Would you alter your website in such a way that more than one-fourth of your visitors would gain from it? Simple enough, right? The CDC estimates that 26% of American adults have a handicap, and many of these impairments affect how people interact with digital content.
Businesses may improve the user experience for individuals with disabilities by putting best practices for digital accessibility into practice—and reap additional benefits that can boost their bottom line.
What Is Digital Accessibility?
Digital accessibility, expressed simply, is a feature of a website or app that makes it simple for individuals who have disabilities. Best practices for accessibility make it easier for people with disabilities to interact with digital domains, much as wheelchair ramps and Braille signage make it easier for some people to enter, navigate, and use physical areas.
What Is Necessary for Digital Accessibility?
Most accessibility talks, from a regulatory and compliance standpoint, revolve around Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which “prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the operations of places of public accommodations.” This rule’s exact application to digital properties is still up for discussion. A circuit court most recently confirmed that the ADA does apply to websites and mobile apps that connect customers with the goods and services of places of public accommodation.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are the generally regarded gold standard for practical advice on how to make websites and apps accessible (WCAG). WCAG was established by the digital accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium with the intention of producing a universally applicable standard for the accessibility of web content.
It’s crucial to keep in mind that accessibility includes visual, auditory, verbal, cognitive, neurological, and physical impairments that can affect a user’s capacity to interact with digital resources. The following are a few examples of best practices that can be used to address each of these areas:
Visual: To aid screen readers, include alternative text for images and a logical header arrangement.
Auditory: Include transcripts of audio and video information as well as closed captions.
Speech: Provide contact options besides the phone and alternatives to speech input.
Cognitive Neurological: Make navigation and page layouts simpler to learn and use.
Physical: Make keyboard input available for users without access to a mouse.
What Are the Advantages of Digital Accessibility for Businesses?
Making your websites and apps accessible is the ethical thing to do, which is the most obvious justification. Online services and content ought to be accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. Building accessibility into your digital properties is a socially inclusive act that removes obstacles and enables all users to interact with your business in a good way.
Accessibility can also improve how existing, potential, and staff members perceive your business. People enjoy supporting companies that pledge to act in society’s best interests through corporate social responsibility. Users—those with disabilities and those without—are more likely to view your brand favorably when they notice that you’ve taken proactive measures to remove obstacles and create a nice experience for everyone.
Digital Accessibility Provides Benefits to People of all Walks
All users, not just those with permanent disabilities, can benefit from the implementation of accessibility best practices. When was the last time you went to the gym and used the treadmill to watch TV with closed captioning? This is only one instance of a function created to help users with disabilities that also serves a larger audience. Users with temporary or situational limitations also benefit from accessibility.
Imagine if you can only use one arm. This might be due to a disability, but it also might be due to a broken arm or cradling a newborn. People with cataracts or simply distracted while driving might aid from visual implementations. The biggest bonus might be in aids that help those who are hearing impaired through closed captioning. The ability to read rather than hear is something that almost everyone can benefit from at some point and time.
There are several situations where you might use accessibility options each day and not even realize it. The more we work towards an inclusive environment, the better it is for everyone. Not to mention the fact that people with disabilities will have access to media as those without do. It’s a win-win situation all around.
What Does the Law Say?
As of the time of this writing, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has not explicitly updated ADA standards to cover digital accessibility but instead maintains the long-held position that the ADA covers digital accessibility.
However, other laws may be seen from the standpoint of digital accessibility. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973’s Section 508 requires federal departments and agencies to make a good faith attempt to provide information via methods that are equally accessible to people with disabilities. In the event that they are unable to do so, they must provide individuals with disabilities with an alternate way to access the data and information that those information systems offer. There must be equal accessibility for those with disabilities and those without.
The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CCVA), a 2010 amendment to the Communications Act of 1934, adds new regulations to ensure that people with disabilities may use contemporary technologies. The legislation’s Title I sets accessibility standards for “advanced” telecommunications products and services, while Title II specifies a variety of requirements for the accessibility of televisions, television services, television content, and streaming video.
The European Union now has its own laws according to Directive (EU) 2016/2102, which was put into effect in 2016 and harmonized accessibility standards across the EU. A directive is a piece of European Union law that specifies an end result while leaving the means of achieving it up to the member states.
Summary
A global movement that is altering consumer expectations is centered on accessibility. Big businesses like Microsoft are working on cutting-edge enhancements as you read this. Facebook introduced new tools to make its content more accessible, such as scalable font sizes and improved screen reader interaction, while Twitter established an Accessibility Center of Excellence to collaborate with groups from various business areas to make the platform more accessible.
If you’re concerned about your business keeping up in the accessibility sector, contact QualityLogic to see how their services can help you perform better. A specialist can provide a free assessment of your current tools to see what options you have for improved services. Visit their website at qualitylogic.com.