What is Web accessibility?

Through our SEO Agency Optimize 360

 

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L'web accessibility is a central issue in the digital world.

It aims to ensure that every Internet user can benefit from the content and services available on the web, whatever their skills or physical, cognitive, technical or environmental limitations.

So let's take a look at the main characteristics of Web accessibility in 10 key points.

 

1. Universal access to digital resources

One of the fundamental principles of Web accessibility is to enable every individualThe aim is not only to meet the needs of disabled people, but also to make it easier for all users to use the web. So the aim is not just to meet the needs of disabled people, but also to make the web easier to use for all users.

2. Taking account of different disability situations

In the field of Web accessibility, we often talk about four main types of disability:

• Visual disabilities : These include the blind, partially-sighted and people with vision problems (colour-blindness, presbyopia, etc.).
• Hearing impairment : These disabilities affect deaf and hard-of-hearing people, who may have difficulty using audio media on a computer. website.
• Motor disabilities : These disabilities affect people with motor or coordination problems, such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis or musculoskeletal disorders.
• Cognitive and neurological disabilities: These disabilities include dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders and certain degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

3. Adapting to different devices and technologies

One of the major challenges of Web accessibility is to ensure compatibility with a wide variety of web browsers.equipment (computers, smartphones, tablets, etc.) and of software (browsers, screen readers, Braille displays, voice recognition software, etc.). Users must be able to consult and interact with websites independently of their hardware and technological preferences.

4. Best practice for accessible HTML code

Compliance with certain conventions and standards when designing and building a website is essential to guaranteeing accessibility. For example, correct semantic markup in HTML (use of titles, lists, tables, etc.), the use of "alt" attributes for images and the use of skip links to make keyboard navigation easier.

5. The importance of colour contrast and font size

To make a website accessible to people with visual impairments, it is important to ensure that the content is easy to understand. sufficient contrast between the different graphic elements (text, backgrounds, images) and to offer users the possibility ofadjust font size according to their needs.

6. Text transcription and audio description

To overcome the difficulties encountered by the deaf or hard of hearing in accessing audio and audiovisual content, it is recommended that the following be made available text transcriptions (subtitles or captions) and possibly audio descriptions detailing the visual elements that are important to understand.

7. Simplifying interfaces and content

Certain cognitive limitations can make it difficult to understand and manipulate websites that are too complex or full of information. In such cases, it is advisable to adopt a simple, neat presentation, reduce the number of interactive elements and favour short, structured content.

8. The use of international standards

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) are the main reference for web accessibility. They define three levels of compliance (A, AA and AAA) and propose an exhaustive list of criteria to be met to guarantee the accessibility of websites.

9. Raising awareness and training web stakeholders

For Web accessibility to become a concern shared by all professionals in the sector (designers, developers, editors, etc.), it is essential to promote the awareness and training. Numerous online resources are available on this subject, such as the W3C tutorials and the modules offered by MOOC accessibility +.

10. Evaluation and accessibility tests

Finally, a key factor in guaranteeing the accessibility of a website is the regular carrying out ofassessments and tests with real users and automated tools. Here again, several solutions exist to ensure effective monitoring and adjust the various actions required to make a site truly accessible to all.

In short, Web accessibility represents a major ethical, social, economic and legal challenge.

It involves implementing best practice in the design, development and evaluation of websites, and raising awareness among all those involved in the digital sector.