Accessibility

Barriers & Considerations

• Poor color contrast. People with limited vision or color blindness cannot read text if there is not enough contrast between the text and background (for example, light gray text on a light-colored background).
• Use of color alone to give information. People who are color-blind may not have access to information when that information is conveyed using only color cues because they cannot distinguish certain colors from others. Also, screen readers do not tell the user the color of text on a screen, so a person who is blind would not be able to know that color is meant to convey certain information (for example, using red text alone to show which fields are required on a form).
• Lack of text alternatives (“alt text”) on images. People who are blind will not be able to understand the content and purpose of images, such as pictures, illustrations, and charts, when no text alternative is provided. Text alternatives convey the purpose of an image, including pictures, illustrations, charts, etc.
• No captions on videos. People with hearing disabilities may not be able to understand information communicated in a video if the video does not have captions.
• Inaccessible online forms. People with disabilities may not be able to fill out, understand, and accurately submit forms without things like: 
  • Labels that screen readers can convey to their users (such as text that reads “credit card number” where that number should be entered);
  • Clear instructions; and
  • Error indicators (such as alerts telling the user a form field is missing or incorrect).
• Mouse-only navigation (lack of keyboard navigation). People with disabilities who cannot use a mouse or trackpad will not be able to access web content if they cannot navigate a website using a keyboard.

Accessibility Resources

We are so grateful for these incredible resources. Organizations like ADA.gov and Web Aim provide free resources on accessibility to help ensure that everyone is included. 

• ADA.gov - Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA
• Adobe Acrobat - Create accessible PDFs
• NVDA Screen Reader - Free, open source, globally accessible screen reader
  
• WCAG - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
  
• WAI - Web Accessibility Initiative - Tutorials on how to develop web content that is accessible to people with disabilities, and that provides a better user experience for everyone

Web Aim Resources

• WebAIM - Web Accessibility in Mind: A program of the Institute for Disability Research, Policy, and Practice
• Introduction to Web Accessibility
  
• Training
  
• WCAG 2 Checklist
  
• Monthly Newsletter
  
• Color Contrast Checker
  
• Web Accessibility for Designers
  
• WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool