Accessibility For Your Website
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is developed through the W3C process in cooperation with individuals and organizations around the world, with a goal of providing a single shared standard for web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally. This is the standard for accessibility when online.
Here is a quick guide from Shopify outlining these standards. They cover: (1) Text accessibility (2) Alternative text for images (3) Slideshow and video accessibility and (4) Keyboard support. The document also provides resources for adhering to these guidelines.
ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENTS:
Accessibility statements are important for several reasons:
Show your users that you care about accessibility and about them
Provide them with information about the accessibility of your content
Demonstrate commitment to accessibility, and to social responsibility
In some situations, you may be required to provide an accessibility statement, such as public bodies in countries that implement the EU Web Accessibility Directive . The W3C list of Web Accessibility Laws & Policies can help you identify policies applicable to you.
Accessibility statements should contain at least the following:
A commitment to accessibility for people with disabilities
The accessibility standard applied, such as WCAG 2.1
Contact information in case users encounter problems
It is also advisable to include the following information:
Any known limitations, to avoid frustration of your users
Measures taken by your organization to ensure accessibility
Technical prerequisites, such as supported web browsers
Environments in which the content has been tested to work
References to applicable national or local laws and policies
Note that in some situations you may be required to provide particular content in your accessibility statements.
Generating your accessibility statement
The W3C has provided an accessibility statement generator to get you started. You can choose what level of accessibility standards you’d like your business state you adhere to. It also will guide you through what exactly you need to adhere to. Here is an example of the minimum accessibility policy.
To test your site’s accessibility:
The W3C has outlined a list of resources to check your site’s different accessibility needs. We recommend running through the tools and seeing where your site needs improvement.