AccessiBe Discusses a Few Vital Points About Making Websites More Accessible

All people using the web are not the same.  Web developers cannot assume that all individuals assessing websites created by them use the same web browser or operating system, are using a traditional monitor for output or a keyboard and mouse for input. There also can be online visitors who have low vision or are unable to see, are dyslexic, have a physical disability, are unable to hear and so on. All these aspects have to be taken into account in the process of website creation. This is where companies like AccessiBe come in. They offer valuable resources that allow developers to create accessible websites.

The ideal way to make sure that a website is orderly accessible to the web visitors is to make sure that everything present on it has Level AA conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. This would include the HTML pages, PDF documents, word documents, audio, videos, games and maps present on the website.

Web developers can go a long way toward assuring that their website is accessible by following these simple steps:

• Validating their HTML: In case the HTML has been used incorrectly, various assistive technologies may have issues in interpreting the content of the page. This can result in access problems for the discerning users.  HTML validating software can be used to check the code in this situation.
• Test with a keyboard: Web developers need to set their mouse aside once in a while and use the tab key to navigate through the web pages. They must be able to access all interactive features of the page, including buttons, controls, form fields, links and menus, as well as operate them by pressing enter, space, arrow keys or other intuitive keystrokes. In case they are not able to access some of the features of the site, then it is likely that the online portal has some accessibility problems.
• Use an accessibility checker: There are a number of free online tools available today that can check web pages for web pages for accessibility. They may scan websites for broken links, spelling errors, and accessibility problems.
• Test with users:  Web developers may test their website just by recruiting and observing users as they interact with the website. To effectively test a website for accessibility, it is important to recruit uses having diverse levels of skills and characteristics.

There are many companies present across the world today that are actively working toward the goal of providing full accessibility to people. It is always smart to work alongside such a company to create accessible online platforms and apps. AccessiBe is one such company. Their solution comprehensively examines a page to determine the right changes necessary to meet WCAG and ADA compliance. It ‘experiences’ a website like a person with disabilities would, and makes the necessary adjustments that will ensure an accessible digital experience for them.