Why inclusivity is important in web design.
Working with accessiBE to make my website designs accessible to all.
A website is a place for your authentic creative expression. When I think about the audience I want to reach with my business, I want everyone to feel included. As a web designer, I must consider inclusivity when designing websites for my clients. It can be difficult to educate ourselves and others on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion of persons with disabilities. As a self-taught designer, I naturally have blind spots when it comes to designing for people with disabilities and making sure that my designs also complement ADA & WCAG regulations. As the human population grows in diversity, we must educate ourselves to ensure we are a part of designing an inclusive online world.
When accessiBE contacted me to review their Squarespace integration, I was curious to try it. Surprisingly, it was easy, and installing only took me about 5 minutes. From a design perspective, it did not change anything on my website, but it works seamlessly in the background to give visitors the best user experience, no matter their disability. When you realize that 15% of the population has a disability, you learn how big of an impact a tool like this can make to unlock the internet for millions of people with disabilities.
Some of the benefits to using this tool include:
Inclusivity: Accessibility ensures that everyone, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, can access and use a website effectively.
Legal Compliance: Many countries have laws and regulations (such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, known as the ADA) mandating website accessibility standards, and non-compliance can lead to legal consequences.
Enhanced User Experience: Accessible design features improve usability for all users, contributing to a more positive overall user experience.
Wider Audience Reach: Accessible websites accommodate diverse user needs, expanding the potential audience and increasing engagement.
Ethical Responsibility: Prioritizing accessibility reflects a commitment to inclusivity and social responsibility, fostering a more equitable online environment.
How can accessiBe help you?
There are number of good accessibility apps on the app store. Yet, few are as comprehensive and robust as accessWidget. Created by accessiBe (one of the world’s leaders in web accessibility technology), accessWidget seamlessly integrates into any Squarespace site.
Then, two things happen:
accessWidget will run an automated audit of your Squarespace site’s code, identifying accessibility issues. Once found, accessWidget automatically applies the necessary changes to the problematic code. This fixes the ‘heavier’ elements of web accessibility, such as allowing for keyboard-only navigation and screen reader compatibility.
At this point, your website reaches full conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and is fully accessible.
2. Your website visitors will be presented with a really cool user interface, which they can prompt by clicking on an icon at the bottom of their screen:
Here’s what the interface looks like once activated:
This allows clients to adjust design and UI elements to fit their unique needs. People with vision impairments (such as low vision and color blindness), can now select more legible fonts, increase text size, and tweak color contrasts.
Another cool thing about the widget is that it hosts your accessibility statement:
A word on web accessibily laws
It is important to note that you may be mandated by law to ensure your website is accessible to people with disabilities. Many U.S courts apply the Americans with Disabilties Act (ADA) to websites, and reference the Web Content Accessibility Guideilnes as the standard websites should conform to under the law.
There are a number of other laws that mandate web accessibility. These include the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilties Act (AODA), and Section 508 of the Rehabilaition Act, which applies to federally-backed organizations, and to service providers to such bodies.
When you use an accessibility app, like accessWidget, you ensure your site complies with these laws.
People with disabilities are often forgotten when it comes to the online business world. However, they are some of our most important audiences because they rely on our products and services the most. I am excited to join the accessiBE community to grow my skills and advocate for a digital future that includes everyone!
Are you interested in learning more? Check out: https://accessibe.com/
#AccessibleWeb #InclusiveDesign #WebAccessibility #EqualAccess #DigitalInclusion #AccessibleUX
