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It is estimated that approximately one in four American adults is living with a disability, with motor dysfunction, cognitive impairment, hearing disabilities, and visual disabilities being the most common disabilities suffered by adults today. In the world, approximately one billion people are disabled. Most of these adults are online every day. These readers need accessibility features integrated into their online experience to be able to enjoy their online experience and lead and live successful and productive lives.
At the same time, today’s businesses benefit from ensuring these one billion adults can access their businesses. Businesses also benefit from providing access to features that enable the disabled to engage and function online successfully. In one study, retailers in the United Kingdom lost approximately 11.75 billion pounds when they did not offer accessibility features on their websites because their readers could not successfully complete purchases. Empower your business and your readers with these accessibility tips featured here.
Benefits of a Positive Web Experience
Services of Wi-Fi or Cellular Data are essential services to all of us, and more so for people with doctor’s appointments or regular service needs. At the same time, most countries stipulate the necessity for accessibility online. In America, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans With Disability Act (ADA) provide for the rights of equal access to an accessible web experience for disabled readers. Generally speaking, there are many benefits of a positive web experience to both website developers and their readers alike. Equal access to life experiences is now a fundamental human right for the disabled, and providing positive web experiences for them supports that.
Equal access is integral for businesses to thrive and for the successful functioning of a disabled adult. These adults often fare better when they can live online by performing paperwork for necessary functions such as grocery shopping, paying bills, and administrating their social services. Both sides win here, and the contributions to the disabled person’s life are immeasurable. A disabled adult simply performs better when they have access to the services they need, and so do the companies that serve them.
For businesses, the websites with the most accessibility features will be the most widely used. Conversely, websites with a low number of accessibility features will not be visited widely. This is going to cost businesses billions of dollars globally. Websites with more accessibility will see more return customers, will have higher traffic rankings than their competition without accessibility features and will perform better from an SEO perspective.
These websites typically perform better for a number of reasons. For the one in four Americans that live life with disabilities, there are family members and friends and social circles that care about their success. Websites with accessibility features are not only appreciated by the disabled population but by the entire population. Companies do better with it and perform worse without it.
Methods of Web Accessibility for the Disabled
Today’s technology has changed considerably since the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act made equality and accessibility necessary parts of life decades ago. There are many ways web accessibility can be accomplished.
Today, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning combined with Java-powered websites using features like overlay or sites written with new programming languages are winning the game when it comes to web accessibility. Here are the four most common features of a website that offers accessibility.
- Improved visual features like large fonts and contrasting colors
- Web overlays
- Keyboard only navigation
- Plain English and closed captioning
1. Improve Visual Features of the Website
Big colors and big fonts are clear markers of an accessible website, but there is so much more to web accessibility than that.
Websites need to develop an integrated approach to web accessibility. Focusing on only one element of it or catering to one disability is not enough. For example, visual accessibility features, hearing accessibility features, and cognitive or motor accessibility features must all be integrated into one platform.
2. Implement a Web Overlay
This is a common question: what’s an overlay? An overlay is a necessity in order to successfully use a website. Most people have used an overlay without realizing it. These include things such as a chatbot or a call to action that results in an action by the end user. Overlays make using a website easier for everybody.
3. Implement Plain English and Easy Reading Features
Plain English is another common accessibility feature that caters to every user, making a website more readable by anyone over the age of nine years old. You’ll notice the addition of closed captioning on websites or videos more frequently as well, and that these are the most widely viewed videos online.
4. Keyboard-Only Navigation
Another important accessibility feature is keyboard-only navigation, a tool that allows people with motor dysfunction or physical impairments to bypass mouse or trackpad usage and navigate a website using only a keyboard. This feature is also helpful to readers using assistive technology such as a screen reader.
Inspire Disabled Readers Today
These are just a few of the most common benefits and features that can be implemented into a fully integrated website that is accessible by all disabled readers. Businesses today can provide equal access while ensuring their websites are the most widely read in their niche by implementing web accessibility. For disabled readers, the benefits are a higher quality of life that is productive and more successful. The methods for these goals are many. Being implementing website accessibility and inspire all of your readers today.
You may also like: 6 Ways to Make Your Website More Engaging
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