What Every Business Needs to Know About Digital Accessibility Standards

Making sure your website or digital services are user-friendly for people with disabilities isn’t just about ticking off compliance boxes. It’s also a great way to tap into a market that might have been overlooked. 

Digital accessibility standards, particularly those based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), are crucial for ensuring websites and digital content are usable by people with disabilities. 

The tricky part is figuring out exactly what needs to be done to meet those standards and get your digital assets up to par. Luckily, with a bit of knowledge and a readiness to make the necessary tweaks, you can easily transform your site into a space that’s accessible to just about anyone who wants to check it out.

In this blog post, we are going to explore this segment more deeply, giving numerous insights to the readers. 

Let’s begin!

Key Takeaways 

• Understanding the key regulations of this concept
• Exploring its numerous benefits 
• Taking a look at some essential tools 
• Discovering the impacts of regular audits 

Key Regulations Affecting Digital Accessibility Compliance

As you may or may not be aware, numerous laws and regulations govern accessibility standards in most developed countries. While these can differ from country to country, they are broadly similar in the outcomes they hope to achieve. To really get to grips, it’s best to contact the relevant authority in your jurisdiction so you can gain a better understanding of what’s required, and therefore involved with adding these things to your assets. For instance, Section 508 requirements stipulate that all businesses must ensure their websites and other digital assets comply with that particular section of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Although it can be a bit of a slog to read through these kinds of design regulatory frameworks, the payoff is that you will gain a boost in reputation, more customers. You will also avoid any potential legal action that might stem from non-compliance. If in doubt, you ought to consult with a legal expert whose job it is to read and interpret the laws on your behalf. 

Intriguing Insights 

This infographic shows the top 4 digital accessibility trends 

Benefits Of Accessible Websites

As we touched upon in the introduction, multiple advantages come from looking at this proactively. Aside from avoiding legal action, which, while admittedly rare, is a genuine possibility and one that will cause your bank account to deplete rapidly and ensure a severe backlash and hit to your reputation. You will gain a significant number of new users who are more comfortable with using your services. 

For instance, if you operate a travel company, simply adding in accessibility options enabling those with various disabilities to use your site and book a tour will offer you a nice uptick in revenue. From a very small amount of effort. In most cases, you can simply request your development team to implement the recommended number of improvements, test to ensure everything works as it should, and you’re all set. 

Common Accessibility Barriers To Avoid

Not everything is as straightforward as just adding a free widget to the backend of your WordPress site and calling it a day. In fact, there are several key considerations to be aware of, enabling you to avoid them and create a site that maintains its core functionality and ease of use. Some of the more common issues include:

• Lack of text alternatives for non-text content: Visually-impaired users often rely on screen readers to help them navigate throughout a site. If you fail to add adequate text alternatives to things that aren’t conventionally text-based (using alt descriptions for images, for example), screen readers can’t read what’s on the screen.
• Poor color contrast: Some folks have difficulty reading content when displayed at specific contrast ratios. By offering an option to change it up, you ensure that everyone can view your site regardless of their particular issue.
• Inaccessible forms: This is a pet peeve for all internet users, not only those with disabilities. Ensuring that all forms are correctly labeled and can be read by a screen reader is vital.

While these are just a few examples, and others are likely to exist, they indicate what to watch out for when renovating your site. 

Interesting Facts 
Many organizations recognize digital accessibility as a competitive advantage, potentially leading to increased website visitors and sales. 
(Source)

Essential Tools For Testing Accessibility

Testing can sometimes prove to be the sticking point, especially for smaller operations with limited IT teams that cannot afford any downtime for testing. You can use tools like Siteimprove Accessibility Checker and WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool) to go over your site and make sure it’s ready for prime time, though, if you first develop it in a separate offline environment. 

Regular Audits Ensure Ongoing Compliance

Your job doesn’t stop once you’ve added in all requisite options and tested them. You will need to perform regular audits to remain updated with any regulation changes and ensure that the actions you have put in place still work as they ought to. Seeing as you should be regularly auditing your site anyway, this shouldn’t be too much of an issue. 

Making your website and other digital assets accessible to those with disabilities is something that all businesses should be doing. By dedicating time to comprehending the regulations and optimizing your website, you will ultimately achieve a compliant platform that is prepared to receive any prospective clients.

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