The world is changing. The rights of others, especially minority groups, have been a subject on the minds of many for a number of years now. The fight for equality is being fought on many fronts. One group that can often be overlooked are the disabled. What? No! Everywhere we go now, we see ramps onto sidewalks and into public buildings. We see disabled toilets on every floor. We see disabled parking bays in every car park. So, you may ask, how can the disabled be getting overlooked? The answer is online. An accessibility overlay is part of the fight for equality on the side of the disabled.
Disabled access is a must
As mentioned above, it is true that disabled people have been catered for in many ways, rightly so, in recent years. But not all disabilities affect people the same. How does a ramp into a building help a person with a hearing impairment? No matter what the disability that someone is living with, they must have the same access to things as everybody else. If not, they are being discriminated against. As the internet is so widely used now, it is an important issue when a disabled person is online too.
What can be done online?
There are many changes that can be made based on the many disabilities that people may have and the ways that they are affected by said disabilities. The person with the hearing impairment would likely benefit from the use of subtitles. A person with a visual impairment may appreciate voice overs, pictures explained to them, or the option to increase the font size to one more suitable for them. Someone with a cognitive disability would find it easier if each page on your site was kept simple – only looking at one subject per page perhaps, using shorter paragraphs, and easy to understand language.
These are just a few examples of the many different things that can be done to make a website accessible.
How can I achieve this?
As we’ve already hinted at, an accessibility overlay could be just what you are looking for. As there are so many ways a site would need adjusting to make it accessible, the thought could be daunting, or you may worry how much it will cost to get someone to make all the needed changes. But with an accessibility overlay, all that worry is gone. Let it do the work for you and you could have an accessible website in a few days at a much cheaper cost.
