In this this mail bag Q&A, a person who runs a company focused on senior home care asked, “how do I make my website accessible for visually impaired individuals?”
People with visual impairments may use screen readers to listen to a website’s content instead of trying to read it. It is important to make sure text is presented within the code instead of images and special components as much as possible. Should text be saved in an image or video, one step to provide accessibility is to provide a transcript. Additionally, since a visually impaired user may not be able to see images, it is important to use ALT tag in the code so that a description of that image can be provided for a screen reader. Another major accessibility concern is making sure links are clearly labeled so that a user knows where the link leads. For example, clearly label a link as the name of the page it should link to instead of using words like “click here” or “click this”.
Generally, the majority of accessibility relies on the group or individuals responsible for creating content to create duplicate versions of content that are accessible. For example, if creating an image or video, there needs to be a text or audio version available as well. Here’s a checklist of general accessibility guidelines provided by the W3 Consortium, an international community where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards.
