Is your website accessible? If a website is not accessible to people with disabilities, it is at risk of lawsuits.

People with disabilities have the right to access information and services online just like everyone else. When a website is not accessible, it can prevent people with disabilities from being able to use it, which can be discriminatory.

What does that mean for your website and why is it important to take action?

Large-scale web audits show us that the majority of website designs violate the accessibility standards put in place by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). This means that a large number, 98% to be exact based on a  2020 Web Accessibility Annual Report, of websites are not accessible to people with disabilities.

Is your website accessible to people with disabilities?

There is no definitive answer to this question since accessibility is relative and depends on the individual. However, there are some general guidelines that can be followed to ensure that a website is accessible to as many people as possible. These include using clear and concise language, providing alt text for images, and ensuring that the website is navigable using a keyboard.

Additionally, it is important to test the website with people with disabilities to get their feedback on the design and accessibility.

If time and money do not permit to check with real people, we suggest:

1- Using an Accessibility Checker!

There are multiple free accessibility checkers, but this Accessibility Checker is a free web-based audit tool that scans your website for major legislation around the world. Example results below.

The tool shows you all the errors it finds on your website and for every error, the scanner finds you'll receive a detailed explanation about it, whom it affects, and multiple options on how to solve it. This helps get a more comprehensive view of accessibility for your website.

2 - Take an Accessibility Course!

If time does permit, we also recommend taking a course on accessibility for the web which is a great way to learn more about how to make a website accessible to people with disabilities and what steps to take to improve your website.

Free course here: https://www.w3.org/WAI/courses/foundations-course/

After your results, if you'd like to take the next steps in updating your current website design you can contact Custom Brand X to schedule your free discovery brief. Our UX Designers are trained in accessibility for the web and will walk you through the changes they can make to improve your website.