Accessibility is for everyone. Not just for people with disabilities. Ensuring your website is accessible, means that it is a good experience for everyone who uses it. Your website is inclusive and easy to use, for everyone. It will keep your visitors coming back for more.
Accessibility 101
Accessibility is important. It helps to ensure your website is available and usable by people with disabilities, who would otherwise struggle to access your content, or interact with your website. It is really important to make sure your website is available for people with any type of disability.
Accessibility is making sure that:
- images have an alt tag, so that when a screen reader comes across an image, it reads it out
- h1-h6 are used sequentially on a page, so that they are in the right order and dont confuse users
- tables have the right tags, so that screen readers can identify headers, rows and columns properly
- mandatory form fields are identified with not just a colour, but the word "mandatory" or "required"
- form elements are structured properly, where labels are associated with each form element
- links are contextual, so that they provide information about where they are taking the user. This link will be read out by the screen reader and "click here" isn't adequate to provide the information the users needs
- HTML is validated, so that it forms properly structured syntax
- video has a transcript and closed captions available
Accessibility is good for everyone
The reason that accessibility is good for everyone, is that it provides users a choice on how they want to access content.
- Proper Code - Accessibility ensures that properly formed andwell structured code is used. This means that the website will work properly on all the major browsers and look good on everyone's computer or device and be accessible by all
- Video Transcripts - Not everyone wants to watch a video. Some people want to read the transcript. So by following good accessibility standards, you're making the content good for everyone
- Contextual Links - Having contextual links that underline the words that describe where the link is going, is useful for everyone. Screenreaders will read out the linked words, so they make sense to the user. Browsers show the linked text, so that it is clear to the user what the link is about and where it is going
- Form Elements - Well structured form elements mean that all users can use their keyboard to tab from one form element to another, in the right sequence, in which they are meant to be filled
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