In today’s digital landscape, making your website accessible to all users is not just a best practice; it’s a moral and legal imperative. Ensuring that individuals with disabilities can access and navigate your site is a fundamental step toward a more inclusive online world.
Page Structure Matters: One key aspect of digital accessibility is structuring your website pages to be easily navigable with assistive technologies.
Here are some guidelines to follow:
- Headings & Subheadings: Use semantic HTML headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to create a logical hierarchy on your page. This helps screen readers and other assistive technologies understand the content’s structure.
- Proper Labels: Ensure all form elements (input fields, buttons, etc.) have clear and concise labels. This is crucial for users who rely on screen readers to interact with your content.
- Alternative Text: Provide descriptive alt text for all images. This enables users with visual impairments to understand the context and purpose of the images on your page.
- Keyboard Navigation: Test your website’s navigation using only a keyboard. Make sure all interactive elements can be reached and used without a mouse.
- Color Contrast: Maintain a sufficient color contrast between text and background to aid users with low vision or color blindness. (Adobe Color has a great tool that can help with this!)
- Focus Styles: Ensure that interactive elements, such as links and buttons, have visible and clear focus styles to help users understand where they are on the page.
- Testing & User Feedback: Regularly test your website with real users who have disabilities and solicit their feedback to make necessary improvements.
Digital accessibility is not just about compliance; it’s about creating an inclusive digital space where everyone can participate and engage. By structuring your website pages with these principles in mind, you’re taking a step toward making the internet a better place for all.
Along with these guidelines, I added UserWay to my website to ensure that all users are able to easily read my content and navigate the site. Find more details about UserWay on my Digital Accessibility page.
