Provide descriptive alt text for images
Use proper heading structure
Use accessible color contrast
Test with assistive technology
Accessibility is a human right
About the author
Summary
Provide alt text that describes the content of images on the website.
Why it's important: Users who are visually impaired rely on assistive technology such as screen readers to access content. Providing alt text for images allows these users to understand the content of the image and its relevance to the overall content.
How to implement it: Use the alt attribute in the image tag to provide a concise, accurate description of the image. Avoid using generic phrases like "image" or "photo".
Use h1 tags for main headings and h2 tags for subheadings.
Why it's important: Proper heading structure helps users understand the organization of the content on the website. This is especially important for users who use assistive technology to navigate the website.
How to implement it: Use appropriate heading tags to structure content. Use h1 tags for main headings, h2 tags for subheadings, and so on. Avoid using tags simply for styling purposes.
Ensure that text and other content on the website has sufficient color contrast to be easily readable.
Why it's important: Users with visual impairments may have difficulty reading text that has low color contrast. Ensuring that text and other content on the website have sufficient color contrast helps to ensure that all users can access and use the content.
How to implement it: Use a tool to check the color contrast of text and other content on the website. Ensure that there is sufficient contrast between the background color and the text color.
Use screen readers or other assistive technologies to test a website's accessibility.
Why it's important: Testing with assistive technology allows developers to understand how users with disabilities access and use the website. It helps identify issues that may be present and ensures that the website is accessible to everyone.
How to implement it: Use a range of assistive technology to test your website's accessibility. This can include screen readers, magnification software, and keyboard-only navigation tools.
Ensuring that a website can be accessed by people with disabilities is a moral and legal obligation, and not just a nice-to-have feature.
Why it's important: Accessibility is essential to ensuring that everyone has equal access to information and services on the web. It's important to prioritize accessibility from the outset of website development to ensure that all users can access and use the website.
How to implement it: Make accessibility a core part of your website design and development process. Use guidelines and best practices to ensure that your website is accessible to all users.
Test with assistive technology
Test with assistive technology
Accessibility is a human right
Use accessible color contrast
Who is it for?
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Accessibility is a human right
Building Accessible Websites is a comprehensive guide to designing and building websites that are accessible to people with disabilities. The book covers a wide range of topics related to web accessibility, including the importance of designing with accessibility in mind, web accessibility standards, and testing for accessibility. The book provides practical guidance and examples for designing accessible websites, as well as tips for ensuring that websites remain accessible over time. Overall, "Building Accessible Websites" is a valuable resource for web designers and developers who want to ensure that their websites are accessible to all users.
Joe Clark is a Toronto-based journalist and accessibility consultant with over 20 years of experience in the field. His passion for accessibility began one winter night in the mid-'70s when he came across a captioned TV show. With a strong background in graphic design and over a decade of experience in online work, Clark has published nearly 400 articles and has expertise in writing, programming, and designing websites from scratch. He has earned the moniker "the king of closed captions" from the Atlantic Monthly and is known for his consulting work, helping clients improve the quality and quantity of their accessible sites, video, cinema, and television.
Use accessible color contrast
Provide descriptive alt text for images
Use proper heading structure
Provide descriptive alt text for images
Use proper heading structure
Joe Clark
Building Accessible Websites
Product design, Accessibility