Digital Accessibility Fundamentals

[Music] equidox pdf accessibility solutions reach everyone the facts about digital accessibility in today’s technological society the internet is part of our daily lives we all shop learn conduct our personal business and enjoy entertainment and recreation online access to digital information is more important than ever digital accessibility is about reaching everyone in your target market people with disabilities make up 20 to 25 percent of the us population some disabilities are easy to perceive such as a person in a wheelchair or who has a guide dog others such as the deaf may not be obvious at first glance some disabilities are not obvious at all such as people with dyslexia cognitive issues brain trauma or mental health conditions and some people with disabilities appear and are quite capable but still have difficulty with some tasks there are also temporary disabilities such as injuries or conditions that make performing daily tasks a bit more challenging so it is important to be mindful that ensuring you can reach everyone is something that needs to be done all the time not just when we perceive that assistance is needed equal access is one of the tenants of the federal laws and regulations about people with disabilities these are divided into two major areas section 508 of the rehabilitation act and the americans with disabilities act section 508 applies to any federal employees or members of the public who need access to government information and communication technology this includes government websites the americans with disabilities act covers public accommodation including organizations with public websites there are also accessibility laws for many states as well there have been a great number of lawsuits in the past few years regarding website accessibility and that number has increased year over year understanding digital accessibility as a means to equal access requires more than just a concept a set of rules or guidelines is required the set of guidelines to which the largest number of organizations refer to is the web content accessibility guidelines developed by the international organization known as the world wide web consortium or w3c [Music] this organization is made up of members from around the globe and the guidelines they have developed usually referred to as wikag have been accepted by many countries worldwide wikag guidelines are not simply a checklist of do’s and don’ts the guidelines consist of a number of best practices which are based on four requirements for maximum accessibility so digital information can reach everyone the first is perceivable meaning that all functions must be able to be perceived by the user that means all buttons must be labeled there must be no area of the website or digital document that a user cannot reach using any means be it a mouse keyboard or voice activation the visible elements should have proper contrast and users should have the ability to enlarge the content the second is operable all functions must be able to be completed by any user for example there should be no function that requires a mouse but cannot be completed with the keyboard next is understandable the content should not be so complicated that it is difficult to understand users should be able to complete the task contained on a website with a reasonable level of effort simpler is assumed to be better in order to benefit the largest number of users last is robust this means that the website or document will function using a variety of browsers a variety of technology and continue to function despite technological updates or advances for example a website should work properly on a laptop tablet smartphone and using whatever assistive technology is best for the user no user should be excluded from access simply by virtue of the method with which they do so digital accessibility is about reaching everyone being inclusive and goes beyond a checklist to include new and changing technologies making your website and digital documents accessible compliant and usable not only meets the letter of the law but makes your digital information available to the broadest possible audience For more information about how Equidox Software Company can help you with PDF accessibility Email us at EquidoxSales@equidox.co Or give us a call at 216-529-3030 Or visit our website at www.equidox.co