“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
– Christopher Reeve

ADA / WCAG Web Compliance & Standards

ADA (Americans for Disabilities Act) | WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)

The disabled should be able to access and view the same content that the rest of us take for granted. The WCAG are a series of methods of how to create a friendly, readable website for the disabled. The WCAG is currently the online "mirror" for the ADA. That means if you design a website with WCAG, you're basically following ADA guidelines. However, there are laws currently on the table which may establish ADA as an official protocol for online use as well.

Open For Technical Details

ADA / WCAG Guidelines

One thing that frustrates me is our lack of care for the elderly and disabled. But we can at least do our part by providing online services that will assist them. Since technology is so prevalent in our modern society, it is something we should consider to be equally as important. A website modified for accessibility is a great start, but the ideal solution would be to build a parallel site that incorporates all the elements below.

  • Larger font size: Easily readable on page
  • Color palette... a few shades off full contrast. In other words, full (pure black and pure white) contrast can be tiring, even painful to the eyes over time. So each of those colors would need to be moderated a few shades (white to off-white), (black to gray). It remains high contrast without being overly tiring.
  • Explanations: Elements on your site should be explained clearly.
  • Navigation: Easily readable, uncrowded menu, and links that are intuitive.
  • Black and white: A function to allow removal of colors on the website and make it completely grayscale.
  • Element spacing: Elements should have extra spacing to allow better focus on each element.
  • Images: Give the option to allow images to expand to a larger size (like a modal).
  • Alt text: Images should have descriptions. Titles but most important is Alt-text. This is what screen-readers use and it is also helpful for SEO.

Other Helpful Methods

  • Voice controlled website: A website that you can navigate by voice and that reads to you.
  • WCAG Widget: This allows you to have a normal website with an added widget. This widget can do things like increase font size, add or remove contrast, make your site grayscale, etc....
  • Build a parallel site: Create a new website specifically designed for ADA/WCAG that runs in parallel with your current website. This allows disabled users to go to it if they are having trouble reading or navigating your current website.