Why Must Websites Adhere to the Accessibility Testing Guidelines?
What an amazing world it would be if everything became inclusive to all! This is where the accessibility testing companies come into play!
Garnering to every consumer
is a company’s responsibility. But, not every organization takes up that
responsibility. Therefore, governments have made it necessary for every website
to adhere to the WCAG 2.0, Section 508, ADA and AODA guidelines.
All these guidelines have
been formed and restructured, suiting the needs of people with disabilities.
Let's take a look at what these guidelines root for!
4 Basic Guidelines
for Accessibility Testing
WCAG 2.0
The WCAG 2.0 guidelines
define how to make web content accessible to people with disabilities.
Accessibility includes a wide range of disabilities like visual, speech,
auditory, cognitive, learning, neurological and language disabilities.
The WCAG 2.0 is based on
four major principles:
1. Perceivable
2. Operable
3. Understandable
4. Robust
Section 508
Section 508 mandates
electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained or used
by the federal government must be accessible to people with disabilities.
Though the guideline states
the federal government, Section 508 doesn't limit to federal agencies. Every
digital company and company catering to the audience via the internet must have
content inclusive to all.
ADA
Often confused with Section
508, ADA stands for Americans
with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design. The ADA compliance was
enacted to help people with disabilities facing discrimination.
If you want to make your site ADA
complaint follow these steps:
·
Enable keyboard
navigation
·
Use alt text for
images
·
Provide alternatives
to audio and video content
·
Simply the
visuals on the website
·
Adjust or
eliminate time-constrained elements
AODA
The AODA or Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act ensures to remove, prevent and
identify barriers for people with disabilities.
Accessibility testing companies check for AODA compliance using:
·
Alt text for
image content
·
Video captions
and subtitles
·
Keyboard controls
·
Colour contrast
and several other ways.
What Must Website
Adhere to Accessibility Testing Solutions?
Avoid Legal
Complications
Any company that doesn't adhere to the
accessibility guidelines has a high chance of facing lawsuits against them.
People with disability have the power and
authority to file a lawsuit against any company that doesn’t comply with the
accessibility standards.
Did you know that even Dominos was under a
lawsuit because a disabled user had difficulty navigating the website?
Reach a Wider Target
Audience
Half of the world’s population suffers from
some form of disability. Imagine the amount of traffic you'll have if your
website can cater to everyone's needs!
With an accessible website, companies can
expand their business to a broader audience and improve sales.
Overall Improvement
in Website Performance
An accessible website isn't just helpful to
people with disabilities. The ordinary people too have a benefit. Accessibility
features help every user navigate the website smoothly. Moreover, subtitles and
captions in videos are helpful for ordinary people as well.
Moral Responsibility
Despite the factors mentioned earlier,
companies must take accessibilitytesting solutions seriously because it is their moral responsibility as
well.
How far have we come if we cannot utilize
technology to benefit people with disabilities?
The benefit of the company, its sales and
conversions are one thing. But, it is the moral responsibility of the companies
to satisfy every customer’s need.
Their responsibility is to make sure that
their customer of any caste, creed, color or disability can hover into their
websites freely.
Final Words
Accessibility is an essential feature of every
website in the modern day. If companies want to cater to a broader audience and
ensure better navigation, complying with the accessibility guidelines is one of
the primary ways!
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