1. Put someone in charge of accessibility compliance.
Website accessibility is one of those areas that people think is too difficult to understand and too costly to implement. In truth it’s neither, but unless at least one person in your organisation is concentrating on it that perception will persist.
2. Ensure website accessibility is part of your policy
Explicitly mention website accessibility in your policy documents; e.g. mention your commitment to equality and to ensuring your website content is accessible. Your policy document should also include what you do to ensure equal access, e.g things like:
- The standards or guideline your website is measured against (e.g. WCAG, BS 8878).
- How you will ensure compliance when using outside contractors.
- The legal context within which you operate (E.g. Equalities Act).
- What your website accessibility page will include.
- How and when you test your website for accessibility.
- How you are taking into account the needs of people with different impairments.
3. Consider accessibility in relation to the technology you use.
Although you can optimise your site to work with a particular set of browsers and you can use the most modern and dynamic features on your site your content should remain accessible in all browsers. It might not look the same or have the same behaviour – but the service and content should remain accessible to your site visitors no matter what they are using.
Get in touch if you are looking for help to develop your website accessibility policies. I’ll be happy to help.
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- About Web Designer and Accessible Website Design Specialist Jim ByrneA passion for equality and accessibility Decades before he became an accessible website design specialist, Jim started his working life as a computer programmer in 1979 using 'miniframe' computers that had LP (a long player record) sized 'not very floppy disks'. The disks needed to be screwed into a large cabinet ...
- Accessibility Auditing – WCAG 2.1 & WCAG 2.2 and Accessible Website Design, UKJim Byrne is an accessibility specialist with three decades of experience in accessible website design, training and accessibility auditing and consultancy for the not-for-profit, education, public and third sector. An award-winning website developer, website accessibility training provider and WCAG 2 expert ( he provided feedback on the development of WCAG ...
Take my Web Accessibility Online Training Course - WCAG 2.1 Compliance
Learn to design and manage WCAG compliant, accessible websites with my online course
You will learn both the techniques of accessible website design and an entire ‘framework for thinking about the subject’. It will equip you with the skills to understand, identify and fix issues any accessibility issues you come across. Watch the free videos to get a taste of what is on the course.
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Working with non-profits, charities, voluntary and public sector organisations and social enterprises for over 20 years. Jim set up one of the worlds first website accessibility web agencies in the mid 1990s.