With today’s digital era, web accessibility is not an option—it’s a must. Ensuring that your website is accessible to every user, whether they have any abilities or not, is paramount to providing an inclusive online presence. Web accessibility allows individuals with disabilities to be able to use, navigate, and interact with websites the same as everyone else. Throughout this blog, we will delve into the need for accessibility within web design, what challenges to anticipate, and tips on how to make your website more inclusive.

Why Accessibility Is Important to Web Design

Web sites are not merely communications tools; they are essential for social interaction, commerce, learning, and dissemination of information. But for the disabled, website navigation is most often a hindrance. Based on the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1 billion individuals, or nearly 15% of the world population, live with some type of disability. By not following the principles of web accessibility, you are unwittingly keeping much of the population from visiting your content or services.

In addition, making your site accessible is not just a matter of being socially responsible but is also a legal requirement for many areas. In the United States, Europe, and other parts of the globe, the law that forces websites to be accessible to all in countries like these includes the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) in America and WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) in Europe. Actually, non-compliant businesses may even be sued.

Understanding Web Accessibility

Web accessibility refers to the practice of designing and developing websites that can be used by people with a variety of disabilities. Disabilities can include visual, auditory, cognitive, and motor impairments, and each of these may require specific

considerations in web design. To truly achieve accessibility, it’s essential to think about how all users will interact with your site and design accordingly.

Key aspects of web accessibility include:

• Visual Accessibility: This is to ensure that visually impaired individuals can use and interpret the website. For instance, having proper contrast between text and background, giving images text alternatives, and making all content accessible to screen readers.
• Auditory Accessibility: This is the process of making a website such that individuals with hearing disabilities can use audio-based material. Captioning or transcribing video and audio content is required for this.
• Motor Accessibility: Sites must be made in a way that individuals with motor disabilities are able to navigate and use the site. This can be done by ensuring that interactive items such as buttons and links are big enough to click on and making sure that all aspects of interaction are keyboard-friendly.
• Cognitive Accessibility: Individuals with cognitive disabilities tend to struggle with more complex navigation or content. Avoiding jargon, presenting information in a logical order, and making the site layout clear will make your website more accessible for them.

Important Guidelines for Creating Your Website to be Accessible

1. Text Alternatives for Non-Text Content

One of the fundamental principles of web accessibility is to make all non-text content accessible. This may be done by offering alternative text (alt text) for images, videos, and other multimedia items. Alt text enables screen readers to describe visual content to visually impaired users.

For instance, a picture of a cat could have alt text such as: “A small tabby cat playing with a ball of yarn.” Such a description enables the person who is using a screen reader to know what the picture represents.

2. Keyboard Navigation

Most users with disabilities use keyboard navigation rather than a mouse to use web sites. It is important to make sure your site can be accessed completely using the keyboard. This means ensuring all interactive items such as links, buttons, and form fields are focusable and can be activated by the keyboard alone.

3. Color Contrast and Text Size

Good text-to-background contrast allows users with visual impairments to more easily read the content. Dark text against a light background or light text against a dark background is good contrast. Make sure your site complies with the recommended contrast ratios to assist users with low vision.

Along with contrast, offering users the capacity to change text size is another excellent means of improving accessibility. This can be done through responsive design or the capacity to zoom in on text.

4. Descriptive Links and Buttons

Keep links and buttons specific and don’t use generic language such as “click here” or “read more.” Ensure the link text is descriptive of where or what the destination or action is. For example, “Download the Accessibility Guide” is far more informative than “Click here.”

5. Captions and Transcripts

For hearing-impaired users, offering captions and transcripts for video and audio content is important. Captions are not only helpful for the deaf and hard of hearing but also enhance the experience for individuals in noisy locations or those who prefer to read over listening.

6. Consistent and Predictable Navigation

Users with cognitive disabilities might have difficulty with disorienting layouts or uneven navigation. By implementing a consistent, logical site structure and simple navigation, you simplify it for all your users to locate the content they are searching for.

7. Accessibility of Forms

Forms are a standard element of most sites, but they can hinder users with disabilities if not well designed. Forms must include plain labels, directions, and error messages. Ensure users with screen readers are able to access the form fields and know what information needs to be filled out.

8. Accessible Design for Mobile Users

Responsive design is not simply a matter of looks—it’s also an accessibility issue. Ensure that your site’s mobile layout is as accessible as the desktop version. That means touch targets large enough for people with motor disabilities and content easily navigated on smaller screens.

Testing for Accessibility

To make sure your website is accessible, you should test it periodically. There are numerous tools that can assist you in discovering potential accessibility problems on your site, including:

• WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool): It helps you test for WCAG compliance and accessibility problems.
• Axe: A browser extension offering in-depth accessibility analysis.
• Google Lighthouse: An open-source tool for auditing a website’s accessibility.

It’s also beneficial to test your website with real users who have disabilities. User testing helps identify challenges that automated tools might miss and provides valuable insights on how to improve your website’s usability.

What Point Digital Can Do

It does not necessarily have to be complicated to make your website accessible. PlusPoint Digital, a web design agency based in Dubai, has the skills to create inclusive, accessible websites that are easy to use for everyone. Our skilled designers and developers ensure that your website remains up-to-date with the newest accessibility standards so that you can reach more individuals and remain compliant with the law.

Whether you need to make small changes or completely revamp your site to be an accessibility-focused one, PlusPoint Digital, Dubai’s leading web design firm, provides customized solutions according to your needs. Let us assist you in developing a website that is not only visually pleasing but accessible, inclusive, and inviting to all.

By putting accessibility foremost in your website design, you’re well on your way towards a more universal and accessible internet experience. By using PlusPoint Digital, you can make your website accessible to all who view it, not just those people with so-called ‘disabilities.’ And being a Dubai-based website designing agency, we even provide you digital marketing and finest features of your site to fly your business sky high online.