Many people with different forms of disabilities use the internet to find the products and services they need. It’s one of the reasons why you need to ensure that your website is accessible to everyone if you don’t want to miss these potential customers. Moreover, it’s a legal requirement that you make your site inclusive as the ADA or Americans with Disabilities Act prevents the discrimination of people with disabilities, including their website use. Thousands of lawsuits concern the inaccessibility of websites, so if you don’t want to become part of the statistics, you want to ensure your site is ADA compliant, particularly with the use of web accessibility applications.
Furthermore, having a site that is accessible shows that you care for all your customers, which helps promote your brand and improve your reputation. Even if the law does not mandate it, it’s the right thing to ensure inclusion for all site visitors, including users with disabilities. Below are some of the common accessibility problems on websites and how you can solve them.
Poor contrast
Choosing the right background and text color is important because it determines your content’s readability. Failure to get the proper contrast could make it difficult for visitors, especially those who have poor eyesight, to see the information on your website.
Inability to disable animation
People who suffer from seizures and those who get dizzy from moving objects or texts on websites would find it helpful to have an option to disable the animation. There are applications that allow you to have this on your site, so users have a way to disable animation. These apps may also let customers easily adjust other settings to their preference, including the font text, color, and brightness.
No alternative text
Not all websites use alt texts, which are descriptions on images that screen readers could detect. If the photos on your site don’t have these, those who are blind or are hard of seeing would not understand the image.
No video captions
Besides images, you may also post video content on your website. Users with hearing loss may see the video but would not hear the audio, so it would be hard for them to understand the message. Ensure that you use captions on your videos, so customers can read the dialogues and significant sounds, making them understand the content. Captions are almost like subtitles, except they also provide descriptions of various sounds made besides the conversations, which are not present in the latter.
Improper use of headers
Some sites do not use appropriate headers, making their content difficult to navigate and read. Incorporate the correct headers in your content, so users would easily find what they are looking for. It also makes everything more organized and thus easier to read.
No keyboard navigation support
Users who cannot use the keyboard due to mobility or visual problems would require keyboard navigation support to use your site.
Check your website and ensure it has these features to make it accessible and more convenient for everyone to use, including people with disabilities.