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How to Create an Accessible Website (A Complete Guideline)

ByMahbub Osmane
How to Create an Accessible Website

Table of Content

Learn how to create an accessible website with actionable tips for better inclusivity. Boost usability and reach a wider audience. Start now

  • Introduction
  • What is an Accessible Website?
  • Why make a website accessible?
  • What Are Web Accessibility Standards?
  • Who Manages And Enforces Website Accessibility Rules And Laws?
  • What are the four principles of web accessibility?
  • How to Create an Accessible Website
  • How to make your website accessible checklist
  • How to check your web accessibility
  • Conclusion

Creating an accessible website is no longer just an option—it is a necessity. By making your website accessible, you ensure inclusivity for users of all abilities, foster a better user experience, and comply with global accessibility laws and standards. This guide explores the critical components of web accessibility, actionable strategies to implement, and why it matters for your business.

What is an Accessible Website?

An accessible website is designed to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities, can navigate, interact, and understand its content without barriers. It accommodates various needs by adhering to principles of inclusivity and usability.

Key Features of an Accessible Website:

  • Keyboard Navigation: Fully operable via keyboard, without requiring a mouse.
  • Screen Reader Compatibility: Content is structured with semantic HTML for assistive technologies.
  • Alt Text for Images: Descriptive text for images to aid visually impaired users.
  • Contrast and Color Accessibility: High-contrast color schemes and non-reliance on color alone for conveying information.
  • Scalable Text: Resizable text without breaking layout or readability.
  • Clear Structure: Logical headings, lists, and landmarks for easy navigation.
  • Accessible Forms: Labels, instructions, and error handling optimized for all users.
  • Video and Audio Features: Captions, transcripts, and controls for multimedia content.
  • Responsive Design: Works on all devices and screen sizes.
  • Error Prevention: User-friendly error messages and the ability to undo actions.

Why Make a Website Accessible?

Creating an accessible website is not just a technical requirement; it’s a commitment to inclusivity, user experience, and business growth. Here’s why accessibility matters:

Inclusivity

An accessible website ensures equal access to information and services for all users, including those with disabilities. By removing barriers, you provide everyone the opportunity to engage with your content, products, or services, fostering a sense of equality and respect.

Improved User Experience

Accessibility features, like easy navigation, readable content, and clear visual design, enhance the user experience for everyone, not just people with disabilities. For instance, captions on videos help users in noisy environments, and well-structured content benefits users on all devices.

Legal Compliance

Adhering to accessibility standards, such as the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), protects businesses from potential lawsuits or penalties. Compliance demonstrates social responsibility and ensures your website meets regulatory requirements.

SEO Benefits

Accessible websites often have cleaner code, better semantic structuring, and optimized content, which search engines favor. Features like alt text for images and clear headings improve search engine rankings, driving more traffic to your site.

Broader Audience Reach

An accessible website expands your audience by including people with disabilities, older adults, and anyone needing adaptive features. By catering to diverse needs, your site becomes more inclusive and inviting, which can lead to higher engagement and customer loyalty.

What Are Web Accessibility Standards?

Web accessibility standards are a set of guidelines, principles, and best practices that ensure digital content is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. These standards are developed to make websites, applications, and other digital platforms usable for individuals with varying needs, such as visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments.

The most widely recognized and adopted standards are the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines define how to make web content more perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for diverse users.

WCAG Levels of Conformance

WCAG standards are categorized into three levels of conformance, each representing a progressively higher degree of accessibility:

Level A (Minimal Accessibility):

  • Focuses on addressing basic accessibility barriers.
  • Targets essential requirements, ensuring that no user is entirely excluded.
  • Examples: Adding alt text for images, ensuring keyboard navigation, and avoiding content that flashes more than three times per second (to prevent seizures).

Level AA (Ideal Accessibility):

  • Addresses the most common barriers that hinder users with disabilities.
  • This is the most commonly adopted target level for organizations aiming for an inclusive web experience.
  • Examples: Maintaining a 4.5:1 contrast ratio for text and background, providing clear labels for forms, and ensuring responsive design for multiple devices.

Level AAA (Enhanced Accessibility):

  • Represents the highest level of accessibility and goes beyond typical user needs.
  • Aims to accommodate users with a wider range of disabilities, offering an exceptional user experience.
  • Examples: Providing sign language interpretations for multimedia, offering expanded text alternatives, and ensuring no restrictions on text scaling.

