ALLY Web Accessibility: About Web Accessibility

Web Accessibility: The inclusive practice of removing barriers that prevent interaction with, or access to, websites by people with disabilities (webaim.org)

• This means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed for people with disabilities to use them.
• Users should have equal access to information and functionality.
  • ADA and Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibit discrimination of individuals based on their disability.
• Web Accessibility addresses the needs for users in the major disability categories
  • Visual (think about screen readers)
  • Hearing (think about closed-captioning)
  • Motor (think about keyboard or alternate inputs)
  • Cognitive (think about alternate/flexible formats)

W3C: World Wide Web Consortium develops international standards for the web.

• Accessibility is based off of the programming languages (HTML, CSS, Javascript, etc.) used to create content for the web.
• Users of assistive technologies cannot access web content equitably if the content is not accessible.

WCAG: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

• WCAG 2.0 Success criteria
  • Four principles (POUR); 12 guidelines
    • Perceivable- Content must be made available to users in a format they can perceive with their senses
    • Operable- Content must be presented in a way users can interact with or operate on it with either standard or adaptive devices
    • Understandable- Content must be presented in a way users can understand or comprehend
    • Robust- Content must be presented using technologies and interfaces robust enough to allow for disability access, whether natively or in alternative technologies and interfaces
  • Conformance levels: A, AA, AAA
  • Section 508 compliance adopted WCAG 2.0 standards at the AA conformance level. This means that the most common barriers to web accessibility are removed.
  • WCAG 2.1 includes guidelines for mobile accessibility added in June 2018.