Unfortunately, the internet and the World Wide Web are among these spaces.<\/p>\n
The WCAG, which is currently in version 2.1<\/a>, has thirteen guidelines that are based on four essential principles for developers and site owners to follow. These principles are:<\/p>\n
This means that they must provide content that is easily seen and heard by users. All non-text content must have text alternatives that can be changed into other forms depending on the needs of the person with disability. Media content including videos and images must also have captions and transcriptions. Websites must also ensure that their content can be presented in multiple ways or in simple layouts without losing important information.<\/p>\n
As such, users must be able to navigate websites and find content easily. Websites must provide support for alternative navigation and be fully navigable using the keyboard. They must also provide users enough time to read and browse the site. Websites must also not contain design components that can trigger seizures or physical reactions.<\/p>\n
Websites must use simple language and provide guides or mechanisms that will help users identify the definitions of unusual words such as idioms and jargon as well as abbreviations. There must also be input assistance and labels that help users avoid and correct mistakes. Websites can also offer simplified versions of technical articles as an alternative.<\/p>\n
To accommodate different disabilities and situations that require greater accessibility functionalities, the WCAG has three levels of conformance or three levels of success criteria: A, AA, and AAA for its guidelines. Testing the success criteria involves a combination of automated testing and human evaluation. To achieve conformance, sites must at least satisfy the Level AA success criteria.<\/p>\n
Despite improvements in technology and connectivity, the internet remains largely inaccessible to people with disabilities. Most websites, for instance, aren\u2019t designed to work with assistive devices. As a result, people with disabilities may find it difficult, if not impossible, to browse the web. Fifty percent<\/a> of disabled Americans are less likely to use the internet on a daily basis than those without disabilities.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, many websites fail to comply with these standards and now risk litigation. In 2018, 2,258<\/a> web accessibility-related cases were filed in federal court. Over 95<\/a> percent of web accessibility lawsuits are settled outside of the courts where the defendant has to shoulder a plaintiff cost and must remediate their website. Most companies are given two years to fix accessibility issues and make their sites achieve WCAG Level AA standards.<\/p>\n
Adhering to the WCAG has its challenges. Site owners must screen every element of their site pages to identify the accessibility issues that must be fixed. Performing this manually can be a laborious task. In addition, remediation will commonly involve editing content and fixing design issues. It can also require adding functionalities such as navigation for alternative keyboards and built-in dictionaries. Quality assurance testing must also be done to ensure that everything runs smoothly after the modifications.<\/p>\n
Businesses that don\u2019t have the necessary technical expertise to successfully implement such changes might have to tap third-party developers and outsource their web accessibility compliance needs, leaving small businesses with meager budgets out of options.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, there are now web accessibility platforms such as accessiBe<\/a> that even leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to fully automate web accessibility remediation and help sites achieve full WCAG compliance cost-effectively.<\/p>\n
The emergence of web accessibility platforms is a welcome development for all stakeholders. With accessible, businesses now have a cost-effective solution that can help bring the internet to the underserved.<\/p>\n
While these platforms still have limitations, it can\u2019t be denied that they significantly reduce the pressure and burden that organizations face in making their sites more accessible. Of course, site owners must remain updated and aware of how those with disabilities use the web. They must see to it that they make their site content as accessible to them as possible.<\/p>\n
Regular users must also show their support for these guidelines and demand that businesses comply with the laws that are instituted by regulatory bodies. This will greatly encourage organizations to do the right thing. Ultimately, everyone\u2014businesses as well as regulatory bodies and even regular users\u2014must do their due diligence to work toward a more inclusive and accessible internet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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