Web accessibility is defined as “websites, tools, and technologies are planned and developed so that persons with disabilities can use them.”
But when it comes to online accessibility, “disability” doesn’t mean only those who have vision or hearing impairments.
People with impairments face several barriers when online. Unfortunately, accessibility on the web is not as easy to access as one would believe. Accessing the Internet is still quite challenging for those with impairments.
See our article, 7 common barriers to web accessibility and how to overcome them. Learn more about the actual difficulties that people with impairments face.
What Kinds Of Impairments Are There?
Users’ ability to browse websites may be hampered by visual problems such color blindness, cataract, glaucoma, and blindness.
Auditory – From extreme deafness to hearing loss in old age, there is a wide spectrum of hearing impairments that may limit online accessibility.
Memory, language, reasoning, and judgement problems may all have an impact on how you navigate the web.
Physical – Physical limitations and limited mobility might make it difficult for individuals to type data or simply browse the internet.
These are only a few of the impairments that may limit a user’s ability to use the internet. Additional problems with web accessibility include temporary disabilities such as broken bones or assistive technology such as screen readers. All these change how a user interacts with the web.
Several Obstacles to Online Accessibility
Visual Obstacles
Color sensitivity and blindness are visual obstacles that might make it challenging to utilize a website. Users who are blind or visually impaired may encounter various barriers while accessing the site’s services.
Website components like photographs, content and other page elements without the appropriate replacements offer a significant obstacle. Furthermore, page orientation features that are both visible and non-visual yet lack suitable substitutes provide a more substantial problem.
Visitors to websites with visual impairments could also have trouble seeing videos if no screen reader solution is accessible. Most notably, visually impaired users may encounter a significant obstacle if the site navigation panel is too complicated.
Hearing Impairments
Due to the need for a visual alternative for visitors with hearing impairments, there are also several hearing obstacles. Some people with hearing impairments cannot distinguish speech from background noise. This barrier impacts a larger portion of society due to the expanding older population across the globe.
Auditory information without the appropriate captions or transcripts is the foremost hurdle that users with hearing impairments may encounter.
Cognitive Obstacles
People with learning difficulties face several challenges online. Complex site navigation and design are two examples of cognitive obstacles.
The site design and functional arrangement must be more straightforward for users with cognitive limitations. Online content that is unclear has to be avoided if we want to improve accessibility for those with mental illnesses.
Website proprietors should pay more attention to how the material is organized and how many sentences are in each paragraph. Anything too complicated might be a barrier for someone with this kind of handicap. Animations and extraneous website design elements may also be a barrier for those with cognitive impairments.
Physical Obstacles
The inability to guarantee keyboard control and visual alternatives are physical obstacles. Physical obstacles might include restricted muscle control, painful movement, etc.
People with physical disabilities need technology and software that help them to navigate easily. Since they spend more time typing, clicking, or engaging in any other online activity.
Obstacles to Speech
On the other hand, websites that exclusively provide voice support are examples of speech barriers. Additionally, websites with voice recognition software and features also have speech obstacles. This indicates that owing to the volume and clarity of a speech, persons with this barrier may need help comprehending someone well.
It is also challenging to comprehend what persons with communication difficulties require. For those with this kind of handicap, email or written communication are viable alternatives.
Web Accessibility Barriers’ Effects
Being primarily created by and for users who are non-disabled, the Internet may be challenging for people with impairments to utilize. Individuals who are visually impaired have substantial difficulties using the visually-oriented Internet because they are unable to utilise information that is provided orally.
When there aren’t enough subtitles, deaf and hard-of-hearing users often have difficulties understanding audio and text without visual clues. People who are dyslexic or dyscalculic have trouble comprehending language and mathematics. Conversely, people with attention deficit disorders have difficulties concentrating and understanding information.
Just like impairments, aging causes several changes that might affect our abilities. For instance, an older person with cataracts can have challenges similar to those experienced by someone with low vision.
Why Is It Important to Remove Global Barriers to Web Accessibility?
Assume that although most people find technology to be convenient, someone with special needs may not. In this case, technology may unlock a universe of new prospects and possibilities unrestricted by any social or physical constraints.
