Website accessibility is an important issue that deserves our time and attention. The world is moving forward and is trying to be inclusive of minority groups of people. Although disabled people are a minority, you may be surprised to learn that there are an estimated 1.3 billion disabled people in the world today and that number is constantly increasing. For a disabled person, website accessibility is an important issue. It can open up many opportunities to them that they would otherwise be denied. The alternative is unacceptable, I’m sure you would agree. While we may all be in agreement it is a good thing, getting started or knowing what to do can seem a bit overwhelming. Fortunately, companies, like accessiBe, are there to help you with the process.

What does website accessibility look like?

It may seem odd to even think of websites in terms of being accessible but there are many improvements that can be made to make your website more user friendly for all who want to use it.

A simple, and vital, but often overlooked thing to do is to make your website keyboard friendly. For some, the use of a mouse is very difficult or just not possible. So making sure that a person can come on to your site and access all parts of it using only a keyboard, will make all the difference to some people.

Another thing to consider is keeping your page simple. Some people are overwhelmed when too much information is thrown at them at once. They can struggle to process it so keeping your page simple and easy to understand and follow is another important step. Think in terms of sticking to one subject per page. Use short paragraphs and easy to understand language.

A big issue for some is the use of colour. Some simply will not see the information on your page if certain colours are used or may struggle to follow it. Obviously, this doesn’t remove all colour from your website. As we all know, colour can be an excellent tool to make our websites more appealing and for some, it makes them easier to follow. So the key is using a bit of forethought and planning to use colours in the right way.

Summary

Website accessibility is a vital issue for millions of people and should not be ignored when creating or changing our websites. There are many ways we can help disabled people to have a more enjoyable experience when using our websites and to have the access to them that everyone else may take for granted.