Why Are These Standards Important?

  • Legal Compliance: Many countries have adopted accessibility standards into their laws, making WCAG compliance mandatory for certain organizations.
  • Inclusivity: Ensures that everyone, regardless of ability, can interact with your content.
  • User Experience: Enhances usability for all users, including those without disabilities (e.g., people using mobile devices or slow internet connections).
  • Reputation: Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social responsibility.

By adhering to web accessibility standards, organizations can create digital spaces that are not only compliant but also welcoming and usable for a broader audience.

Who Manages and Enforces Website Accessibility Rules and Laws?

Website accessibility is governed and enforced by various organizations, governments, and international bodies worldwide. These entities ensure that digital content is accessible to individuals with disabilities and aligns with legal and technical standards. Here’s an elaboration on their roles and responsibilities:

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

Role: The W3C is an international organization that develops web standards, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These guidelines serve as the global benchmark for creating accessible websites.

Key Contribution: W3C’s WCAG provides a detailed framework for accessibility practices, covering principles like perceivability, operability, understandability, and robustness.

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)

Role: The DOJ enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which mandates that websites of businesses, government agencies, and other organizations must be accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Key Actions: The DOJ investigates complaints, resolves accessibility-related disputes, and ensures compliance through fines, litigation, or settlements.

European Union (EU)

Role: The EU implements and enforces the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which requires digital services and products, including websites, to meet specific accessibility standards.

Key Actions: Member states must adopt these directives into their national laws, ensuring consistent enforcement across the EU.

International Organizations

Role: Many international bodies promote accessibility laws tailored to their regions. For example:

  • Canada: Enforces the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) to remove barriers in digital content.
  • Australia: Implements the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) to ensure web accessibility.
  • Japan: Applies the JIS X 8341 standards for accessibility compliance.

Key Actions: These organizations adapt global standards like WCAG to local needs while ensuring compliance through regulations and audits.

Local and Regional Governments

Role: In addition to national-level enforcement, many states, provinces, or municipalities have their own accessibility laws. For instance:

  • In the U.S., Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act mandates accessibility for federal agencies.
  • In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 enforces web accessibility for businesses and public services.

Key Actions: They often collaborate with other entities to monitor compliance and provide training or resources for organizations.

Non-Governmental Advocacy Groups

Role: Various advocacy groups and accessibility experts work to promote and ensure adherence to accessibility standards.

Examples:

  • WebAIM: Provides resources and training to improve web accessibility.
  • National Federation of the Blind (NFB): Advocates for accessibility improvements in technology and digital platforms.

Ready to Make Your Website Accessible?

Accessibility is more than a compliance requirement; it is a business opportunity. Let ByteCodeIT help you create a website that works for everyone.

Contact us today:

  • WhatsApp: +966549485900
  • Direct Call: +447380127019
  • Email: info@bytecodeit.com
  • Website: www.bytecodeit.com

What are the POUR Principles of Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility is guided by the POUR principles, ensuring websites are usable by people with disabilities. Each principle addresses a critical aspect of making digital content accessible and user-friendly.

Perceivable

Users must be able to perceive the information presented, regardless of their sensory abilities.

Key Aspects:

Text Alternatives: Provide text for non-text content (e.g., images, videos) through alt text, transcripts, and captions.

Adaptable Content: Ensure content can be presented in different ways without losing information (e.g., a screen reader).

Distinguishable: Use sufficient color contrast and enable text resizing for readability. Avoid relying solely on sensory characteristics like color or sound to convey information.

Operable

Users must be able to operate the website’s interface, regardless of their physical abilities or input methods.

Key Aspects:

Keyboard Accessibility: Ensure all functionality can be accessed using a keyboard.

Navigation Assistance: Provide clear navigation mechanisms like headings, landmarks, and skip links.

Timing Controls: Allow users to pause, stop, or adjust time-sensitive content like slideshows.

Avoid Seizures: Design content to avoid flashing or blinking elements that could trigger seizures.

Understandable

Content and interface functionality must be easy to comprehend for all users.

Key Aspects:

Readable Text: Use clear, simple language and provide explanations for complex terms.

