Web Accessibility Initiative
SOURCE https://www.w3.org/WAI/
I have just copied the introductory material from the W3C website for now. I am a little behind times on this topic and realize it is important to all of those with special needs. Everyone should be able to participate on the internet. I admit some of my designs probably fall short, but since I try and make my information clear for all I think I am close.
I have to spend more time reading through what I see as a lot of information and guidelines. For today I just want to raise attention to the issue with my readers. I will re-visit this post in a few weeks with an update as I learn more.
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
The World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) commitment to lead the web to its full potential includes promoting a high degree of usability for people with disabilities. The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is an initiative of the W3C.
WAI develops its work through W3C’s consensus-based process, involving different stakeholders in web accessibility. These include industry, disability organizations, government, accessibility research organizations, and more.
WAI, in partnership with organizations around the world, pursues accessibility of the web through these primary activities:
- ensuring that W3C standards support accessibility
- developing accessibility guidelines for web content and applications, browsers, and authoring tools
- developing resources to improve web accessibility evaluation processes and tools
- supporting education and outreach on web accessibility
- coordinating with research and development that may impact future accessibility of the web
- promoting harmonized international uptake of web accessibility standards
WAI
The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) develops standards and support materials to help you understand and implement accessibility.
You
You can use W3C WAI resources to make your websites, applications, and other digital creations more accessible and usable to everyone.
Help users understand what things are and how to use them.
Use icons, symbols, terms, and design patterns that are already familiar to users so that they do not have to learn new ones. People with cognitive and learning disabilities often need common behavior and design patterns. For example, use the standard convention for hyperlinks (underlined and blue for unvisited; purple for visited).
Help users find what they need.
Make navigating the system easy. Use a clear and easy-to-follow layout with visual cues, such as icons. Clear headings, boundaries, and regions also help people understand the page design.
Use clear content (text, images, and media).
This includes easy words, short sentences and blocks of text, clear images, and easy to understand video.
Help users avoid mistakes.
A good design makes errors less likely. Ask the user only for what you need! When errors occur, make it easy for the user to correct them.
Help users focus.
Avoid distracting the user from their tasks. If the user does get distracted, headings and breadcrumbs can help orientate the user and help the user restore the context when it is lost. Providing linked breadcrumbs can help the user undo mistakes.
Ensure processes do not rely on memory.
Memory barriers stop people with cognitive disabilities from using content. This includes long passwords to log in and voice menus that involve remembering a specific number or term. Make sure there is an easier option for people who need it.
Provide help and support.
This includes: making it easy to get human help. If users have difficulty sending feedback, then you will never know if they are able to use the content or when they are experiencing problems. In addition, support different ways to understand the content. Graphics, summaries of long documents, adding icons to headings and links, and alternatives for numbers are all examples of extra help and support.
Support adaptation and personalization.
People with cognitive and learning disabilities often use add-ons or extensions as assistive technology. Sometimes, extra support requires minimal effort from the user via personalization that allows the user to select preferred options from a set of alternatives. Support personalization when you can. Do not disable add-ons and extensions! Sometimes users can receive extra support through personalization.
Test with real users!
Involve people with cognitive and learning disabilities in the research, design, and development process. They’re the experts in what works for them. This includes involving people with cognitive and learning disabilities in:
- focus groups.
- usability tests, and
- the design and research team.