The Imperative of Accessibility: Building an Inclusive Digital World - Part 1

Imagine this frustrating online training experience:

 Alex, a highly motivated and talented individual, is visually impaired. He is eager to expand his skill set and improve his career prospects by completing an online training program offered by a reputable company.

Alex begins the training program with high hopes and is armed with a screen reader software that assists him in accessing digital content. Unfortunately, as he logs in to the company's online learning platform, he realizes that the materials are not compatible with his assistive technology.

The company's training materials are riddled with inaccessible elements, such as unlabeled images, PDFs without proper text descriptions, and videos lacking closed captions. As Alex attempts to navigate through the content, his screen reader struggles to interpret the information correctly, leaving him feeling disoriented and frustrated.

The frustration deepens as he finds himself falling behind in the course, unable to access vital resources or complete assignments. The inaccessibility of the training materials is not just an inconvenience; it's a barrier that is holding Alex back from reaching his full potential.

This scenario is a stark reminder that accessibility is not just a matter of compliance; it's about ensuring equal opportunities for all.

With a growing population of individuals facing diverse abilities and impairments, the need to ensure equal access to information and services has never been more essential. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic put the spotlight on our increased digital reliance and has underscored the vital role of accessible technology in remote work, learning and development, teaching, and even healthcare.

When organizations embrace accessibility, they not only fulfill their legal obligations but also unlock opportunities to expand their reach, broaden their customer base, and foster innovation.

A Few Suggestions for Enhancing Accessibility

Below, you will find actionable suggestions to enhance accessibility, so you can make digital content and technology truly inclusive for all.

By implementing these strategies, you can pave the way for a more equitable and accessible online experience, positively impacting both your organization’s reputation as well as the lives of countless users.

1.      Include Alt Text Description

Alt text, short for "alternative text," is a text description added to images on a webpage. Its primary purpose is to make images accessible to users with visual impairments by providing a textual representation of the image's content or function.

Key points to remember:

• Alt text should be descriptive and concise, explaining the image's content or its purpose on the page.
• Alt text should provide enough information for a user to understand the context and significance of the image.
• If an image is purely decorative and doesn't convey meaningful content, it's best to provide an empty alt attribute to indicate that it can be ignored by screen readers.

 2.      Ensure Color Contrast

Color contrast refers to the difference in color between text and its background. Sufficient color contrast ensures that text is easily distinguishable from its background, making content more readable for users with visual impairments. Maintaining sufficient color contrast is essential for users with low vision or color blindness.

Here's how to ensure adequate color contrast:

• Follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards, which specify the required contrast ratios for text and background colors. You can download a free PDF with a list of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines here.
• Use color contrast testing tools to evaluate the contrast levels of your design. Various online tools and browser extensions are available for this purpose.

 3.      Use Readable Fonts

The choice of fonts and their legibility is crucial for ensuring that content can be easily read and comprehended by individuals with various visual impairments. When you select the right fonts and sizes, and manage line spacing, you make your content more accessible and legible to a broader audience.

Here's how to enhance font readability:

• Use fonts that are clear and easy to read. Common sans-serif fonts like Arial, Helvetica, and Verdana are good choices. Avoid fancy or decorative fonts that may be difficult to decipher.
• Consider the font size to ensure it is large enough to be comfortably read. A standard minimum font size is 12pt, but the actual size may vary depending on the font's style and the medium (i.e., print or digital).
• Adequate line spacing (line height) helps prevent text from appearing too cramped and enhances readability.

4.      Make Your PDF Documents Accessible

Creating accessible PDFs is vital to ensure that individuals with visual impairments can access and understand the content within PDF documents. Accessible PDFs are created using tools like Adobe Acrobat, which provides features for adding tags, alt text, and managing the reading order. A good practice would be to test your PDFs with screen readers to ensure they are truly accessible.

Here's how you can make PDFs more accessible:

• Use PDF tags to provide a structural hierarchy to the document. Tags identify headings, paragraphs, lists, and other elements, allowing screen readers to navigate the content more effectively.
• Utilize heading styles in your PDF document to indicate different levels of content. This provides structure and helps users with screen readers understand the document's organization.
• Remember to add alternative text (alt text) to images within the PDF (see #1 above).
• Ensure that the reading order in the PDF follows a logical sequence. This ensures that users with screen readers can comprehend the content in the intended order.

Thoughts to Consider

Remember that accessibility is an ongoing process. Regularly test, update, and seek feedback from users with disabilities to ensure your digital content and services remain accessible. By prioritizing accessibility, you can create a more inclusive and equitable digital landscape for all.

Next week, we will go over transcripts and captions, text-to-speed capability, structured content, large print versions, and how to make your webinars more accessible. We will also revisit Alex’s situation.