While the Americans with Disabilities Act came into force almost thirty years ago, it is often subject to updates due to the rapidly changing world that we live in and the impact of technology on citizens. Using the internet has become an everyday occurrence for most of us, but for people with disabilities, non-accessible websites can easily become a nightmare. Here are some tips from accessiBe on spotting website compliance issues.
Run a Compliance Test
The easiest way to find out for sure if your website has any compliance issues and what needs to be done to fix them is to run a compliance test. You can use a free testing service on your website to get more in-depth information about what’s working well and what could be improved to comply with the ADA requirements.
Images without Alt Tags
Most of us understand the importance of alt tags for SEO and search engine indexing purpose, but fail to make the connection between alt tags and website accessibility. The fact is, however, that blind people who use the internet with a screen reader will often rely on alt tag descriptions to tell them more about images and graphics on a website. If your images don’t have alt tags or don’t have very descriptive ones, it’s time for an update.
No Subtitles
Being able to play video on a website is becoming a more common sight today, as video takes over as a top form of content that everybody enjoys. Videos can be an ideal way to engage with your customers and let them know more about your brand. However, it is important to bear in mind that not all users will be able to easily hear your video, and this could run the enjoyment and engagement for them. Subtitles should be added to all videos, to ensure that they are fully accessible to everyone.
Hard to Read
Finally, skim through the content on your website and consider how easy it is to read. How large is the font? Do you expect a user who may have poor eyesight to have trouble reading it, or not? Do the colors contrast well, and is the website color-blind friendly?
If you want to weed out any accessibility issues with your website, get started with looking for these common problems.
