Steps To Making A Web Site Accessible

As you are reading this article, you have probably decided to make your web site accessible for people with disabilities. You are on the right track to bringing many more visitors to your site. Now I will show you what steps you need to take to design accessible web sites, or to turn your current site into an accessible one. I will offer you suggestions to eliminate unnecessary costs and to minimize the time without compromising the level of accessibility.

Before You Begin

Accessible design starts on the blackboard. Think about accessibility implementation during the design process, before you write a line of code. However, if you already have a site which you would like to make accessible, I will offer you advice on that, too.

Before you begin, find out if your web site has to comply with any legislations, standards or regulations. For example, when you design a web based product for the U.S. Federal Government, you need to comply with the Section 508 standards.

Make sure all third party components you plan to use are accessible, can be made accessible, or the vendor/provider is willing to work with you.

If you don't have much experience with accessibility, it is always a good idea to find some information, or to take a class.

Selecting Accessibility Standards Or Guidelines

Currently, most developers favor Section 508 or the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). If you are designing a web site or web application for the U.S. government, at a minimum you have to comply with Section 508. In many other instances, you might have to use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Some countries adopted it as their accessibility standard. Currently, the WCAG is the most thorough set of guidelines, I would recommend using it regardless of the requirements. Please note that the current version of WCAG is 1.0, but the 2.0 draft is in its final stage and will become official soon. If WCAG is a requirement, the official version is 1.0, however, it is advisable to make your site conformant with 2.0, since it will not change majorly and it addresses modern technologies much better. Also, WCAG provides numerous explanations and examples to make your work easier, and resources are continuously added.

Selecting Third Party Components

Often times you can speed up your work by using components which were written by somebody else. The most common ones are the use of content management systems, widgets, database interfaces, etc. It is your responsibility to make sure that these components are accessible before you integrate them into your site. It is much harder to make components accessible after the fact, which you must do when accessibility is a requirement.

Some providers will post an accessibility notice together with their products which you can use as a starting point. However, you are also responsible to check the validity of this notice. If you find that a component is not accessible, contact the vendor or provider. It is possible that you are not the first one requesting an accessible solution from them, and they might just be on the way of writing one. If you need assistance negotiating with vendors, Even Grounds can help you do the negotiation absolutely free of charge. If the provider is not willing to make any changes for you, see if you are able to make the necessary changes. This is usually possible with open source products or widgets where the code is directly available.

The other option is to write your own code. It takes longer, but does just what you want it to do, and is as accessible as you make it.

Learn About Accessibility

If you would like to know more about accessibility, you can find plenty of free information on the web. Two of your best resources are the official Section 508 site, and the Web Accessibility Initiative site. Also, several training programs are available as well. Even Grounds can customize a training tailored to your or your organization's needs.

Save Your Money

Anywhere along the way of making your web site accessible, accessibility consultants are available to help you, including Even Grounds. It is, however, a good idea to educate yourself on accessibility, and involve consultants when you get stuck or you need somebody to double-check if you are on the right track. Among companies, it is a common practice to first train the web developers, who will make the web site accessible for the most part, so consultants are only used to straighten the rough edges.

Save Your Time, Too

Make accessibility part of your development procedure. Develop a process which you will use to ensure accessibility during the entire product life cycle. Once accessibility is a routine, it will take less time and will greatly enhance the results. It is especially useful to develop the right questions to ask during the design process, and to have test cases ensuring accessibility during the testing phase.

Let The World Know

Once your web site is accessible, let the world know about it. Not for bragging purposes, but to allow people with disabilities know that they will be able to use it. It is especially useful when you have competitors, some people might just make a decision based on how accessible is information to them. It is a common practice to post an accessibility notice on your web page, letting people know that you provide information to all. In addition, if you develop a web application, you can create a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) in which you detail how you comply with Section 508 or with any other standards or guidelines. This is much more sophisticated than an accessibility notice. Once your VPAT is prepared, you can submit it to our VPAt directory free of charge.

Conclusion

While I tried to point out the issues which could help you the most and which are often overlooked, if you still have any questions, please contact us.