Have you ever wondered how individuals with visual impairments view content online? or how do people with hearing disabilities consume videos?
What is web accessibility?
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) states that “Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them”.
Simply put, it is the practice of inclusive design that ensures that anyone can seamlessly consume any kind of digital content.
Why does this matter?
WHO estimates that over 5% of the world's population is affected by disabling hearing loss, that is projected to increase to 1 in every 10 people by 2050.
At the same time, around 2.2 billion people have some form of vision impairment.
Every company today has some involvement in the digital space, either through their products or via internal systems. Thus, it becomes exceedingly important to have conversations around web accessibility to build a more inclusive environment for all.
What if we do not address it?
It will create an ecosystem of products that cannot be used by a large section of our population
It will develop a cycle of playing catch-up because at some point, businesses will have to start thinking about these problems. It might just be too late to change anything then
It will set the precedent that it’s okay to ignore a section of the population in the quest for rapidly innovation
A step in the right direction
Companies like Apple and Netflix have started to incorporate features that focus on making their products usable to all.
How can you help?
Educate yourself about the types of disabilities that hamper web content consumption and how it can be helped
Imbibe the principles and apply them whenever possible, even if you're creating content for your personal accounts
Don't be afraid to start the conversation with your peers. Change begins with you
Have you ever been in a situation where you or someone you know had difficulty in consuming web content? What tools were available to them to remedy the problem? Let us know in the comments.
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