Introduction to accessibility

If you’ve heard about accessibility, but don’t yet know much about it, or where to start to play your own part in helping customers and users, this is for you.

What is ‘accessibility’?

Often, things are designed and built in ways that work for a lot of people. Accessible things are things that everyone can use.

According to the World Wide Web Consortium (the W3C):

When websites and web tools are properly designed and coded, people with disabilities can use them. Making the web accessible benefits individuals, businesses, and society.

So, it’s important you make sure what you do is properly designed and coded.

By doing that, people with disabilities can use your software. Which is something we should all been aiming for.

The Interaction Design Association goes one step further, saying:

Accessibility is the concept of whether a product or service can be used by everyone — however they encounter it.

Which takes accessibility beyond just people with disabilities and tells us we need to try and make sure everyone can use our software, using whatever device or technology they have.

Of course, there are always some practical limitations – perhaps some older devices or browsers aren’t supported – but what is most important is we try to make sure our software is made in a way that ensures everybody has at least the chance to use our tools (even it that means switching to a newer device).

How many people in the UK have accessibility needs?

14.1 million people (21%) in the UK have a disability (UK Government Department for Work and Pensions, Family Resources Survey: financial year 2019 to 2020).

That’s one in five people!

A person is considered to have a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment that has ‘substantial’ and ‘long term’ negative effects on their ability to do normal daily activities.

But, while 20% is a very significant portion of the population, it still doesn’t include people with a physical or mental impairment that is less severe, but which still means they’d benefit from improved accessibility.

Sight loss

2 million people (3%) have sight loss that has a significant impact on daily life (RNIB, The State of the Nation: Eye Health 2016).

That’s one for every thirty people you know or come across.

One in every thirty of your software’s users has significant challenges seeing what’s on screen.

If your software isn’t accessible for people with significant vision impairments, these people probably can’t use it.

Hearing

11 million people (16%) are deaf or hard of hearing (UK Government Central Digital & Data Office).

Subtitles, transcripts and thoughtful on-screen graphics make videos and presentations accessible for a lot of people.

Language

5 million people (7.7%) do not state English as their main language (UK Office for National Statistics).

If your software uses only English, and the language is complicated, ambiguous or badly written, it’ll be harder to use for a lot of people.

Dyslexia

6.3 million people (10%) have dyslexia (UK Government Central Digital & Data Office).

Dyslexia can affect reading or writing skills, comprehension, or the processing or remembering of information. It can make it harder for someone to learn. It can make it harder for someone to use your software.

Who does accessibility help?

A wide range of people have permanent, developing or temporary accessibility needs who can benefit from improved accessibility in their day-to-day lives – and when using your software.

People with learning or reading difficulties

People with learning or reading difficulties shouldn’t be excluded from using your software.

You could argue some people have disabilities too severe to reasonably expect them to be using your software. But where do you draw that line?

The best we can do is make our software as accessible as possible – removing a barrier for someone who could use it.

That way we don’t draw any line. Instead, we only create opportunities.

People with limited motor skills or a degenerative illness

People with limited motor skills or a degenerative illness such as motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s’ or dementia can benefit.

For someone with a permanent physical disability, we can open up opportunities for them to work.

For someone with a degenerative illness we help them keep their independence for longer.

People with broken arms, migraines or hangovers

Just because some impairments are temporary or self-inflicted, it doesn’t mean they are trivial.

These people still have tasks to perform. Let’s make it as easy as possible for

People in different places

People in noisy environments, or in bright sunshine. People on an old bus with poor suspension. People on a mobile phone with a broken screen.

They will all benefit from your software being as accessible and adaptable as possible.

What accessible features could your software support?

‘Universally accessible’ software is software that just works. It works or adapts for everyone, without any or much customisation needed.

Here are some of the different ways people might access your software:

• Screen size and orientation – desktop computer, tablet, mobile device, TV
• Scaling – browser zoom, text zoom, screen magnifier
• Display type – colour display, braille display
• Screen reader – Narrator, Voiceover, JAWS, Dolphin, NVDA
• Colour preferences – high or low contrast, inverted, dark mode, custom
• Reduced motion – device or browser setting
• Input method – mouse, touch, keyboard, voice, switch, braille
• Subtitles, captions, transcripts, alt attributes – in presentations, videos, images

What is the law in the UK?

Our legal obligation to make our organisations and products accessible is nothing new.

Disability and equality

In 1995, the UK’s Disability Discrimination Act was introduced. That’s 27 years ago.

In 2010 the Equality Act replaced the Disability Discrimination Act and further strengthened the rights of persons with disabilities.

That’s now twelve years old this year. And still a lot of software out there doesn’t meet people’s accessibility needs.

Access to information

In 2009 the United Kingdom ratified its acceptance of The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (UNCRPD), which recognises access to information as a human right.

