Have you ever found yourself squinting at your screen, trying to decipher a difficult-to-read font, or been shocked by an auto-play video firing up the second you arrived on the page? It comes as a surprise! As a hosted website, extending the courtesy of accessibility controls puts your visitor experience first and puts your brand in a more favorable light with everyone.

Does Your Current Website Meet Accessibility Standards?

Determining whether your website meets accessibility standards is relatively straightforward. If you haven’t explicitly incorporated accessibility features into your design, your site may not fully comply with these critical standards.

Website accessibility control features aren’t typically a default setting. Adding and deploying them requires planning and a strategy for implementation.

Why Website Accessibility Matters

Accessible web design opens your digital doors wide, inviting everyone in regardless of their abilities. It’s a more welcoming approach to connecting online.

Colors: Did you know that colorblindness affects a significant portion of the population? And those vibrant reds and lush greens you chose for your website? They are indiscernible to visitors with this condition. It’s like setting a lavish dinner table but forgetting to provide some of your guests with utensils.

Flash Elements: Does your website have flashy elements? While it’s true they might look cool and grab attention, for individuals with epilepsy, they could trigger seizures. Seizure-safe accessibility controls offer visitors a way to surf without this risk.

Vision Impairments: Offering accessibility controls for vision-impaired is about empowerment. Society is aging, and with that comes a need for more accessible digital spaces. Profiles for the vision impaired allow visitors to change font sizes and styles, contrast, and other controls.

Text-To-Speech Readers:  This technology is another fantastic website tool. It isn’t just for those with difficulty reading due to visual impairments. Imagine a busy parent multitasking while browsing your website or someone who enjoys audio content more than text.

ADHD-Friendly Profiles: This accessibility control empowers visitors to filter out excessive stimuli and concentrate on their needs. For example, more straightforward menus, the option to reduce or eliminate animations, and tools to adjust text sizes or background colors. By giving control to the user, they can customize the experience to their preferences and accommodate their unique focus and concentration needs.

Keyboard Navigation: For some, using a mouse or touch screen is challenging and even possible. That’s where keyboard navigation comes in. It empowers visitors to browse the site using only a keyboard. With keyboard navigation, users can tap through menus, links, and buttons without a mouse.

Cognitive Disability Profile: A cognitive disability profile makes reading and focusing on websites easier. It simplifies the layout, removing distracting elements to create a calm digital space so they can concentrate on the content.

Orientation Adjustments: Orientation adjustments give users granular control over their experience. Each feature serves a unique purpose. For example, muting volume helps those sensitive to sound, hiding images benefits users with visual processing challenges, stopping animations assists those prone to motion sensitivity, and altering the cursor improves navigation for users with motor skill difficulties.

Personalized Browsing Experiences Creates A Stronger Connection

Offering users the ability to customize their browsing experience can significantly strengthen their connection to your website. With compatible override controls that don’t interfere with your published design, you can offer visitors the option to adjust everything to their liking – from fonts and colors to text sizes.

Empowering visitors to shape their experience enhances their engagement and fosters a more profound sense of loyalty and attachment to your brand.

The ADA And Your Website

While you might think that the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) only applies to reserved parking at your favorite store, its impact stretches far beyond physical spaces – it also extends into the digital realm.

Your site should be navigable, understandable, and usable for all, regardless of physical or cognitive capabilities. It’s about removing barriers in the digital world, just as we do in the physical one, ensuring that everyone can participate fully and independently in our increasingly online society.

By aligning your website with ADA standards, you’re not only adhering to legal requirements. You are embracing a broader audience, showcasing your commitment to inclusivity and equality. It makes a powerful statement about your brand’s values and shows that you care about everyone’s user experience.

Is your website a welcoming space for everyone? If not, it’s time to make that change. Contact us to start the conversation about offering a more inclusive digital space where everyone is welcome.

Kevin McNally
Interactive Palette
Mailing: P.O. Box 1007
Fall River, MA 02722
Physical: 25 Braintree Hill Park
Braintree, MA 02184
interactivepalette.com
(781) 930-3199
sales@interactivepalette.com