People will be able to increase the quality of life and overall wellbeing thanks to the Internet. This suggests that everyone should have access to cutting-edge information technology, but even more crucially, everyone needs to be able to utilize them efficiently.
Thus, we must ensure that everyone has unrestricted access to the Internet without bias or discrimination. The characteristics and needs of persons with a handicap must be considered. In this regard, everyone must ensure that information made available on the Internet is comprehensible and searchable by people. With the technology of today, we have the potential to remove obstacles to online accessibility. This is the essence of accessibility.
Web accessibility has recently grown significantly in importance in the digital world. Nevertheless, less than 2% of the top a million websites are accessible.
Here are a handful of these typical obstacles, along with their corresponding fixes.
Insufficient alternative text for visual content
Alt text has minimal bearing on the content, even though many content marketers and site developers stuff it with unrelated keywords so that Google will index it as an SEO practice. Alt text was created to make images accessible to people with impairments. For blind people, screen readers utilize alt text to explain a picture.
Nowadays, most social networking platforms and content management systems provide an internal feature for adding alt text to photographs. So, getting the alt text alternative is straightforward for you.
However, finding and identifying images may be time-consuming, so you should look into remediation automation solutions to find and update any missing alt text.
Use automated accessibility testing tools with care since they will look for alt text and not determine if it is relevant. It must be verified by a human for accuracy.
Color combinations with little contrast
Some websites use low-contrast font colors for purely aesthetic reasons. However, this limits reading, especially for individuals who use tiny screens or older displays or have visual problems. It will be simpler to read your text if you change its color to one that stands out sharply from the backdrop. For example, if you choose a gray background, you must use dark text, like black or dark gray.
Video captions missing
Although audio and video bring concepts to life, they are unavailable to those with hearing or visual impairments and those with cognitive disorders like dyslexia. Deaf users may view your videos by adding captions. Blind users who use screen readers can access your content by adding transcripts. Everyone benefits from transcripts.
Lack of navigation using a keyboard
Several people have trouble using a mouse or trackpad. You must ensure that a keyboard can be used to browse your website to make it usable. The aim is to make website components keyboard focusable (so that users may choose items with the arrow keys) and eventually interactive (for example, opening a link).
Text in the wrong font
Although screen readers may help people who are blind understand your content, they are not always accurate. Screen readers may be allowed to use a suitable typeface, which improves a website’s accessibility.
When picking a font for your website, use a straightforward style. Arial, Lucida Sans, and Helvetica are a few examples. A typeface designed particularly for people with dyslexia or other visual cognitive impairments may also be used.
Heading hierarchy
A web page’s headings are essential to any website because they enable users to scan the page quickly and get the information they need. If you desire your material to rank well in search engines, you must use an appropriate heading structure. The standard heading taxonomy suggests utilizing the H1 tag to provide readers a general idea about what the page is. The individual subjects on the page are further outlined using H2>H6.
Detailed link text
When a link directs a user to another website, those with disabilities could lose context. The link’s destination page must be clear when a user clicks on it. By using descriptive link language, you may improve your content and make sure your audience knows exactly where a link will go.
Your website has to undergo a thorough accessibility audit if any of the obstacles mentioned above are present. In particular for small enterprises, this process requires a lot of time and effort. Your needs for digital accessibility can be met with help from codemantra’s accessibility services and solutions. We provide audit, consulting, training, and the development of an organization-specific accessibility policy.
Conclusion
Internet accessibility must be seen as both a social need and a technological and economic bonus in nations with high social responsibility and technological advancement standards. However, it has also developed into a feature of life’s quality to which everyone ought to have access.
The concept of usability for people with impairments, as well as the situations they run into and the environment in which they utilize the Internet, have previously been covered in this article. To do this, users, manufacturers, and service providers must collaborate.
After reading this article, website owners should better understand the precise steps they need to follow to make their sites accessible. Another excellent suggestion is to employ one of the many accessibility checks that are already available. In this manner, website owners may ensure that their site is accessible to visitors with impairments.
