Accessibility Mindsets (Web)

Definition of Web Accessibility

Web accessibility refers to the practice of making websites and online applications usable for everyone, including people with various disabilities. This involves research, design, and development to ensure that users with physical, visual, auditory, cognitive, or neurological limitations can effectively interact with and access information.

A few aspects of web accessibility:

• Navigation: Ensuring users can easily navigate the site using a keyboard, screen reader, or other assistive devices.
• Content: Providing alternative text for images, transcripts for audio, and subtitles for videos.
• Design: Using colors, contrast, and typography that are readable for people with visual impairments.
• Functionality: Making interactive elements like forms and buttons accessible to all users.

The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.

The Importance of Web Accessibility

The web has grown into a super important resource in many aspects of life. This includes government services and information, education and training, commerce, news, workplace interactions, public participation, healthcare services, entertainment, and much more. Here are some key points about why web accessibility matters.

Inclusivity

Web accessibility ensures that everyone, regardless of their physical abilities, can effectively access online information and services. It’s a human right, and making it happen shows a commitment to equality and inclusion.

Legal Compliance

Many countries have laws and regulations requiring websites to meet certain accessibility standards, like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) in the United States. Digital service providers can face legal consequences if they don’t comply. For instance, Beyoncé’s official website once faced a lawsuit over its website accessibility support. Unfortunately, as far as I know, there aren’t any government regulations or laws in Indonesia that specifically address digital accessibility in general, let alone web accessibility.

Bussiness Gain

A website that is accessible to more people means reaching a wider audience. This can increase the number of users, customers, and ultimately, revenue.

SEO

A good accessibility practice often go hand in hand with search engine optimization (SEO). For instance, using alt text on images not only helps users with disabilities, but also search engine to index the content of the image.

Accessibility Mindsets

To implement digital accessibility in general and specifically web accessibility, there are several mindsets that research, design, and development teams can adopt. These mindsets help ensure that accessibility becomes an integral part of every development stage, from concept to implementation.

1. Starts with Empathy

Before diving straight into accessibility standards like WCAG, we need to start with empathy. We need to understand and feel what users with disabilities experience when using our web product. Immersing ourselves in the user experience, whether through direct testing or interactions with people with disabilities, gives us deep insights into their needs. This helps us design truly inclusive solutions.

We can also do some immersive activities to increase our empathy towards users with disabilities when using the web:

• Browse websites with closed eyes, whether you’re familiar with them or not.
• Browse websites without mouse.
• Browse websites with increased font size up to 200%.
• Browse websites with increased line spacing.

While doing those immersive activities, try to pay attention to:

• Is it easy to know which element is focused?
• How much time needed to navigate to the desired element?
• Is any text missing or truncated?
• Are any of the text, images, or other content overlapping?
• Are all the buttons, input fields, and form controls functional/operable?
• Are horizontal and vertical scrolling necessary to read a sentence?

We can also use some tool to give immersive experience like Project Lima.

2. Disability is a Spectrum

When we discuss about accessibility, it’s important to understand that disability isn’t a one-size-fits-all condition. We can’t assume that someone definitely has or doesn’t have a disability. Disability isn’t binary, it is exist on a spectrum instead. It means that there are various conditions with varying degrees of severity. Here’s a further explanation of this concept:

• Disability Types

  Disability is a really broad term that covers a wide range of conditions. Think about it like this: some people might have trouble walking or seeing clearly, while others might have learning differences, mental health challenges, or find certain sounds or lights overwhelming. It’s important to remember that every disability is unique and comes with its own set of challenges that need to be understood and supported.

• Different Severity

  Disabilities can affect people in different ways. The severity of a disability can vary from person to person. Let’s say you have two people who both have trouble moving around. One person might be able to do most things on their own with a little help, but the other might need assistance with almost everything.

• Changing Situation

  Disabilities can come and go. Sometimes, people have a temporary disability from an accident or illness. Other times, people might gradually lose some of their abilities as they get older. And even something like driving can be considered a temporary disability, since you can’t use your phone while you’re behind the wheel. Because of these changes, we need to be flexible when it comes to making things accessible for everyone.

Understanding that disability is a spectrum helps us see each person as an individual with unique needs. This encourages us to create more flexible and inclusive solutions.

3. Disability is a Normal Part of the Human Diversity

Juwita is an amazing freelance content writer who happens to be visually impaired. In this video by Suarise ID, she shows us how she independently transfers money using a mobile banking application.

When we talk about accessibility, it’s important to remember that people with disabilities using gadgets independently is completely normal. For them, gadgets are everyday tools for living. They use them to communicate, work, study, and interact with the world. Just like everyone else. Thinking that it’s amazing and extraordinary can actually make them feel less capable and keep the harmful stereotype that disability is a weakness alive. Let’s change the narrative!

Assistive technologies such as screen readers and voice control has made it possible for people with disabilities to use gadgets independently. Those technologies will work only if we made the app or website to support them. So, when you see someone with a disability using a gadget, remember it’s not just about them, it’s about the technology and its implementation that’s making it possible.

We should appreciate the ability of people with disabilities to independently use gadgets without seeing it as something extraordinary. Their ability is a result of adaptation, skills, and the right technology with the right implementation. Instead of praising them excessively, we should support and encourage the development of more inclusive technology and ensure that the environment around them supports it.

We need to change the way we think about people with disabilities. Instead of seeing their abilities as something special, we should see them as a normal part of human diversity. When we stop treating technology use by people with disabilities as something extraordinary, we create a more welcoming place for everyone.

4. Disability is a Design Mismatch

Many people believe that disability is a personal trait. They might think, Budi is disabled because he needs a wheelchair to get around, Andri is disabled because he can’t see very well, or Marni is disabled because she’s deaf. This is what we call the medical model of disability.

Let’s take a look with different point of view. Imagine if:

• Nearly everyone uses a wheelchair, so payphones are placed at a low position.
• All books in the library use only braille.
• Bank tellers there only use sign language.

From that point of view, people who don’t use wheelchairs would find it difficult to use public phones, they’d have to bend down. People with normal sight who can’t read braille wouldn’t be able to read the books in the library. And customers who don’t understand sign language couldn’t get help from the bank.

So, the main point is not about a person’s abilities or disabilities, but rather about the design. A bad design can actually disable someone. On the other hand, when a design (and code) can be flexible enough to meet the needs of all users, it empowers them. For example, a website that only works with a mouse can be disabling for people with motor impairments. But if the website supports keyboard navigation or screen reader, it will maket it accessible to everyone. This is what we call the “social model” of disability.

5. Start with One, Expand to Other

We can start by focusing on one type of disability at a time, then gradually expand to include support for other types. For example, let’s make sure our website is accessible to people with visual impairments. After that, we can work on making it accessible to people with hearing, motor, or cognitive impairments. This approach helps us stay focused and be more effective in implementing accessibility solutions.

Another way is to start by focusing on one primary user flow in our web application or app. This allows us to conduct more in-depth testing and get direct feedback from users. After that, we can extend the accessibility solutions to other user flows.

6. Shift Left

In general, “Shift Left” means that we should think about accessibility from the very beginning of product development stages, not at the end. This means that accessibility becomes an integral part of the decision-making process at every stage of product development. This also means that accessibility is not an after thought.

Instead of waiting until the very end to concern about accessibility, we should start thinking about it from the beginning, right at the planning stage. By making accessibility a part of our plans from the start, we can find and fix any problems much faster and easier. For instance, if we develop a webpage thinking about how someone would use it with just a keyboard, we can easily spot any parts that don’t work with a keyboard. This helps us fix things before our design and or the code gets too complicated.

Employing a Shift Left strategy, we integrate accessibility testing into our development process on an ongoing basis. This means that each time a new feature is developed, it undergoes rigorous and multistage accessibility testing to ensure that it can be used by people with disabilities. By proactively addressing accessibility problems throughout the development lifecycle, we can ensure that the final product is inclusive and usable by everyone.

Also, by integrating accessibility from the start, all team members—from researchers, designers, developers, and testers—gains a deeper understanding of its significance. This will cultivates a more inclusive and collaborative work environment where everyone feels invested and responsible in creating products that are accessible to all users.

In most software development, we use a component library—a collection of basic building blocks like buttons, form fields, and cards. These blocks are then combined to create more complex components or interface for specific features or products. By applying the ‘Shift Left’ mindset, we can integrate accessibility into these basic components from the start. This means that when we build more complex components or entire pages, accessibility is already built-in, making the development process more efficient and ensuring that our final product is accessible to everyone.

7. Accessibility is a Journey, Not a Destination

Accessibility is a continuous process, not a one-time achievement. As technology and user expectations advance, so do accessibility standards. To maintain accessibility, we must continually evaluate and improve our products. This requires staying up-to-date with the latest guidelines (e.g. WCAG), learning from best practices, and engaging with the accessibility community. By embracing this mindset, we can ensure that our products remain inclusive and meet the needs of all users.

8. Accessibility is a Requirement, Not a Feature

Accessibility isn’t an optional feature, it’s a fundamental requirement. We can think of it this way: building a product without considering accessibility is like building a house without a foundation. It’s simply not sustainable. By making accessibility a requirement from the start, we ensure that our products are usable by everyone.

9. Nothing About Us Without Us

This last mindset emphasizes the importance of collaborating with people with disabilities at every stage of product development. People with disabilities are the experts on their own experiences. When we involve them in the process, from initial research to final testing, we ensure that their unique perspectives and experiences are considered. Their feedback is invaluable in creating truly inclusive solutions.

Summary

Building truly inclusive digital experiences requires more than just checking boxes. This post explores 9 key mindsets for accessibility, from understanding disability as a natural part of human diversity to embracing user-centered design principles like ‘Nothing About Us Without Us.’ By adopting these mindsets, we can move beyond compliance and create products that are not only accessible but also enjoyable and empowering for all users.

Thanks for reading! May this writing be of use to you.