Why Web Accessibility is very important for businesses?
we are pretty sure that when we say “accessibility and WCAG standards”, it at least rings a bell in your head – as it should. It’s been a hot topic recently, but sadly, it’s still not a standard. But I know that it will become a standard – and one enforced by law. It already is in some places. The Covid pandemic influenced the digital world a lot, but it also revealed real barriers that exist for a large number of people who want to navigate the web.
why Web Accessibility is important for the society
Understanding and implementing web accessibility is urgent for business leaders, elected officials, and developers alike. Because the internet shouldn’t be exclusive. It is a tool that people use in their everyday lives for banking, health, official business, shopping, dating, communication, and managing services like electricity, gas, or garbage collection.
It’s our whole world in a nutshell. A world where everyone has to be included, or it just doesn’t work – this is why WCAG applies to you, no matter which sector you work in. So what is WCAG? Shortly speaking, web content accessibility guidelines are the rules that make it possible for EVERYONE to use the Internet easily and equally.
Fad or not?
Accessibility isn’t just a short-term buzzword, but an actual requirement and a necessity. We will go deeper into this topic in a series of articles. We’ll take a look at specific aspects of WCAG, starting from understanding the problem, going through the design process, development, testing, and why it’s necessary for developers and business owners in all niches to start implementing accessibility measures in order to stay competitive on the market (and abreast of the multiplying local laws!).
It’s important to go through practical examples and projects to find ways of improving development processes that include WCAG. Officially, we say that WCAG 2.1 relates to people with auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual disabilities/impairments. But it’s not only a “them” problem. People without disabilities also find themselves in situations where they have to use the aids that WCAG provides.
we bet you’ve encountered problems with small buttons on mobile devices and wrong contrast colors. You might have wanted to watch a video on a bus without headphones, but no subtitles made it impossible. Everyone can break an arm, hurt one’s eye or have an ear inflammation – which makes them “impaired”, at least for the time being. As the “golden years” set in, everyone starts having problems with their vision to some degree. According to AFB, the American Foundation for the Blind, 15% of older adults experience impaired vision, and most people will need reading glasses after 40. If you observe your parents when they use their smartphones, you might catch a glimpse of the struggle. I know I have.
These are only a few examples, but it proves that web accessibility is a set of rules for all users of the internet – and it makes sure that no one is left out of the experience. This is important, especially for those investors, business owners, and developers who build tools that people will use and pay for – when no one is left behind, your business grows more (not to mention those pesky laws).
are cookies mandatory?
Web accessibility laws?
Yes – can pay a hefty fine for not complying with local web accessibility laws already in place in the EU, Canada, and the US, just to name a few. We will be discussing these laws and their consequences in an article that’s coming up soon. (Check out our Discord channel for more!)
You will also learn more about Web content accessibility guidelines in practice from an article that we’re already working on. Stay in touch and check back here for more content on web accessibility laws, and how they affect you. The material is in the works!
Need help with auditing your website?
Need help with the Web accessibility? Then let Intoteq develop your website, so we can construct application that are friendly for all the users equally regardless of their challenges. We are always happy to be of service!
