What is web accessibility and why do we need it?

Definitions of web accessibility

What is web accessibility? Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them. More specifically, people can:

• perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web
• contribute to the Web

The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) develops standards that have been adopted worldwide, most notably the WCAG2 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). The principles that are define accessibility by these guidelines are referred to by the acronym POUR:

• Perceivable - for example, so people can see the content, hear it, or read it
• Operable - for example, so people can use the computer by typing or by voice.
• Understandable - information and functionality is understandable; for example consistent navigation, simple language, etc.
• Robust - Content can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of browsers, media players, and assistive technologies.

 

Guidelines such as WCAG2 provide useful standards for accessibility. However, web accessibility is about more than compliance- it's about making a higher quality web experience for all users. Accommodating a wide range of users with varying abilities requires thoughtful design and often a complex set of tradeoffs.

Which of these statements about web accessibility is false?

Web accessibility is considered a human right.

The purpose of improving web accessibility is to meet WCAG2 standards. This statement is false. While meeting WCAG2 standards can improve the accessibility of your web resources, the purpose is not compliance with guidelines or regulations, it is to make web resources accessible to everyone, a goal which often exceeds what is required by standards or regulations.

Improving web accessibility can improve the discoverability of information online by search engines.

Web accessibility is a necessity to provide people with disabilities with access to information.

  

 

Types of disabilities that affect access to information

 

For an introduction to different types of disabilities, examples of assistive technologies people with disabilities may use, and demonstrations of how these technologies work, watch the following videos from the EdX Accessibility for Web Design course:

 

 

Why else should we make websites and content accessible?

 

It's not only people with disabilities who benefit from more inclusive practices of information presentation and web design.  People experiencing temporary disabilities who may not have assistive technology can benefit from design choices that reduce difficult navigation.  When web content is scalable, you can visit a webpage on a phone or tablet more easily.  When multiple types of media are presented, like video captioning or transcripts in addition to audio, you can more easily revisit and search content from a presentation or video.

Accessible website, apps, and other digital technology can benefit which of the following? (Check all that apply.)

people with disabilities

people using mobile phones, smart phones, and other devices with small screens or different input modes

older people with changing abilities due to aging

people with temporary disabilities such as a broken arm

people with situational limitations such as using screens in bright sunlight

people using a slow internet connection or who have limited or expensive bandwidth