Making your website ADA compliant is important for two reasons. First, it’s the right thing to do. All businesses should make sure that their websites are accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. Second, it’s good business. Millions of potential customers out there can’t use most websites because they aren’t accessible to people with disabilities. Making your website ADA compliant by using tools like accessiBe and others will open up your business to a whole new group of potential customers.
You need to do a few things to make your website ADA compliant. In this article, we will go over nine of them.
- Use Accessible Design Principles
Accessible design principles ensure that your website is easy to use for everyone, including people with disabilities. Some of the most important accessible design principles are:
– Use clear and simple language
– Make text big and easy to read
– Use images that are described with text
– Use headings and lists
– Make sure your website works with a screen reader
- Use Alt Text For All Images
Alt-text is the text that appears in place of an image if the image can’t be displayed. It’s important to use alt text for all images on your website, even if the image is decorative. Some people with disabilities use screen readers, which read the alt text to them.
- Use Descriptive Links
Links should be descriptive so that people with disabilities can understand where they’re going when they click on them. For example, a link that says “click here” is not as descriptive as a link that says “learn more about accessible design.”
- Use Accessible Form Fields
Form fields should be easy for everyone, including people with disabilities. Some tips for making form fields accessible are:
– Use clear and simple language
– Make text big and easy to read
– Use radio buttons instead of checkboxes
– Use drop-down menus instead of text boxes
- Use Accessible Buttons
Buttons should be easy to use for everyone, including people with disabilities. Some tips for making buttons accessible are:
– Use clear and simple language
– Make text big and easy to read
– Use buttons instead of links
- Make Sure Your Website Is Mobile Friendly
A website that is not mobile-friendly is not accessible to people with disabilities. On the other hand, a mobile-friendly website can be used on mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets.
- Use an Accessibility Plugin
An accessibility plugin is a piece of software that helps you make your website accessible to people with disabilities. There are many different accessibility plugins, and they all have different features. Some of the most popular accessibility plugins are:
– AccessiBe
– A11yfy
– Siteimprove Accessibility
- Use an Accessibility Statement
An accessibility statement is a document that outlines your commitment to making your website accessible to people with disabilities. It should include information about what you’re doing to make your website accessible and how people can contact you if they have questions or need assistance.
- Test Your Website With Different Assistive Technologies
Different people with disabilities use different assistive technologies. It’s important to test your website with different assistive technologies to make it accessible to everyone. Some of the most popular assistive technologies are:
– Screen readers
– Magnifiers
– Text to speech software
Final thoughts
Making your website ADA compliant is important because it’s the law and because it’s the right thing to do. By using the tips in this article, you can make sure that your website is accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities.
