Web accessibility: what it is and why it’s important for business

If you could make some simple changes to your website that would benefit more than one fourth of your visitors, would you do it? No-brainer, right? According to the CDC, 26 percent of U.S. adults have some type of disability, and many of those disabilities impact how people interact with digital content. By implementing best practices for web accessibility, organizations can offer a better user experience to people with disabilities — and realize additional benefits that can positively impact their bottom line.

What is web accessibility?

Simply put, web accessibility is a quality of a website or app that makes it easy for people with disabilities to use. Just like wheelchair ramps and Braille signage help some folks enter, navigate, and use physical spaces, accessibility best practices help those with disabilities to interact with digital properties.

What does web accessibility require?

From a regulatory and compliance perspective, most accessibility discussions center around Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which “prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the activities of places of public accommodations.” Exactly how this rule applies to digital properties is still being debated. Most recently (Robles v. Domino’s Pizza, LLC), a circuit court affirmed that the ADA does apply to websites and mobile apps that connect customers with the goods and services of places of public accommodations.

In terms of practical guidance for making websites and apps accessible, the widely accepted gold standard is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium developed WCAG with the goal of creating a shared standard for web content accessibility that can serve individuals, organizations, and governments around the world.

It’s important to remember that accessibility encompasses all disabilities that can impact a user’s ability to interact with digital properties, including visual, auditory, speech, cognitive, neurological, and physical.

For examples of best practices to accommodate each of these areas, and more on the importance of web accessibility, read the full article here: https://www.logic2020.com/insight/web-accessibility-why-important-for-business?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=insight_2021_10_26