Blog Accessibility

Web Accessibility Defined

Web accessibility refers to the practice of making websites, web applications, and other digital content accessible to people with disabilities. This includes individuals who are blind or have low vision, deaf or hard of hearing, have mobility impairments, or have cognitive or learning disabilities.

Web accessibility is important because it allows people with disabilities to access and use the same information and services as everyone else. It also helps to ensure that people with disabilities have equal opportunities to participate in the digital economy and society.

To make a website or web application accessible, developers need to follow certain guidelines and best practices. This includes using semantic HTML tags to structure the content, providing alternative text for images, using colours and fonts that are legible and have sufficient contrast, and making sure that all interactive elements are keyboard-navigable. Developers also need to test their websites and web applications to ensure that they are fully accessible to people with disabilities.

Overall, web accessibility is a crucial aspect of the design and development of digital content and is essential for ensuring that everyone can access and use the internet. Learn more about why web accessibility matters and how it benefits your organisation.

Common questions about web accessibility

What does WCAG stand for?

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines - international guidelines developed by the W3C that define how to make web content accessible to people with disabilities. The current version is WCAG 2.2, organised around four principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) with three conformance levels: A, AA and AAA.

Who benefits from web accessibility?

Web accessibility primarily benefits people with disabilities - but also older users, people with temporary impairments (broken arm, eye surgery), people in situational constraints (bright sunlight, holding a baby), people on slow connections or older devices, and users of voice assistants and emerging input methods. Accessibility makes the web more usable for everyone.

Is web accessibility the same as web usability?

Closely related but not identical. Web accessibility specifically removes barriers for people with disabilities and is measurable against standards like WCAG 2.2. Web usability is broader - anything that helps any user complete tasks. A site can be technically WCAG-conformant yet still be hard to use; the most accessible products are usable by everyone.

Ready to make your digital content accessible?

ExceedAbility helps organisations across Australia meet WCAG 2.2, EN 301 549, and Section 508 standards.

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