Tackling myths & assumptions
Accessibility is also about avoiding myths & assumptions about how & why people use the web. It may surprise you to learn that accessibility benefits everyone who uses your website, not just people who have a disability.
Some examples of the types of assumptions & mistakes that are commonly made:
- Everyone can use a mouse.
- Everyone can upgrade to the latest browser or download the required plugin
- “Blind people can’t drive, so they won’t be interested in a website about carsâ€?.
Accessibility only benefits blind
Eyesight problems & blindness are not the only forms of disability affecting people who use your website. Accessible pages work better for everyone who uses the web, not just those with a special need or limited ability. Making a site fully accessible can increase its usability dramatically.
You must provide text only pages on your site
If care is taken making your page accessible, a text only page is very rarely required. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommend that only if after best efforts your site cannot be made accessible, should you even consider providing a text only version.
The RNIB recommend against providing a text only version as much as possible, simply because being treated differently can reinforce the feeling of marginalisation that someone with a disability experiences. From a business perspective it also leads to dual maintenance of content, which is far from ideal.
I will be prosecuted if my website is not made accessible by October 2004
Not necessarily a myth in itself, but there are a number of myths surrounding it. It is important to set a couple of facts straight here.
Some confusion exists around the date of October 2004. Some people think that there is a new piece of legislation coming into force which states websites should be accessible. This is not the case. The legislation coming into force in October 2004 is in fact the final part of the act that was implemented in 1996, & applies to the accessibility of physical spaces such as buildings. In fact, your website should have been made accessible since 1996.
Although the legislation has been place since 1996, & clearly states that websites must not discriminate against people with disabilities, there has been no case brought to test how the law will be interpreted & applied.
This does not mean that you should not take your responsibilities under the act seriously. What is clear is that website owners should have already begun to implement an accessibility programme, & should be seen to be making what the act refers to as “reasonable adjustments”.
You cannot use images
Although for example, blind users cannot see your images, it would be pointless to disadvantage sighted users by not including graphics at all. In fact, graphics can enhance the accessibility of a website for people who have low levels of literacy, the elderly or children.
Adding a simple “altâ€? attribute to the image in the coding of the page can go a long way to helping your site become more accessible. The “alt” attribute can be used to insert a description of the contents of the image. This description will be read out to a blind person using a screen reader & even though they cannot see the image, they will have enough information to underst& what is going on in it.
You have to use a large font
This is not necessary at all. If you use relative font sizes, someone who has a low level of vision can resize the text to suit their needs, & therefore you do not need to use big fonts.
Red & green cannot be used
Red & green are perfectly acceptable colours to use! Just do not use them alone to convey information. For example, a timetable which makes a statement such as “All trains highlighted in red have been cancelled” relies solely on the readers ability to perceive & distinguish colour. This could be simply fixed by saying “All trains that are highlighted in red & bold have been cancelled”, that way someone who has difficulty distinguishing the colour red can look for the bold information.
Accessibility is time-consuming, expensive & very technical
Retro-fitting a site for accessibility can be all of the above, but ultimately these investments pay for themselves in terms of a greater customer base & a generally improved visitor experience. Building accessibility into the design & build of a new site is not necessarily time consuming & technical. You’ll find that it contributes to the usability of the site & cuts down on maintenance costs once the site is up & running.
Conclusion
Design for all
Accessibility is about flexibility in design. Designers need to think in terms of providing more than one way of doing things on a website, so that if a user is unable to use one method, other options are available to them.
A better web experience for everyone
Accessibility is about understanding & supporting the needs of the people who visit your website. A well-designed site will remove the barriers that may prevent people from entering & using it.
A website that is accessible will provide the same level of experience to everyone who visits it, regardless of his or her level of ability or disability.
