Doing work on the backend can save you time in the long run, especially when creating an accessible online presence.
An estimated 61 million adults in the United States live with a disability (5.9% are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing, 4.6% have a vision disability with blindness or serious difficulty seeing) and 90% of websites are labeled as inaccessible to people with disabilities who rely on assistive technology. To ensure compliance, web developers must do serious work in the early site development stages to ensure compliance.
By doing the work to facilitate a user-friendly and accessible experience, you keep your audience engaged while avoiding pricey lawsuits. Hosting an accessible website broadens your potential customer base while staying in accordance with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) regulations.
What to Consider
For things to run efficiently, there needs to be a plan put in place for website functionality and page layout.
Start by choosing a content management system (CMS) that supports accessibility. Whichever CMS you choose will be an integral part of your website since it’s how you will get information onto your website to build the platform.
Whether you choose Brightspot, WordPress, Squarespace, or another site, you want to make sure it allows you to select an accessible theme/template and allows the sections of accessible options for modules, plugins, or widgets.
Once your CMS is selected, you want to focus on the website's layout. From font choice to color contrast, these are major factors in attracting your audience and staying in compliance with accessibility standards.
The best bet is to choose simple, sans serif fonts, keep the contrast level at least 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for larger text, and avoid relying on color to convey meaning. These are key factors in keeping the design visual-friendly.
Users should also be able to customize their experience without breaking the page layout. Having an alternative style sheet is necessary to make this happen. For example, users should be able to enlarge text up to 200% without impacting usability.
Another accessibility point for functionality is ensuring all users can easily navigate the site. Many blind and visually impaired users use support assistive devices instead of a mouse. The website should feature keyboard navigators for users with Braille keyboards.
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