That’s worth repeating: Access to information is a human right.

That puts it alongside protections of civil, political and cultural rights and the elimination of discrimination on the basis of race or gender.

That’s quite a thing.

So, the law – applying to all organisations, business and services – has been clear for many years. And organisations are being challenged in the courts ever more frequently.

Is the idea of accessiblewebsites and software new?

No, not really.

W3C and HTML

In 1994 the W3C – the Word Wide Web Consortium – was formed by Tim Berners-Lee to ensure international standards for the web were created and adopted.

In 1995, the first major standard of HTML was completed. This included many of the html tags we still use today for building websites and web apps and formed the basis for everything that came since.

Accessibility was built into the HTML specification from the very start. That was 27 years ago.

In 2014, HTML 5.0 was published. Even that’s now eight years old.

HTML 5.0 made things simpler and included some useful new elements – many of which help make the web more accessible.

But, at its core, most of the basic elements and concepts specified three decades ago are still going strong.

WAI-ARIA

In 2006, the W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative team (WAI) published the first version of ARIA – the ‘Accessible Rich Internet Applications’ specification.

According to the W3C:

WAI-ARIA defines a set of additional HTML attributes that can be applied to elements to provide additional semantics and improve accessibility wherever it is lacking.

Properly-written HTML is essential for accessibility. Properly-written HTML extended with WAI-ARIA can make the user experience very good… even exceptional for someone with accessibility needs.

WCAG

In 1999 (23 years ago), the first version of WCAG – the Web Content and Accessibility Guidelines – was published.

These guidelines provide a wealth of information, useful to anyone specifying, designing or building accessible websites and software.

In 2008 WCAG 2.0 published, which gave us even more useful guidance.

2018 saw WCAG 2.1 add some important additional success criteria.

WCAG 2.0 and 2.1 compliance is seen by many as the ‘gold standard’ for accessibility.

But it’s really only a part of the mix of things you should be doing to ensure accessibility works in the real world, not just on paper.

British and international standards

So, while HTML, WAI-ARIA and WCAG help us with the design and technical side of accessibility, in 2010 the UK published Jonathan Hassell’s British Standard 8878 Web accessibility code of practice, which defined a process for creating and embedding a web accessibility strategy within an organisation.

This gave us new ideas and processes to help with the organisational challenges of implementing, improving and maintaining accessibility.

The British Standard was so good, in 2019 it was upgraded to the internationally recognised standard ISO/IEC 30071-1 Code of practice for creating accessible ICT products and services.

It’s a mouthful, but it’s really good.

I recommend you read more about the two standards on Hassell Inclusion’s website.

Is good accessibility good for business?

Yes. If we make our organisations’ software, tools, websites and other interactions accessible, many millions more people become potential customers and users.

Is good accessibility good for people?

Yes. Because it gives people independence.

If we make sure our software is accessible, we can help people with accessibility needs pay their own bills, speak to their doctor in private, book a holiday and get access to education.

If our software is accessible, we can give people with accessibility needs a greater chance of getting work, opening up workplaces and careers they wouldn’t otherwise be able to enjoy.

We can make a real and profound difference to people’s lives.

It’s the right thing to do

Many of our users and potential customers need accessible software.

Our legal obligations are clear.

We have mature technical tools, guidelines and international standards for how to do it well.

And morally, making our software and organisations accessible is the right thing to do.

What can you do?

Accessibility is a big and fascinating subject.

But accessibility isn’t hard to learn about or implement.

And we can all do our bit, no matter what our role in an organisation.

• Leaders and managers can make sure everyone’s thinking about it. They can include accessibility in company policy, encourage learning and set targets.

• Sales, marketing and accounts can make sure websites, presentations and written documents are accessible. It’s not just about the software you make. Anyone you come into contact with as an organisation might have accessibility needs. If your products are easier for more people to buy and keep, you’re more likely to sell and retain.

• Product teams can make sure accessibility is included in strategy and production. If accessibility is in the specification, it has a great chance of getting into the product.

• Designers, developers and quality engineers can make sure accessibility is built-in and maintained. There are always new ideas and technologies to learn. And making your software accessible is one of most rewarding things you can do. Understanding the basics of WCAG and WAI-ARIA, and knowing how to use html tags properly, will make all the difference.

Where to start?

Start somewhere. It doesn’t matter where. Be curious.

Free online course

Maybe start with the W3C’s Introduction to Web Accessibility.

It’s a really good, free, short course on web accessibility. It’s aimed at a broad audience, so everyone will get something useful out of it.

Speak to someone

If you know someone with accessibility needs, speak to them and ask them about their experience of using apps and the web.

Ask them how the world could be a better place for them. I guarantee it’ll open your mind.

Tell people

Tell everyone you meet that accessibility is important.

And that you’re doing your bit to help.

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