“The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.”

– Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web^[1]

While four in five adult Canadians with a disability use the internet, one in five do not, which is a substantially higher figure than the general population.^[2]   Nearly 3 percent of Canadian adults with disabilities require a type of specialized software or other adaptation to access the Internet, though 70 per cent of these people reported that they did not have access to the specialized software or adaptations required.^[3] Web accessibility can be especially challenging for small companies to implement, especially if they don’t have development capacity or access to their code, which is frequently the case.

The first web accessibility guidelines were introduced in 1999, nearly a quarter century ago.  Yet, web accessibility continues to be far from universal.  Consider the implementation of cookie banners in recent years, as highlighted in a recent TEDx talk featuring advocate Clive Loseby.  While these banners were meant to enhance transparency and choice in terms of collection of browsers’ digital data and identity, they were hastily implemented such that they have effectively shut people out of nearly 95% of websites (based on a 2021 study). Loseby notes that someone encountering a website that said “This website is designed for white people only; follow this link to confirm that you are white” would rightly cause an uproar.^[4]

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), currently in WCAG 2.2 draft version, outline universal web accessibility benchmarks, including such elements as minimum font size, colour contrast, the use of text transcripts for audio (and vice versa), and text/audio descriptions for images, functionality with a keyboard (not just a mouse), and many other features and provisions, including for screen readers and accessible keyboard standards.  The WCAG, which also functions as an ISO standard, is underpinned by Four Principles of Accessibility, described as follows:

“Anyone who wants to use the Web must have content that is:

• • Perceivable – Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive. This means that users must be able to perceive the information being presented (it can’t be invisible to all of their senses)
  • Operable – User interface components and navigation must be operable. This means that users must be able to operate the interface (the interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform)
  • Understandable – Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable. This means that users must be able to understand the information as well as the operation of the user interface (the content or operation cannot be beyond their understanding)
  • Robust – Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.”

This means that users must be able to access the content as technologies advance (as technologies and user agents evolve, the content should remain accessible).  If any of these are not true, users with disabilities will not be able to use the Web.”^[5]

There are a number of off-the-shelf widgets, plug-ins, and add-ons that help with accessible web design and enhanced UX.  The company accessiBe, for example, sells an accessWidget interface that allows every visitor to a website to adjust website design, UI and accessibility to their specific needs.^[6] WP Accessibility, built specifically for WordPress design, is a favourite among many who use screen readers.^[7] WP ADA Compliance Check Basic is a plug-in that checks for the latest version of WCAG compliance.^[8]

SPOTLIGHT: Video Game Accessibility