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.
Why 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: All users, irrespective of disabilities, deserve unfettered access to information, content, and interactive elements.
- Legal Obligation: Avoiding legal entanglements is a compelling reason in itself.
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.
Key considerations:
- 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
- Designing user inputs with clear labels and additional guidance
- Furnishing consistent and lucid navigation choices
- Incorporating user controls for auto-playing content
- 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, such as accessiBe, involves embedding a code snippet into your website. This gives users tools for adjusting page elements to facilitate accessibility. However, “it falls short in terms of providing a genuinely meaningful user experience.”
Pros:
- Simple installation, configuration, and testing process
- Temporary respite from potential litigation
- Significantly less costly than Approach 1
Cons:
- Operates as a superficial solution with limited holistic benefits
An Analogy for Context
“Option 1 entails constructing a proper entrance with a ramp, ensuring full accessibility. Option 2 involves placing a makeshift plywood ramp over the existing steps. Functional, but hardly ideal.”
Conclusion
For businesses aiming to cultivate a considerate user experience and adhere to compliance laws, building websites with integrated accessibility measures is clear. Rectifying non-compliant existing designs poses significant challenges. However, for budget-conscious small enterprises, automated web accessibility tools represent a better alternative to inaction.
