Accessibility as a Service: Enhancing Your Digital Reach

Digital accessibility is about ensuring websites and apps are usable for everyone, regardless of their abilities. This includes people with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments. While accessibility isn't a new concept, its importance has grown significantly. Here’s why it matters for your business:

• It’s the right thing to do: Everyone deserves equal access to digital information and services.
• It’s smart business: Accessible sites can reach a larger audience and improve the user experience for everyone.
• It’s legally required: Many countries have implemented accessibility laws that businesses must follow.

What Does Good Accessibility Look Like?

Picture a website where:

• Screen readers can smoothly read the content aloud.
• Videos have accurate subtitles and transcriptions.
• Text contrasts well against backgrounds for easy readability.
• Forms can be navigated using only a keyboard.
• Content is written in straightforward, simple language.

Let’s explore some key accessibility features and how they can be effectively implemented.

Alternative Text for Images

Purpose: Alt text describes images for users who can’t see them, including those using screen readers or with slow internet connections.

Effective Implementation: Alt text should be short and descriptive. For example, instead of using "logo.jpg," describe it as "Company XYZ logo: a blue triangle with white text." If the logo links to the home page, use "Company XYZ homepage."

The above screenshot is from Bennetts, our client, who asked us to take care of accessibility on their website.

Color Contrast

Purpose: Ensures text is readable against its background, which is crucial for users with visual impairments and benefits everyone.

Effective Implementation: Follow WCAG guidelines with a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for larger text.

Skip Links

Purpose: Allows users to bypass repetitive content, like menus, and go directly to the main content using the keyboard.

Effective Implementation: Provide a hidden link that becomes visible when focused, ideally as the first item on the page.

Responsive Design

Purpose: Ensures websites work well on various devices and screen sizes.

Effective Implementation: Make sure content adjusts properly on smaller screens without needing horizontal scrolling, and touch targets are large enough for mobile users.

Evaluating Accessibility: How to Stay on Track

To ensure your site is accessible, use tools like Google Lighthouse, which provides automated checks for web page quality, including accessibility. A high score indicates good accessibility. However, don't rely solely on tools—manual testing is essential, and we can assist with that.

How We Can Help Make Your Website Accessible

This is where we help you. At Bejamas, we’ve identified a need in the market and integrated accessibility into every step of our development process, ensuring it’s a fundamental aspect rather than an afterthought.

How We Do It

Design Team

Our designers incorporate accessibility principles right from the design phase. They focus on color contrast, visual cues, and layout structures that work well with screen readers.

Developer-Driven Accessibility

Our developers follow best practices like using semantic HTML, setting up proper heading structures, and ensuring keyboard navigability. They add alt texts, aria-labels, and other features to ensure screen readers can interpret the content accurately.

QA Team

After development, our QA team reviews the project. They’re experts in accessibility and well-versed in WCAG guidelines. We adapt our approach to meet your specific accessibility goals.

Tools We Use

In addition to our team’s expertise, we use advanced tools like Axe Devtools to catch issues that might be missed otherwise. These tools help us quickly identify and resolve accessibility problems.

Automated Accessibility Testing

For each project, we implement automated tests using Playwright to thoroughly examine every part of your site. These tests identify accessibility issues on all pages, ensuring consistent compliance.

Keyboard Navigation and Screen Reader Optimization

We ensure that every site we develop can be fully navigated using a keyboard, helping users with motor impairments. We also optimize for screen readers, ensuring that visually impaired users can easily understand and interact with your content.

Conclusion: Making Digital Spaces Inclusive

If you’re ready to enhance your digital accessibility but aren’t sure where to start, we’re here to assist. Want to learn more about how we can tailor our accessibility services to your needs? Let’s connect. Contact us at sales@bejamas.io or visit Bejamas to begin making your digital spaces more inclusive.

By prioritizing accessibility, you’ll not only comply with legal requirements but also expand your reach and improve user satisfaction. As digital landscapes evolve, making accessibility a priority ensures everyone can access and enjoy your content. Accept it as the standard, and you’ll see positive impacts on both your business and your community.