- Web accessibility not only serves to advance equal opportunities when browsing pages, but also improves usability for all citizens.
Within digital accessibility, we can find an even more specific category: web accessibility. What does it consist of?
What is web accessibility
Web accessibility refers to the design and development of websites that can be used by as many people as possible, including those with disabilities.
As with digital accessibility, web accessibility must be governed by presenting websites that are perceivable, operable, robust and understandable.
However, as specified in the Ilunion blog, web accessibility (in Spanish) ‘is not limited exclusively to people with disabilities, but seeks to create inclusive experiences that consider the various ways in which users interact and navigate the web’.
Similarly, it also explains that ‘those who access the web from mobile devices or with slower internet connections also benefit from accessible design’.
What are the benefits of web accessibility?
One of the main benefits, a feature shared with any type of accessibility, is the removal of barriers. The result is greater reach and a higher degree of inclusion by allowing people with different types of disabilities (such as visual, hearing, motor or cognitive) to access the services or information available on the corresponding websites.
In addition to promoting equal opportunities, accessibility can also lead to a better user experience for the general public by presenting clear content and logical structures, which results in better usability and understanding of the website.
Similarly, and in this case from the perspective of the websites themselves rather than those who browse them, SEO positioning can be improved. The use of alternative text in images or improvements in content structuring can help improve positioning in search engines.
Likewise, thanks to this greater potential reach, a larger audience can also be reached, thereby generating higher traffic.
How do you make a website accessible?
To achieve an accessible website, a number of considerations must be taken into account, ranging from text writing issues to technical issues.
As far as texts are concerned, they should be concise and avoid technical or complex language.
On the more technical side, it is also advisable to use semantic tags in HTML to organise headings, lists and paragraph tags.
In terms of navigation, the recommendation is to make it possible not only via the mouse but also via the keyboard, which is also common practice in digital accessibility as a whole.
Finally, with regard to audiovisual content, there are several issues to consider. For example, textual alternatives to images and graphics must be provided using the ALT attribute.
Likewise, to ensure readability, colour combinations with sufficient contrast must be used.
And finally, for multimedia content, subtitles and audio descriptions must be provided.
Telefónica accessible
Telefónica’s Digital Inclusion Report, when discussing inclusive access, includes the auditing of websites and applications, as well as sign language video interpretation in call centres and shops and accessibility in the device catalogue.
In this document on accessibility, the operator explains how it seeks to make its broadband communications networks available to everyone in all regions, regardless of whether we are talking about rural or urban areas, and with a long-term approach.
Similarly, in this report, the company highlights its contribution to the provision of affordable digital technologies for vulnerable groups.
