What is accessibility - aduggin/accessibility-notes GitHub Wiki

Accessibility is about ensuring that people with impairments have equal access to information, services, systems and environments and that there are no barriers that prevent people from using them:

People that can not distinguish colours can understand all information

  • avoid instruction that rely on colour
  • don't communicate through colour alone

People that have low vision are able to see content

  • default text size is not too small
  • default colour contrast is good
  • the appearance of online content can be overridden (with browser and operating system settings) - and guidance is provided on how to do this is easy to find

This also helps people experiencing a situational impairment such as bright sunlight

People that have a vision impairment and do not use the internet can get content in their preferred format

  • ensure you have a process in place so that you can provide large print, braille, audio CD

People that use screen magnifiers and can only see part of the screen are able to use the interface

  • interface controls are found in a consistent location to they can be easily found
  • where possible controls are located close together to reduce the need for horizontal scrolling
  • the online service has been tested with a screen magnifier and with users who use a screen magnifier

People that use a screenreader and/or braille device can access all online content and functionality

  • when content is read out it is read out in the correct order
  • all content that is communicated visually has a text alternative (images, infographics and video)
  • HTML is used appropriately and follows best practice so that tables and forms can be understood and used
  • headings are provided and marked up correctly so that provide information about the content is available and can be used for navigation and to provide an overview of the content on a page
  • everything that works with a mouse also works with the keyboard
  • the online service has been tested with the most common screenreader and browser combinations (JAWS 16 with IE 11, NVDA with Firefox and VoiceOver for iOS with Safari) and with users who use screenreaders

People that use a keyboard (rather than a mouse) can do everything that can be done with a mouse

  • make sure that there is visible focus
  • make sure the appropriate HTML elements have bee used so that all links and buttons work with the keyboard
  • make sure that any more complex interactions work with a keyboard - drag and drop, sliders etc
  • make sure there are no keyboard traps

People that cannot hear can get audio content through another sense such as sight or touch

  • online video needs captions and text transcript
  • audio alerts also need a visual or haptic alert

People that cannot hear are able to provide information in a way that doesn't require them to hear

  • online forms don't have mandatory phone number fields
  • don't just provide telephony, provide a text alternative such as email, SMS or paper

People that struggle to read and write English due to it not being their first language are able to get content in their first language

  • where possble provide content as HTML rather than non-HTML formats (such as PDF) so it can be easily translated using services such as Google Translate
  • ensure content can be provides in British Sign Language, Easy Read and Welsh

People that require communication support can get it and are able to use it

  • ensure D/deaf people that need communication support for face to face contact get the appropriate support for them (not all deaf people use British Sign Language, they may rely on lip reading or speech to text for example)
  • if deaf communication support is needed on the telephone or internet via a rely service then it must be possible to communicate through the 3rd party. For example, if someone in a call services refuses to speak with the 3rd party how this person needing communication support expected to be able to communicate.

People that struggle to read are provided with text that is simple and easy to understand

  • plain language
  • no jargon
  • abbreviations are expanded
  • text left aligned (not justified)
  • appearance of content can be customised (colour of text and background, font) as this makes text easier to read for some people
  • digital content is compatible with text to speech software so the content can be heard rather than read
  • images and video are provided to supplement text content

For example, people that are dyslexic (10% of population) and people on the autistic spectrum (700,000 people in UK), people that have English as a second language or have low English literacy.

People that struggle to spell and use literacy software are able to use it with online forms

  • Follow form code best practice
  • test the service with literacy software such and Read and Write

People that have a speech impediment are able to communicate through a text based medium

  • such as email, SMS, web chat and paper

People that are susceptible to seizures are not exposed to flashing content

  • don't autoplay any flashing content
  • provide warnings for any flashing content

People that use a wheelchair are able to access service building

  • ensure there are routes that do not have steps