The world is becoming more digital by the day. However, the digital revolution has not spared everyone equally. It has become a lot harder for less tech-savvy users to access digital technology. This poses a major challenge for businesses and developers alike because it means that many of their customers will be left behind. This is especially true as more and more people adopt new technologies like smartphones and tablets. Businesses are being forced to redesign their websites and mobile apps in order to make them accessible to all users. In this article we will explore what accessibility means, why you should care about it, and how you can begin working toward making your software accessible right away.
Why Accessibility?
We need to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to use digital technology. The most basic principle of human rights is that everyone should be able to access the things they need and want to use. This is called accessibility. Accessibility is not a choice or a luxury; it is a necessity. Users with disabilities like arthritis and vision impairments will be able to fully participate in society and enjoy the same opportunities as everyone else if they can use digital technology.
What are the three types of accessibility?
People with disabilities often face many different problems while using digital technology. Some of these may be related to physical impairments, while others may be caused by cognitive or learning disabilities. Accessibility can be defined as the ability for people to use digital technology. It is about making technology that can be used by all people, regardless of their physical, cognitive, or learning abilities.
Physical accessibility
Physical accessibility is about making devices and systems that are accessible for users with disabilities. It includes things like the availability of a wheelchair ramp or an elevator, signage that is large enough to be read by people with visual impairments, and any other barriers that prevent people from accessing a device. Designers can also include cues for people with disabilities, like color choices or enlarged text that can help people with visual impairments.
Cognitive accessibility
Cognitive accessibility is about making software that is usable by people with learning disabilities, like people with attention deficits or dyslexia. It involves making sure that the software is straightforward to understand. It also means including features that make it easier to complete tasks or find information.
How to Make your websites accessible
First, it's important to understand how accessible features can help people with disabilities. Those with disabilities often need a different set of features to be able to use digital technology. Internet browsers are a great example. Some people may need a keyboard to be able to use a browser, while others may need a screen reader to read the content because the browser doesn't read everything on the page. Many different accessibility features can be added to web browsers, like keyboard shortcuts that let you navigate more easily, reading options that let you turn off images and captions, zoom-in and out options, and voice-over options that let you speak the webpage instead of reading it.
Accessibility tooling for testing our application
There are many different accessibility tools you can use to make sure that your application is accessible. These tools can help you find areas of your application that don't meet accessibility guidelines and give you suggestions on how to fix the issues. These tools are especially helpful when you are building a new application. Many of these tools are built into modern web browsers. You should test your application using the browser that users will be using to access it.
Conclusion
Accessibility is a crucial aspect of web development. It is important to implement these features if you want to ensure that your users can use your application. With the right tools, you should be able to make your applications accessible to all users. The key to successful accessibility is planning and implementing accessibility features as early as possible. If you follow these steps, you will be well on your way to making your web applications accessible to all users. Many barriers can keep people with disabilities from accessing digital technology. Making your application accessible is one way to overcome these barriers.