With the rapid increase in digital media, the ways in which these sites are accessed is widely important in including all groups of people at the same level.
In this digital era, the inclusion of those in the disabled community oftentimes is overlooked and neglected when instilling that all parties can equally obtain access to the media at hand.
With this being a complex topic, there are simple steps that can be taken to ensure that your online presence is attainable to people with disabilities. Here are some of the most highly recommended ways for you to stay up-to-date with the current conversation of digital inclusion.
Way 1: Ensure that Images use Alt Tags. Alt tags allow screen reader and voiceover devices to describe the elements of the photo to their user. This allows users who are visually impaired to gain better access through a website by using the imagery to understand the meaning behind the image.
This simple ability is often overlooked by those who are not affected by it. However, photos used online are set with a greater intention or message. The meaning of this chart, graph, or other visual aid is lost when additional assistance is not put in place for people with disabilities.
Way 2: Make sure that Font Styles are Simple to Read Font styles often impact the ways in which a person who is visually impaired can interact with an online platform. To allow the most accessible word usage online, utilize fonts that are easy to read, large, and stand out against their background due to contrasting colors.
This allows all types of readers to receive the information at hand in the same manner. They can quickly understand the statements which they are reading in the same way as other people.
Way 3: Verify that All Videos have Subtitles and Transcripts Subtitles and transcripts are used to reiterate what is being said in a video. When used in online media, it is important to make sure that both features are utilized. These tools provide people who are Deaf and hard of hearing to receive equal access to the understanding of what is being presented.
This allows all users to experience the same emotions and degrees of communication when watching the video. It gives equal understanding to all watching it in a way that would be impossible otherwise.
Way 4: Use Headings to Organize your Content Headings help users in understanding the organization and structure of the website. Distinctive headings allow users to follow and understand the message being displayed. This is especially true of people with cognitive disabilities as their eyes can be assisted in guidance around the page. In addition, screen readers also benefit from this format. It can read out the heading to its listener and grant them a basic outline for what they are about to access. In a simple manner, this tool functions in the ways in which headers are expected, to organize the writing.
Way 5: Include Simplistic Navigation The ways in which people access a website can look different depending on their abilities. For many people, this is altered through motor skill difficulties. This leads them to access the internet through devices such as: speech recognition tools, screen readers, and various adaptive keyboards. For if a website is unable to be navigated by these devices, they cannot be utilized by its users.
There are easy first steps in ensuring that these devices are compatible with your website. The first being to ensure that pages are not high in content where they are unable to be broken into sections. Another is through embedding the videos on your website. For if they automatically play, they may not correlate with these machines as intended.
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