ADA Web Accessibility and Compliance
Website Accessibility means the website accessible to all the users in the web including visitors with disability. Many website owners know that their website is available in the internet for visitors to access information but possibly may not know whether their website is easily accessible and even be unaware about Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
Some basic Guidelines to increase the accessibility of the visitors
Validate HTML and CSS: To check if the HTML and CSS used is valid, W3C validator can be used. It is necessary that websites are checked as the validator automatically tells you about any errors and accessibility issues in the web pages.
Image and alternative text: For browsers which don’t support images, alternative text can be used to explain what the image is about as the user will only see the text.
Resize font text: Most of the internet browsers use Internet explorer to search for information. If the size of the text can be increased by choosing the font size to the largest then it means that your website is accessible to visitors.
Use of Java script: Websites are not easily accessible when java script is disabled. Mostly people have the java script support switched off, if that’s the case then make sure that you use the Java script sensibly and unnoticeably.
Priority 1 guidelines outlined by the W3C are compliance matters that are mandatory
Priority 2 provisions on the other hand, are matters that should also be addressed and include the European Union-recommended level of compliance. Accessibility to persons with disabilities is guideline #1 with Level 1 priority on the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It specifically states that site developers should “provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content, and provide content that, when presented to the user, conveys essentially the same function or purpose as auditory or visual content”.
Web accessibility does not only cover persons with visual and auditory disabilities but also encompasses those with motor impediments, speech, cognitive and neurological limitations that need special technology to access the internet.
Software has been developed to enable disabled persons to use the internet, and these programs only work with WorldWide Web Consortium compliant websites, so it is prudent and sensible to assure your website matches all the checkpoints provided in the W3C guidelines. Apart from simply satisfying the required guidelines and providing an alternative to disabled persons, conforming to the W3C accessibility standards brings other benefits that go beyond mere compliance.
For one, World Wide Web Consortium compliant websites get more visibility in search engines and receive more traffic. In addition to that, websites that are constructed following W3C guidelines take less time to develop because one that is coded using W3C standards are less likely to encounter glitches and snags. There will be less time spent debugging and more time spent developing the site itself.
Site stability is also another precept of World Wide Web Consortium compliant websites and ensures forward and backward adaptability as browsers progress in their development cycle. So if your website is W3C compliant, you can rest assured it will remain stable even when Internet Explorer comes out with Version 10.
The U.S. Access Board Reports on Website Accessibility Standards
WCAG, or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, were developed by the international accessible design community. They make specific recommendations for web development that will ensure the web sites are accessible to all people, including those living with disabilities. The 2.0 standards levels ensures a higher level of accessibility that will assist more people in having access to online information and also encourage design that will accommodate a wider range of devices that help people access the Internet, such as screen reader and speech recognition software.These standards are replacing the Section 508 accessibility standards because they are more robust, prescriptive and forward-looking.
Making the Internet accessible to everyone, no matter their abilities, is the new frontier for accessibility advocacy
All these principles are important from the standpoint of making a website accessible. Choose a good company to make sure that you get the website and its content right. The website design firm will take care of all your website design related needs and apply all the principles of accessibility in creating your website.