Website accessibility
What do we do and when does it really happen?
Defining Website Accessibility
Website accessibility has become a prominent topic in recent years. However, the term gets used in various contexts, which can create confusion. In this article, we’ll provide an overview of website accessibility by clarifying what it means and addressing key aspects like compliance, users impacted, and best practices for implementation.
A little background
The internet has become an integral part of our daily lives, and it helps us in various fields and topics. However, people with disabilities often face difficulties in surfing and consuming content on websites. While websites are available to all of us as surfers, they are not always accessible to people with disabilities. The idea is to make websites as accessible as restaurants, cinemas, government offices, and residential buildings so that people with disabilities or those in wheelchairs can also benefit from the vast resources available on the internet.
Who should gain from enhanced website accessibility?
- Individuals with intellectual disabilities, including those facing challenges in reading or comprehension.
- Individuals experiencing visual limitations, such as color blindness or visual impairment.
- People with physical disabilities hindering full keyboard or mouse operation.
- Diverse challenges, such as reading issues or language comprehension difficulties.
Remarkably, this demographic constitutes approximately 25% of the online community in Israel!
What is the website accessibility law?
The website accessibility law is a part of the equal rights law for people with disabilities that was enacted in 1998. The law includes “service accessibility regulations” that detail the steps required of a website owner to ensure compliance with the law. According to the law, every website must be accessible by October 25, 2016. However, the issue of accessibility remains unclear, with vague instructions and a variety of “accessibility experts” who demand high fees for website accessibility.
Fortunately for website owners, the implementation of the website accessibility law was postponed by a year to October 2017, giving them more time to make their websites accessible.
Until this date, website owners are required to make their websites accessible to people with disabilities. However, website owners who meet certain conditions can submit an exemption from website accessibility.
What does it mean to have a website that is accessible?
A website that can be accessed by people with disabilities, enabling them to navigate and access its contents without hindrance.
Although a full review of the procedures and requirements for achieving complete website accessibility will not be provided in this article due to its extensive, multifaceted nature involving numerous steps and advancements, we are able offer some helpful hints:
If your website is created using WordPress, you can enhance its navigability and customize features such as text size, contrast adjustments, flicker elimination by installing accessibility plug-ins.
Ensure that the content you publish on your website is accurately written, organized into manageable paragraphs and subheadings for better readability.
The official guides of “Gishesot Israel” and the Standards Institute are recommended for use as sources of guidance and explanations.
Detailed explanations on how to make your website accessible in the following links:
Writing about the Good Devices – an accessible site
Guidelines for content accessibility on the Internet
Accessibility guidelines according to the W3C global standard
To sum up:
The website accessibility law’s enforcement has been delayed until October 2017, with ambiguity still surrounding its fate and the specific criteria governing its implementation.
I suggest acquiring knowledge about accessibility by visiting “Accessibility Israel” website and following the guidelines and regulations meticulously to comprehend the subject matter in a structured approach.
The suggestion is to exercise patience until there is clarity on both the specific conditions for accessibility and which websites will fall under this legislation.
The author:
Yossi Levy is the Director of Digital Program and an Internet Marketing Lecturer at Rupin College.
As the CEO and proprietor of Comi To Go, I oversee website promotion and internet marketing for our media company.
