experience
An Analogy for Context:
Think of these options in the context of providing wheelchair access to a building you own. Option 1 entails constructing a proper entrance with a ramp, ensuring full accessibility. Option 2, on the other hand, involves placing a makeshift plywood ramp over the existing steps—functional, but hardly ideal.
In Conclusion:
For businesses or organizations aiming to cultivate a considerate user experience and to adhere to accessibility compliance laws, the path of building a website with integrated accessibility measures is clear. It's worth noting that rectifying non-compliant existing designs poses challenges, demanding extensive overhauls and testing. However, for budget-conscious small enterprises, utilizing automated web accessibility tools represents a better alternative to complete inaction.
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