The practice of making websites accessible to people with disabilities is referred to as website accessibility.
This includes individuals with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities. In Ireland, legislation regarding website accessibility is set to become mandatory by 2025.
The Disability Act 2005 and the Equal Status Act 2000 both prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities in relation to goods, services, and facilities. This includes access to websites. In 2018, the Irish government published the Web Accessibility Directive, which requires public sector websites and mobile apps to meet certain accessibility standards. This directive will become mandatory for all public sector bodies by September 2020, and for all other websites by September 2025.
There are several international standards for website accessibility, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. These guidelines provide a set of principles and technical requirements for making web content more accessible to people with disabilities. Some of the key principles of WCAG 2.1 include perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust (POUR). This means that web content should be presented in a way that is perceivable (e.g. through text or audio), operable (e.g. through the keyboard), understandable (e.g. through clear language and labels), and robust (e.g. through compatibility with assistive technologies). Going forward these international best standards should be adopted as part of your websites Front end web development & Digital Strategy Formulation.
There are several ways to make a website more accessible for people with disabilities. Some of these include:
By following these and other best practices for website accessibility, organisations in Ireland can ensure that their websites are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. This not only helps to comply with legislation, but also makes good business sense as it allows organisations to reach a wider audience.
Author: Neil Chevalier
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