番茄社区

Web accessibility is a fundamental aspect of the modern internet 鈥� but it鈥檚 not something the average user typically notices or is even aware of. But web accessibility features are always there, just below the surface if users need them. So what exactly is 鈥渨eb accessibility,鈥� then?

The underlying goal of the internet lies in its universality. It should bring information, goods, services and connection to all users, regardless of disability. Essentially, web accessibility ensures that websites are designed and developed in a way that all people, including those with disabilities, can use them.

Websites that are inaccessible to certain users undermine that foundational goal. An accessible web, therefore, is available to people with a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight and cognitive abilities.

Badly designed websites can create barriers to accessibility 鈥� and because a content management system (CMS) is often the wizard behind the curtain controlling those websites, it鈥檚 important for CMS users, developers and the organizations around them to have a good grasp of accessibility best practices.

Understanding web accessibility

The legal guidelines around web accessibility come from , which is a federal law that requires equal access to information and communication from any organization that is funded by the federal government. This law was first introduced in 1973, then amended in 1998.

WCAG guidelines: What you need to know

The , meanwhile, are an international standard created by an independent group. The goal of the guidelines is to explain how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities. Essentially, the guidelines are how to appropriately implement and design experiences that are inline with laws, and they apply to web content, apps and tools 鈥� including content management systems.

While WCAG itself doesn鈥檛 directly impose penalties, violations of these guidelines can lead to penalties under Section 508. And those fines can be steep 鈥� starting at $55,000 for the first offense and only growing from there.

Remember, these laws and guidelines are in place to ensure that the web is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. The idea is 鈥� if organizations follow the WCAG standards, organizations can provide a more inclusive and accessible web experience for all users. And yes, web accessibility does truly benefit all users.

How web accessibility standards benefit all users

Web accessibility ultimately boils down to inclusivity and universal design. It鈥檚 about making the web usable for everyone, regardless of their abilities or circumstances. That said, it鈥檚 obvious that many web accessibility principles align with general best practices for web usability. Accessibility is truly the rising tide that lifts all boats 鈥� an accessible website is often a more usable website for all users, leading to a better overall user experience.

Here are some ways in which web accessibility benefits all users:

• Device flexibility: Web accessibility standards ensure that websites work well with a variety of devices and platforms. If you鈥檝e ever viewed a browser on a tablet vs. a phone vs. a smartwatch and noted the differences鈥攕ome elements are hidden, some actions are disabled, the haptics vary 鈥� that鈥檚, in part, accessibility at work. The goal is to provide a flexible 鈥渂est fit鈥� experience, so that the user can access the web from any device they prefer or have at hand.
• Situation limitations: There are times when 鈥渢ypical鈥� users might face temporary or situational limitations. For example, a user might be standing on a bright, noisy city street 鈥� making it difficult to see a screen, and to hear audio. Accessible experiences are designed to adapt to these situations, providing a better user experience for everyone 鈥� by automatically dimming or brightening the experience, or providing subtitles or an auditory assistant.
• Slow Cconnections: Accessible websites are typically built so that they load quickly and efficiently 鈥� which makes it easier for users who may have slow connections (or limited data plans) to get the information they need. Imagine loading an article about the 2024 election results; the page might feature several large images, interactive charts, hundreds of comments and multiple interactive advertisements 鈥� now imagine viewing that article on a dial-up connection. Accessible design works to make the most important aspects of the website render as quickly as possible.

To put it plainly: Web accessibility is not just about disability. It鈥檚 about making the web accessible to as many people in as many situations as possible.

How your CMS can help adhere to web content accessibility guidelines

Your content management system has an important role to play in web accessibility. Depending on how the CMS is designed, configured, and administered, it can either facilitate or hinder overall accessibility. Your daily CMS users who are creating content also have a role to play.

Here鈥檚 how:

• Content structure: Your CMS should allow you to organize and structure your content so that it is easily consumed and navigated by screenreader technologies.
• Required content elements: Your CMS should at a minimum allow your users to add and edit important content elements, including links, images and headings. Soft warnings if important fields are left blank are important 鈥� and the gold standard is requiring certain attributes (like image alt text, for example) to be complete before a user can publish content.   
• Accessible templates: The CMS should support the use of accessible templates, themes, and plugins. This ties closely to the front end of your site, and making sure that the visual experience is accessible as well (we鈥檒l cover that in the next section).
• It鈥檚 worth noting that the CMS itself should also be web accessible 鈥� meaning that all of the users or employees of your organization are able to use the CMS to create web accessible content. (And in case you were wondering 鈥� Brightspot CMS is WCAG 2.1 Level AA certified.)

How your website鈥檚 front-end plays a role in web accessibility

The front end of your website 鈥� which your users interact with directly 鈥� significantly impacts web accessibility.

Here鈥檚 how:

• Visual design: The colors used (and the contrast between them), the font and font size, and the site layout can affect readability and usability, especially for users with visual impairments.
• Interactive elements: These specialized components (things like buttons and links, navigation menus and flyouts, images and videos) all need to be designed and developed with accessibility in mind. This includes providing keyboard-based navigation for those who can鈥檛 use a mouse and ensuring screen reader compatibility.
• Semantic HTML: Using appropriate HTML elements for content (like <button> for buttons and <nav> for navigation) helps assistive technologies understand the content.
• Dynamic content: If your website uses JavaScript to update content dynamically, it鈥檚 important to ensure that these updates are announced to assistive technologies.
• Multimedia content: Providing captions for videos, transcripts for audio and alternative text for images ensures that these types of content are accessible to all users. (So remember to encourage 鈥� or even better, require 鈥� the users of your CMS to input this content!)

In essence, both the CMS and the front-end design of a website play crucial roles in ensuring web accessibility. To that end, there are a number of testing tools that can be used to evaluate front end experiences for accessibility scores (such as and ); the results can then be used to refine the site鈥檚 accessibility. (These tests are a standard part of the pre-launch front end testing done as part of Brightspot鈥檚 professional services when working with customers.) By considering accessibility at every stage of web development, we can create a more inclusive web for everyone.

Web accessibility compliance in action, and in the wild

As mentioned at the outset, you鈥檝e likely experienced web accessibility as a user without even noticing it. That鈥檚 because the driving force behind web accessibility is making the web usable for everyone, in all situations and of all abilities. Let鈥檚 look at a few real-world examples of great accessible sites.

For an example of a compliance report, visit the Brightspot CMS accessibility conformance report here.

Patagonia: This leading outdoor clothing company is a great example of an e-commerce experience that is also highly accessible. The text offers high contrast, all images have the necessary alternative text, and the pages are well structured, making it easy for anyone to navigate the website.

The Los Angeles Times: For a great example of an accessible news website, look no further than the LA Times. The site is easy to navigate and read鈥攚ith a font clearly chosen for readability across many devices.

Dropbox: Dropbox has made significant efforts to ensure their cloud storage service is accessible. They have a dedicated accessibility team, and have incorporated features like keyboard shortcuts, screen reader compatibility and high contrast modes to assist users.

Conclusion: Accessibility to internet content should be considered for all

As you can see, web accessibility is more than a list of technical standards to check off; it is a crucial aspect of digital inclusivity. By ensuring that web content 鈥� and the content management systems responsible for it 鈥� adhere to established guidelines like WCAG, organizations can create a web environment that is universally usable, regardless of a user's abilities or circumstances.

This mission not only fulfills the ethical obligation of the internet at large 鈥� to provide equal access to information to all users 鈥� but it also enhances the overall user experience, broadening the reach and effectiveness of websites for all users 鈥� even if they don鈥檛 realize it.