Accessibility Principles for ICT (WCAG)

Published on 06 Dec 2019

Accessibility is the successful access that people with disabilities have to content and spaces. As I mentioned at the end of Accommodation versus Inclusive Design, I concluded that accessibility is a mismatch between the design and a user's needs. On the web (or with ICT - information and communication technology) we can create that match by starting with W3C's web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG). The 4 principles of WCAG are:

perceivable: broadening the sensory experiences to include sight, sound, and touch,
operable: all interactive components and navigation are navigable and usable,
understandable: content, component functionality, and design are easy to understand, and
robust: content & functionality is compatible with a variety of browsers, devices, and assistive technologies.

I won't go into further detail about all its success criteria just because I've written quite a bit about them while studying for the WAS exam. However, I do want to mention some common challenges that people face when on the web, and how accessible design can help designers and developers be aware of how to address these barriers.

Problem area	Solution(s)
Images	Use alternative text or a visible caption/description
Color	Supplement color-coding with other coding information (shapes, texture, etc.)
Contrast	Foreground color should stand out (high contrast) against the background color
Video & audio	Include captions and transcripts with video and audio files Include audio description with video
Links	Use understandable text with intent, functionality, or destination of the hyperlink
Headings	Create a logical outline with the headings to make it well-structured and navigable
Keyboard access	Make each interactive component on the page reachable by the keyboard All interactive components should create a logical tabbing order Focus should be visible on interactive components
Tables	Assign headers to columns or rows
Forms	Explicitly assign a label to every form input
Dynamic JavaScript	Explicitly assign a name, role, state and/or properties Assign point of focus when widgets are created
PDF documents	Create tags for all structures in a PDF

Universal design creates products and environments that the vast majority of people can use, taking into account the natural physical diversity among people. Universal design doesn't just think about people with disabilities, it thinks about a lot of people. By expanding our view from accessible design to universal design, we can make a more usable experience for a lot more people.

Stay tuned for my next post that will go further into universal design, its origins, and its solutions in the context of the physical world.

Checklist to avoid the most common accessibility errors (Bruce Lawson, 2019)
WebAIM's WCAG 2 Checklist
WCAG Quick Reference

100 Days of A11y

Accessibility Principles for ICT (WCAG)

Challenges on the web

Universal design can help

Additional reading