Website accessibility: Is your website more than just user-friendly?
Barrier-free means much more than accessibility in the real world. With our world shifting from offline to online, there is a growing need to make the online world more inclusive for people with disabilities, from hearing and visual impairments to motor or cognitive impairments. What’s more, barrier-free websites and apps improve user-friendliness for everyone, not just individuals with disabilities. Clear content design is always beneficial. But what should you do to make your content easily accessible to all users?
To be barrier-free, websites should:
- offer a plain or simple language version;
- use an easy-to-read font and clear colour contrasts;
- be suitable for colour-blind users by not using red/green as the sole contrast;
- have a clear structure and not be too busy;
- be compatible with alternative controls (e.g. joysticks);
- be accessible via different browsers/mobile phones (responsive design);
- provide subtitles/sign language for videos;
- use large buttons and form fields (particular for mobile applications);
- integrate screen readers.
Assistive technologies, such as screen readers and voice recognition software, are essential tools for people with disabilities. For screen readers to work properly, a website has to meet the following criteria:
The website should:
- not be too busy;
- contain descriptions of images, forms and buttons;
- contain semantic markup to help orientation through title, navigation, content, etc; have a clear grid layout and navigation; provide descriptions for form fields.
An additional benefit of following these guidelines is that it improves your search engine optimisation!
Are there any official directives? How can you test website accessibility?
Public websites (e.g. of hospitals, authorities or offices) are legally obliged to implement accessibility throughout the EU (Directive (EU) 2016) 2102). In Germany, this obligation is to be extended to online retail, banks and public transport by June 2025.
Each EU country has its national guidelines, such as the German BITV Accessibility Law. In the United States, website accessibility is subject to the Guidance on Web Accessibility and the Americans with Disabilities Act.There is a host of (free) tools and advice on how to test your own website for accessibility. For those who want to make it official, there is the option of certification (e.g. WACA – Web Accessibility Certificate)
What does language translation have to do with any of this?
Multilingual content is – of course – also a way to boost the accessibility to your website, whether it contains government information or promotes tourist attractions. The more languages a website offers, the more people it will reach.When it comes to inclusion for people with disabilities, the German BITV provides that certain content has to be available in simple language and in sign language. Subtitling of video is recommended.
Are you looking to add subtitles in one or several languages to your video content? Peschel Communications can help! Contact us now!!
Here are some links with more information on barrier-free websites and tools for checking the accessibility of your website:
General information and tests:
https://www.mindshape.de/magazin/barrierefreie-websites
https://www.aktion-mensch.de/inklusion/barrierefreiheit/barrierefreie-website
Laws:
WACA Certificate:https://waca.at/waca