Predictable Behavior: Maintain consistent navigation and design patterns across the website.

Input Assistance: Offer error messages, instructions, and suggestions for correcting input errors.

Robust

Content must be robust enough to work with a wide range of technologies, including current and future assistive tools.

Key Aspects:

Standards Compliance: Use clean, semantic HTML and follow accessibility standards like WCAG.

Compatible with Assistive Technologies: Ensure content can be interpreted reliably by screen readers, voice recognition software, and other tools.

Future-Proof Design: Design with flexibility to adapt to emerging technologies.

How to Create an Accessible Website

Creating an accessible website involves thoughtful design, implementation of inclusive features, and regular testing. Below are essential steps to ensure your site is accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities.

Design with Accessibility in Mind

When designing your website, keep accessibility in mind from the beginning.

  • Use Sufficient Color Contrast: Ensure that text stands out against the background with a high contrast ratio to assist users with visual impairments, including color blindness.
  • Design for Keyboard-Only Navigation: Make sure that all interactive elements like links, buttons, and form fields are accessible using only a keyboard (i.e., through tab navigation).
  • Ensure Responsive Design: Your website should adjust seamlessly to different screen sizes and devices, providing a consistent experience across desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.

Provide Alternative Text for Images

Alternative text helps screen reader users understand non-text content.

  • Add Descriptive Alt Text: For each image, provide a descriptive text alternative (alt text) that conveys the image’s purpose and meaning.
  • Use Captions for Videos: Provide captions for videos and transcripts for audio content. This ensures users who are deaf or hard of hearing can understand the media.
  • Use Audio Descriptions: For visual-heavy content like videos, provide audio descriptions for users who cannot see the images or actions clearly.

Use Semantic HTML

Semantic HTML ensures that content is structured logically and is easily interpretable by both browsers and assistive technologies.

  • Proper Heading Structure (H1, H2, etc.): Use headings correctly to organize content hierarchically. This helps screen readers provide users with a logical structure and easier navigation.
  • Appropriate Use of Lists and Tables: Lists should be used for grouping related items, and tables should be used for data, not layout. Always use <th> for table headers to ensure they’re correctly read by screen readers.

Enable Keyboard Accessibility

All website elements should be accessible via keyboard navigation.

  • Ensure All Interactive Elements Are Accessible via Keyboard: Links, buttons, form fields, and other controls should be navigable and operable through the keyboard (using the Tab key, for example).
  • Use ARIA Landmarks and Roles: Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) provide extra information to assistive technologies. Use landmarks (e.g., <header>, <main>, <nav>) and roles (e.g., “button”, “navigation”) to enhance the user experience.

Optimize for Screen Readers

Make sure your website is compatible with screen readers, which are crucial tools for users with visual impairments.

  • Add ARIA Labels and Roles: ARIA labels help screen readers identify elements. For example, use aria-label=”Search” for a search bar button.
  • Avoid Vague Link Texts: Instead of using generic link text like “Click here,” use descriptive text like “Read more about our products” to provide context to screen reader users.

Simplify Forms

Forms must be easy to navigate and understand, especially for users with disabilities.

  • Provide Clear Labels and Instructions: Ensure that each form field has an associated label that explains its purpose. Instructions should be clear and concise.
  • Use Accessible Error Notifications: If a user makes an error in a form, notify them with specific, understandable error messages (e.g., “Please enter a valid email address” instead of “Error”).

Test Regularly

Regular testing is essential to maintain accessibility standards.

  • Perform Usability Testing with People with Disabilities: Involve users with disabilities in usability tests to ensure that your site is navigable and functional for them.
  • Use Automated Tools to Check for Accessibility Errors: There are various accessibility audit tools (like WAVE or Lighthouse) that can help identify common issues such as missing alt text, contrast problems, or keyboard navigation errors.

Website Accessibility Checklist

Text Content

  • Use clear and simple language.
  • Add descriptive alt text for images.
  • Provide captions and transcripts for videos.
  • Ensure headings are structured hierarchically (H1, H2, H3).

Navigation

  • Ensure full keyboard navigation functionality.
  • Provide a clear and consistent navigation structure.
  • Add skip navigation links for screen reader users.
  • Use focus indicators for interactive elements.

