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You may be aware of inclusive design and want to expand access to your web properties for people with disabilities, but how do you approach digital accessibility in our organization?
Step 1: Understanding Why You Want Better Accessibility
Digital accessibility, much like physical accessibility, depends on the organization's commitment. If only one person within the organization is committed to accessibility, it will greatly limit the organization's ability to improve the accessibility of its digital properties.
However, if the entire organization is committed to digital accessibility, we can rely on the work and collaboration of everyone to improve access for people with disabilities. But to convince an organization, we must first understand why accessibility is important for that organization.
- Is it intrinsic to the organization's mission?
- If it's a public organization or one that serves people with disabilities, it may be easier to justify expanding digital accessibility.
- If it’s a commercial organization, market opportunities can be a compelling reason.
- In Québec, about 20% of the population lives with a disability—this represents a significant market share that becomes more accessible with digital inclusion.
Whether you are an accessibility advocate within your organization or part of a dedicated accessibility committee, having leadership support and understanding the reasons behind accessibility efforts will help prioritize and accelerate digital accessibility work.
Step 2: Understanding Accessibility Principles and Standards
Digital accessibility is based on guiding principles, which are used to develop international standards. These standards help define whether a digital property is accessible for people with disabilities.
Most accessibility standards are based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), an internationally recognized standard since 1999.
- In Québec, the SGQRI 008 3.0 standard applies, which is based on WCAG.
- A global overview of different accessibility standards is available on our blog.
The 4 Fundamental Principles of Accessibility
An accessible website or application must be:
- Perceivable → Content must be visible and understandable for all.
- Example: Videos should have subtitles, and images should have alternative text.
- Operable → Navigation must be simple and possible without a mouse.
- This means allowing navigation via keyboard or voice commands.
- Understandable → Information should be clear, using simple language and intuitive interfaces.
- Robust → The website should be compatible with different devices and assistive technologies.
- Example: Screen readers and voice command software.
Step 3: Assessing the Current State
Once we understand the principles of accessibility and the standards that apply, we can evaluate whether our web properties are accessible or need improvement.
This is where accessibility evaluations or audits come into play.
- Accessibility Evaluation → Provides a list of issues to fix in a table format, detailing accessibility problems, probable causes, and solutions.
- Accessibility Audit → A more detailed report assessing compliance with standards, opportunities for improvement, and areas of non-compliance.
An accessibility specialist can help determine which option is best for your needs.
- During an evaluation, we check:
Compliance with chosen accessibility standards
Ease of navigation using a screen reader
Usability for individuals with cognitive limitations
With the evaluation or audit report, you’ll have a starting point and a clear goal for improving accessibility!
Step 4: Prioritizing Corrective Actions
Once we have a list of required corrections, it's just a matter of evaluating the effort required to make the modifications and then prioritizing them based on:
- Time and resources available
- Technical capabilities
- Budget constraints
Tip: A spreadsheet with accessibility issues makes it easy to assess and prioritize fixes.
Ciao’s correction lists include a severity rating, allowing you to prioritize based on:
- Effort required to fix the issue
- Impact on users with disabilities
- For example:
A blocking issue for screen reader users should be fixed first
A minor issue that creates cognitive load but doesn’t prevent navigation can be addressed later
Step 5: Continuous Improvement!
It’s easy to think that once accessibility issues are fixed, the work is done. But that’s not the case!
- After implementing corrections, a final accessibility validation cycle ensures that new issues haven’t been introduced.
Since websites evolve over time, new accessibility issues may arise as updates are made.
Many organizations perform accessibility validations every two years to detect and fix emerging issues.
PSST! Want to learn more?
Ciao also offers training for all accessibility profiles—tell us about your project!