Accessibility for people with disabilities

Once you understand why accessibility is important and the consequences of not providing it, we believe you will rush to make your website WCAG compliant.

One of the most popular myths about website accessibility is that you can download a simple plugin or install software and, with the click of a finger, make your website fully accessible. It is simply IMPOSSIBLE.

Accessibility problems are objective or subjective. Objective problems can be detected by code, while subjective problems require a human solution. Code can never exactly solve problems that fall into the latter category, and attempts to do so often do more harm than good.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is an international standard with detailed descriptions. It requires all public sector websites and private companies providing services to the public to comply with the standards.

The guidelines explain how to make digital services, websites and apps accessible to everyone, including users with visual impairments - such as people who are visually impaired, such as people who are blind, partially sighted or have other vision problems. Also for people with hearing problems, such as the deaf or hard of hearing.

Some important WCAG 2.0 Level AA requirements:

• Colour contrast shall be at least 4.5:1 in most cases
• Images that convey meaning shall use Alt text or a similar solution
• Navigation elements are consistent throughout the site
• Form fields have accurate labels
• Status updates can be transmitted by screen reader
• Headings are written in logical order.