Web accessibility. Lots of people are talking about it.
But what is it? And how do you get started?
In her Web Accessibility: Where Do You Start? talk at WordCamp Brighton 2017, Rian Rietveld explained that web accessibility is a team effort.
It’s not something only one person does; it’s your entire team.
And that means the first person to get on board is your client. They have to sign on.
After they agree, your project manager gets involved to ensure the right people are on the team, including the:
- Information architect
- Designer
- Developer
- Content manager
They all have a role to play and contributions to make in creating an accessible website.
What You Will Learn
In her 37-minute video, Rietveld explains how to look at your website project differently when it comes to accessibility.
What you can do, and what to avoid as your team works toward creating an accessible website.
On color contrast, Rietveld says:
Dear designers,
Put your ego away. And look at your user.
If your design is really beautiful to see, but your user cannot read it, it’s useless.
You’ll find takeaways for every person on your team. And reminders to change your point of view.
Don’t create a website for yourself. Create a website for your user.
In addition, she shares helpful code examples and resources to help you along the way.
And discusses which organizations have done a good job in creating accessible websites (BBC Sports).
And which ones have room for improvement (Donald Trump campaign site).
Summary
If you’ve been wanting to get started with web accessibility, this video will lay down a good foundation for you, with lots of resource which will help you learn more.
I captioned the video for Rietveld earlier this year. And kept meaning to share it on my blog. Here it is, I hope you enjoy it!
