In 1997, the White House collaborated with World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to develop The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) was created as a means of assisting in the improvement of website accessibility for those with disabilities. The WAI is applicable to all categories of impaired people, including the aging population.
The WAI aims to improve online accessibility for anyone with speech, hearing, cognitive, neurological, physical, and visual difficulties. What the group refers to as "inclusive design" is primarily responsible for achieving this. These characteristics include some of the following:
Keyboard Compatibility
Large Fonts for Links
Clear Layout and Design
Customizable Text
Buttons and Controls
Text-to-Speech
Voice Recognition
Understandable Content
Colors with Good Contrast
Notifications and Feedback
Video Captions
Web content, software, and authoring tools are some of the resources that designers and developers may use to build a website that's accessible to everyone including those with disabilities.
Guidelines for Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) and Web Content Accessibility (WCAG)
WAI's efforts resulted in recommendations that developers, designers, and other IT professionals should utilize on a daily basis. WCAG and WAI-ARIA have been two of the most widely utilized standards and applications.
A standard for online accessibility is called the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG was developed with the aim of harmonizing accessibility standards and clearly defining technical norms. The following are the four principles (P.O.U.R. ):
Perceivable
Individuals should be able to recognize material and aspects using their senses. For instance, if a website's navigation varies from page to page, users will need to re-learn it, which will not be a pleasant experience.
Operable
Users should be able to operate the page's buttons, controls, navigation, and other interactive features with ease. As an illustration, websites should be keyboard-operable and have the same navigational features as those available when a mouse is used.
Understandable
People should be able to understand the information on your website and take something away from it. Giving the reader a definition of acronyms or jargon is one way to do this.
Robust
Websites should be accessible across a wide range of technologies. For instance, websites have to be usable by a variety of browsers and screen readers.
Success requirements for each WCAG guideline are divided into three categories: A, AA, and AAA. AAA is often only used for specialized audiences, whereas AA is regarded as the best kind of assistance.
Rich Internet Application Accessibility
In order to provide an accessible experience for specially coded interactive activities, WAI also developed the WAI-ARIA standard or Accessible Rich Internet Applications. For instance, WAI-ARIA offers advice on how to develop user interface elements and dynamic content that are accessible.
For instance, ARIA may assist developers in breaking up the website into sections, much like a table of contents in a book, to make it simpler for users to traverse. ARIA specifies how assistive technology should operate. Websites may be made accessible to all users with the aid of WAI-ARIA guidelines and principles.
How To Start With Web Accessibility: Guidelines & Tutorials
In order to help designers, authors, and developers better incorporate Web accessibility, WAI offers several well-written, role-based materials. These include coding, creating and presenting material, markup, and graphic and user interface design. Visit Tips for Getting Started with Web Accessibility to find these resources.
Additionally, WAI offers a list of "Easy Checks" for Web accessibility, most of which may be incorporated with little effort. Examples include meaningful page headers, headings that are well-coded, improved contrast ratios, and form components that are clearly identified.
Why Should You As A Marketer Invest In Web Accessibility?
Web accessibility is more crucial than ever because of our aging population as well as the amazing potential of technology to level the playing field for individuals with all impairments.
An agency or institution's ability to provide a more inclusive Web experience for all users is increasingly seen as a wise financial investment that will pay off in a number of ways, including increased customer base, increased employee productivity and retention, lowered risk of legal action, improved search engine optimization, and improved public relations.
The difficulties in making the Web more accessible frequently have less to do with technological barriers and more to do with raising awareness of disability.
SO, WHERE DO YOU FIND THIS PARTNER?
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