The information presented within this guide is aimed at website owners seeking to learn the ropes of web accessibility and to create a more inclusive online environment for people with disabilities. Technical elements are described in layman’s terms, and, as a rule, all topics pertaining to the legalities of web accessibility are presented in as simplified a manner as possible. This blog has no legal bearing, and cannot be relied on in the case of litigation.
Sometimes it can be hard to try and sell add-on features to clients.
This isn’t the case with web accessibility.
With website owners in constant search for new audiences to branch out to, web accessibility tools are exactly what they will need.
When you set your client up to welcome members of the various disability communities (a group consisting of more than 28% adult Americans), they will be able to attract new business opportunities and position themselves as socially conscious businesses.
You will also help them comply with important web accessibility laws, like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which may apply to them (whether they know it or not).
First up: What is web accessibility?
There is a critical need to ensure people with disabilities are presented with equal access to digital environments. The vast majority of websites are either fully or partially inaccessible to people with various disabilities, cutting them off from reaching essential goods, services, and information.
When looking to present a more inclusive and inviting online presence, as well as comply with web accessibility legislation (which we will detail in a moment), you will need to ensure your client’s website conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), WCAG is the most prominent set of web accessibility standards in the world, and also serves as the foundation for many web accessibility laws around the world.
At its core, WCAG is based upon four guiding principles:
- Perceivable: People should be able to perceive content appearing on your website through their senses of sight, sound, and touch
- Operable: Website visitors need to be able to operate a website regardless of ability
- Understandable: Information and operation of the user interface must be understandable
- Robust: Content must be robust enough to work with current and future assistive technologies
Based on these four principles, there are numerous practical criteria a website will need to meet to conform to WCAG. While the complete list is significantly longer, here are a few of the most important guidelines:
- Provide captions for live videos
- Ensure that text can be resized to 200% without loss of content or function
- Ensure your website is responsive
- Add alt text to meaningful images
- Make sure to indicate in code when the language on a web page changes
- Use clear headings and labels
- Allow for keyboard-only navigation
- Ensure compatibility with screen readers and other assistive technologies
- Ensure a high contrast between text sections and their backgrounds
- Ensure online documents (like PDFs) are fully accessible
- Ensure that when website visitors adjust text spacing, there is no loss in functionality
WCAG has a deciding impact on web accessibility, and on the web accessibility laws we will detail next. Therefore, gaining a deeper understanding of its myriad sections, versions, and conformance levels is critical for web designers looking to become experts on the topic. For more information, we recommend that you check out these articles:
So, why should your clients care about web accessibility?
1. Web accessibility generates more business
Online businesses are always keen on breaking into new markets. And while many would advise to pursue sound strategies such as hyper personalization and localization, there is a huge market section that still remains underserved.
16% of the world’s population live with some form of disability. As befits such a large group, members of the various disability communities and their families command an estimated $13 trillion in disposable income.
Yet, when it comes to engaging with online environments, people with disabilities are still largely marginalized. Only around 4% of websites are fully accessible to members of the various disability communities.
When you design your clients’ websites with accessibility in mind, you set them to attract a sizable market that boasts considerable consumption trends. And when you leverage the right tools to reach a higher level of accessibility, as well as help maintain it throughout website updates and redesigns, you empower your clients to become a business people with disabilities feel comfortable returning to.
2. Your clients likely need to comply with web accessibility laws
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the most important piece of legislation passed in the U.S. aimed at protecting people with disabilities from discrimination.
Title III of the ADA pertains to the way people with disabilities are treated in businesses labeled as ‘public accommodations', a category that includes most public-facing businesses. Under the law, reasonable accommodations need to be made so that people can properly access goods and services offered by these businesses.
Despite the law traditionally being applied to businesses’ physical domains, many U.S. courts now apply it to their online domains as well.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has repeatedly stated that websites fall under ADA requirements, and that public-facing businesses need to ensure their websites are made accessible (referencing WCAG as the standard they should adhere to).
In short: Your clients will likely need to comply with the ADA, and ensure their website is accessible. When you sell them on the idea of an accessible website, you actually showcase that you have their best interests at heart. As failing to comply with the ADA can lead to facing legal recourse, in the form of receiving a demand letter and facing ADA compliance website lawsuits, it would benefit your clients if you were to implement the necessary steps to mitigate the risk of them incurring such issues.
Important note: The ADA is hardly the only disability law that applies to websites:
- If you have clients who are federally-funded or provide services to a federally-backed organization, they need to comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Under this law, they need to ensure their website conforms to WCAG and is fully accessible
- If you have clients who are based in Ontario, Canada, they likely need to comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Under this law, they need to ensure their website conforms to WCAG and is fully accessible
- If you have European clients, they will need to comply with the European Accessibility (EAA), which is set to become enforceable sometime in 2025. Under this law, they need to ensure their website conforms to standards based on the WCAG and is fully accessible
3. Becoming accessible helps your clients showcase they are socially conscious
Modern consumers prefer supporting businesses that showcase an earnest level of social responsibility. Recent research conducted by Harvard Business School shows that 77% of consumers are driven to purchase goods and services from companies that are committed to making the world a better place. Additionally, the survey conducted during the research found that a staggering 90% of consumers are likely to switch to brands supporting a good cause.
While web accessibility presents ample business opportunities (and is also a legal requirement in many jurisdictions), it most definitely falls under the category of doing the right thing.
When you set your clients up so that their website is accessible, you help them present themselves as a revenue and value-driven business. This allows them to attract socially conscious modern consumers, who prioritize such matters when considering whether to make a purchase.
4. Web accessibility is the right thing for online businesses to do in 2024
Members of the various disability communities - a group consisting of 28.7% of adult Americans - are discriminated against when engaging with online environments. Just like there is a wide-spread understanding that ramps, accessible bathrooms and aisles, and reserved parking spaces are not a ‘nice to have’ but, rather, a moral imperative, there should be a similar consensus regarding online accessibility.
When your clients embark on their web accessibility journey, they essentially become early adopters to what is destined to become a widespread trend. This will help them position themselves as a pioneer of online business accessibility, and allow them to (rightfully) boast of being an inclusive, and welcoming brand.
So, what’s next?
If you are a web designer looking to help your clients attract new customers by presenting an accessible website, you can actually earn money yourself by joining accessiBe’s Partner program.
accessiBe offers a number of AI-driven accessibility solutions that designers can easily install on their clients’ sites. accessWidget, for example, will run an automated test of your client’s website, identifying accessibility issues and remediating them quickly and efficiently.
Members of accessiBe’s Partner Program receive a 20% commission for every client website they install accessWidget on.
What’s cool about accessWidget is that it will also present a user interface through which visitors to your client’s website can adjust design and UI elements to fit their unique needs.
Interested in learning more about accessiBe’s Partner Program? Press here.
