Erin Webdesign

What?

Accessibility is making sure a website follows the rules and guidelines laid out to make sure the site is available to everyone including people who are less able.

Things to check

• Provide equvelent alternatives to auditory and visual content
• Large link areas, well spaced (for people with motor skill problems)
• Dont rely on colour
• Clarify natural language usage
• Make sure pages work even when newer technologies, graphics or JavaScript are not supported
• Ensure moving, blinking, scrolling or auto updating can be disabled
• Device Independence

How?

• Transcripting
• Meta Tags
• Test site without colour or use colour blindness plug-ins
• Turn off JavaScript, Graphics or Flash etc and use site.
• Make sure site can be used fully using only keyborad/mouse
• Test using Screen Readers, Braille Displays etc
• Use markup that facillitates pronounciation or interpretation of abbreviated or foreign text.
• Another option is to use an accessibility tester available online

Why?

• These things must be done so that your site is usable by everyone
• Because it is now law that certain accessibility guidelines are followed.

Information for this blog was taken from the W3C Website Content Accessibility Guidelines

Further information on related topics can be found at Web site testing – WHAT, HOW, WHY?