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What Is Digital Accessibility and Why Everyone Should Care
What Is Digital Accessibility and Why Everyone Should Care

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Access to communication, services, and information is becoming increasingly digital in today's connected world. The internet has become an essential element of daily living, from reading news articles and applying for employment to taking online courses and shopping. But not everyone has the same experience. That’s where digital accessibility comes in.

What is Digital Accessibility?

The process of creating digital content, such as websites, mobile apps, eBooks, PDFs, software, and online tools, that is accessible to all users, including those with impairments, is known as digital accessibility.

Disabilities can be:

  • Visual (e.g., blindness, low vision, color blindness)

  • Auditory (e.g., deafness, hard of hearing)
  • Motor (e.g., limited hand movement, paralysis)
  • Cognitive or neurological (e.g., dyslexia, ADHD, autism)

Accessible digital content means:

  • A blind user can navigate a website using a screen reader.

  • Resizing text does not impact its functioning or content for someone with low vision.
  • A video with accurate captions can be watched by a deaf person.
  • Someone with mobility limitations can use a website via keyboard alone.
  • Content created in simple and easy language with the proper layout can be read by a person with dyslexia.

To support these needs, developers often follow international standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The guidelines handle everything from keyboard navigation and color contrast to semantic HTML structure and alternate text for images.

Why Everyone Should Care About Digital Accessibility

1. It Affects Over a Billion People Worldwide

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 6 people globally live with some form of disability. This includes both permanent and temporary disabilities.

Example: A person with a broken arm may temporarily need keyboard navigation or voice commands, just like someone with a permanent motor impairment.

2. It’s About Equal Opportunity

Although we frequently say that "the internet is for everyone," this is only true when digital content is created with accessibility in mind. In addition to being unfair, limiting persons with disabilities full access to the digital world is a violation of their rights. 

Laws in many countries, like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the U.S. and the European Accessibility Act, reinforce that access to digital services is a civil right.

3. It Enhances User Experience for Everyone

Accessible design isn’t just good for people with disabilities, it’s good for everyone. 

Think about:

  • Captions helping people watch videos in noisy or quiet environments.
  • Non-native speakers and people with limited digital literacy will benefit from the simple language and easy navigation.
  • Larger font options and high contrast help older people or mobile users outdoors.

4. It’s Good for Business

Accessible websites and products reach more customers, improve brand loyalty, and lower legal risks.

  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Accessible sites are better structured, which helps search engines index them.
  • Customer retention: People appreciate brands that care about inclusivity.
  • Legal compliance:  Lawsuits related to inaccessible websites have increased significantly. In the U.S., thousands of ADA website accessibility lawsuits were filed in 2023.

5. It Promotes Innovation and Social Responsibility

When organizations prioritize accessibility, they foster innovation. For example, voice assistants (like Siri or Alexa), auto-captioning, and text-to-speech tools were originally designed for accessibility—but now benefit millions.

Common Barriers to Digital Accessibility

Many digital experiences still lack quality, even with increased awareness. These are a few typical problems:

  • Images without alt text (so screen readers can’t describe them)
  • Videos without captions or transcripts
  • Rigid designs that don't adjust for screen readers or screen enlargers
  • Low color contrast between text and background
  • Buttons or links that can’t be accessed with a keyboard
  • PDFs that are just scanned images (and not readable by screen readers)

What Can Be Done?

Everyone, including developers, designers, content creators, marketers, and company executives, has a responsibility to ensure digital accessibility.

Here's how to get started changing things:

1. Understand and Apply WCAG Guidelines

Become familiar with the WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 standards. These provide guidelines for creating Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR) content.

2. Use Accessible Design Principles

  • Maintain high color contrast.
  • Use readable fonts and clear layouts.
  • Add labels to form fields.
  • Avoid flashing content that can trigger seizures.
  • Ensure buttons, links, and controls are keyboard-accessible.

3. Make Documents and PDFs Accessible

  • Use proper headings and structure.
  • Add bookmarks, alt text, and tagged elements.
  • Ensure compatibility with screen readers.

4. Test With Real Users and Tools

Regularly audit your website using accessibility checker tools and real user testing. 

Use tools like:

  • WAVE, axe, and Lighthouse for accessibility testing.
  • NVDA or JAWS (screen readers) to simulate user experience.
  • VoiceOver and TalkBack for mobile accessibility testing.

Conclusion

Adopting accessibility helps us do more than simply follow the law; it also improves user experience, fosters empathy, and creates better digital goods for all. Whether you're a business owner, web developer, designer, or educator, this is your chance to be part of something truly transformative.

Inclusion involves more than just elevators and ramps; it also includes websites, papers, and applications. So let's create an open digital environment


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