Digital accessibility is the inclusive practice of removing barriers to creating, accessing, and using information in digital mediums. It includes websites, documents, and multimedia that are typically accessed with a computer or mobile device as well as internet mediated communication tools like Zoom.
Accessibility in digital environments is approached from a functional standpoint while simultaneously considering a broad range of user abilities, skills, tools, and preferences related to the use of digital technologies, including:
This list is not exhaustive, but offers a starting point for understanding components of accessibility in digital environments.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops guidelines that are considered the international standard for web accessibility through its Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). These strategies can be understood and applied by folks at most levels of technical skill and consider accessibility as a function of content, the tools used to access content, and the tools used to create content.
Accessible information, content, and navigation is perceivable to all users. This includes providing text alternatives for non-text content, use of captions, descriptions, and interpretations for video and audio content, appropriate use of styling and sequencing, and designing content that is easier to see and hear.
Accessible information, content, and navigation is operable by all users. Operability considerations include keyboard accessibility as well as non-keyboard input modalities (such as speech and voice recognition), providing sufficient time for reading and using content, organizing content for ease of navigation, and avoiding content that can cause seizures and physical reactions.
Accessible information, content, and navigation is understandable by all users. Understandable content is readable and understandable to a wide audience with predictable, logical appearance and ordering and efforts to help users avoid and correct mistakes.
Accessible information, content, and navigation is robust enough to be interpreted by all users by ensuring that content is compatible with user tools.