Design and Layout

  • Maintain sufficient color contrast (4.5:1 for text, 3:1 for large text).
  • Avoid using color alone to convey information.
  • Ensure responsive design for all devices and screen sizes.

Forms and Input Fields

  • Add clear, descriptive labels for all form fields.
  • Provide error messages and guidance for form corrections.
  • Ensure form fields are accessible via keyboard.

Multimedia

  • Provide closed captions and subtitles for videos.
  • Offer audio descriptions for essential visual elements.
  • Include playback controls for all media players.

Code and Structure

  • Use semantic HTML elements for content structure.
  • Avoid using tables for layout purposes.
  • Ensure ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles are used appropriately.
  • Validate code against WCAG standards.

Testing and Evaluation

  • Test with screen readers (e.g., NVDA, JAWS).
  • Check keyboard accessibility across the site.
  • Use automated tools like WAVE, Axe, or Lighthouse.
  • Conduct usability testing with people with disabilities.

Compliance

  • Align with WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.
  • Regularly audit the site for accessibility improvements.
  • Provide an accessibility statement on your website.

How to Check Your Web Accessibility

Ensuring your website is accessible involves a combination of methods, tools, and approaches to identify and address barriers for users with disabilities. Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

Manual Testing

Manual testing helps identify accessibility issues by simulating user experiences.

Steps to Perform Manual Testing:

  • Keyboard Navigation: Navigate the site using only a keyboard (e.g., Tab, Enter, Spacebar, Arrow keys). Ensure all features, such as menus, forms, and buttons, are accessible without a mouse.
  • Screen Reader Testing: Test with popular screen readers like:
    • NVDA (Windows)
    • JAWS (Windows)
    • VoiceOver (Mac/iOS)
    • TalkBack (Android)
      Check how well the content is announced and whether navigation is logical.
  • Color and Contrast Check: Verify the color contrast between text and background meets accessibility standards (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text). Tools like the Color Contrast Analyzer can help.
  • Form Accessibility: Test forms for clear labels, instructions, and focus indicators. Ensure error messages are descriptive and helpful.
  • Resize Text: Zoom the page up to 200% and check if it remains functional and readable without horizontal scrolling.

Automated Tools

Automated tools provide quick insights into common accessibility issues.

Popular Accessibility Tools:

  • WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool): Highlights errors, alerts, and areas needing improvement directly on the page.
  • Axe by Deque Systems: Offers a browser extension for in-depth accessibility testing.
  • Lighthouse (Google Chrome): Part of Chrome DevTools, it generates accessibility reports with suggestions for improvement.
  • Accessibility Insights: Comprehensive testing tool for web accessibility.
  • Tenon.io: Provides detailed feedback on accessibility violations in your code.

Limitations: While automated tools are helpful, they can only detect about 30–40% of accessibility issues. Manual and user testing are still essential.

User Testing

Engaging real users with disabilities provides invaluable feedback on how accessible and usable your website truly is.

Steps to Conduct User Testing:

  • Recruit Diverse Users: Include individuals with various disabilities, such as visual, auditory, cognitive, and motor impairments.
  • Set Specific Tasks: Ask users to complete tasks like filling out a form, navigating the site, or making a purchase.
  • Gather Feedback: Record observations and feedback about usability challenges, barriers, and frustrations.
  • Iterate Improvements: Use the insights to address issues and refine your design.

WCAG Compliance Checkers

Verify that your website complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which provide a universal standard for accessibility.

Key Points to Check:

  • WCAG 2.1 Level AA Compliance: This is the recommended standard for most websites. It ensures a good balance between accessibility and practicality.
  • Validation Tools: Use services like:
    • AChecker: Evaluates web pages against WCAG standards.
    • W3C Validator: Ensures HTML and CSS code compliance with standards.
    • Siteimprove Accessibility Checker: Tests for WCAG compliance and offers detailed guidance.

Conclusion

Creating an accessible website is a critical step in making the web a more inclusive place. By following accessibility standards and incorporating best practices, you can ensure your website is usable by everyone, improve user experience, and stay compliant with legal requirements.

Transform your website into an accessibility-friendly platform with ByteCodeIT’s expertise.

  • WhatsApp: +966549485900
  • Direct Call: +447380127019
  • Email: info@bytecodeit.com
  • Website: www.bytecodeit.com

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