Sup,
I mentioned in one of my earlier articles that issues of inequality, exclusion, and accessibility are important to discuss. This is because they are integrated into our lives whether we consider them or not. Just recently, Twitter and TikTok saw a post about a deaf man who was stuck in an elevator. It was a moment that elicited deep thought in a lot of people. I believe the internet collectively agreed that the world’s default state should be accessible, inclusive, and equal.
Yet, we are far from achieving that in many spheres. The web, a now regular part of our lives, is yet to fully cater for accessibility. Although the term web accessibility has grown in popularity in the past years, 97.4% of the world’s top one million websites do not offer full accessibility. While the number is actively decreasing, this is still a startling realisation.
It might interest you to know that 72% of adults with disabilities own a smartphone and 62% own a desktop or laptop. So, yes, people with disability are on the web just like everyone else. The stat above shows that 9.74 out of every 10 websites an individual visits would have at least one accessibility issue.
Defining web accessibility
As you may know, the web, also known as the World Wide Web, is a network of information that can be accessed by a web browser via the Internet. These pages are connected with hyperlinks, or simply what we know as links; which can be embedded in buttons, texts, cards, images, etc. Here’s something for you to note; I’ll be using web and Internet interchangeably, although they are technically not the same. The internet is a global network of servers, computers, and other hardware devices. The web is a part of the larger Internet.
Web Accessibility is the idea that web structures must be unrestricted to all kinds of people, regardless of their abilities. This suggests that people’s temporary or permanent disabilities should not be a barrier to accessing the web, or as we say colloquially, using the internet.
Accessible web structures and experiences also benefit people without disabilities such as old people, individuals with poor internet connection, or folks in restricting situations such as driving (where you can’t touch your phone for long) or being in a loud environment (where you can’t listen to audio)
What disabilities does accessibly help?
The answer—at the surface level—is all kinds of disabilities
Such disabilities could be visual impairments like full blindness, low vision, or colour blindness; hearing impairments like deafness or partial hearing loss; Motor disabilities such as absent limb, reduced limb function; cognitive and neurological disabilities such as dementia and learning disabilities; as well as speech and language impairments.
Guidelines for web accessibility
Conversations around web accessibility are rife, and hundreds of very helpful articles give great guidelines. Nevertheless, you can also choose to refer to accessibility standards that have been created through extensive (and ongoing) research. The most recognised is W3C Accessibility Standards. Other web accessibility guidelines include:
- The A11y Project
- Material Design
- Accessibility Guidelines for iOS
- Accessibility Guidelines for Android
- Web Accessibility Guidelines by Princeton
- Digital.gov
- BBC Mobile Accessibility Guidelines
Because these standards can be bulky, a good tip is to first get an overview of them through web resources before fully referring to them. Remember to take note of accessibility laws that are relevant to where you stay.
It is important to note that accessibility should not be an afterthought, rather it should be what you think about as you conduct your UX research, create your hi-fi designs, and push your new desktop or mobile interface to the Internet. Don’t leave out a critical population of your audience.
These are 500 words (or more ?)! Talk to you tomorrow!