Web Accessibility Standards

Understand WCAG 2.1: Web Accessibility Guidelines for everyone's digital experience.

Guide to WCAG 2.1 Guidelines

Getting Started

If you’re a website owner or developer, it’s important to understand the WCAG 2.1 guidelines for web accessibility.

These guidelines were created to ensure that people with disabilities can access and use your website.

By making your website accessible, you’ll be able to reach a wider audience and improve the user experience for everyone.

Who is it for?

The WCAG 2.1 guidelines are for anyone who creates or maintains a website, including:

  • Web developers
  • Web designers
  • Content creators
  • Website owners

How To

  1. Provide alternative text for images and other non-text content.
  2. Ensure that all website functionality can be accessed using a keyboard.
  3. Use clear and concise language for all website content.
  4. Ensure that website content is easy to read and understand.
  5. Provide captions and transcripts for all audio and video content.
  6. Use headings and subheadings to organize content.
  7. Ensure that all website forms are accessible.
  8. Ensure that website navigation is clear and consistent.
  9. Use color contrast to make website content easy to read.
  10. Ensure that website content is compatible with assistive technologies.

Best Practices

  • Make sure your website is keyboard accessible.
  • Provide alternative text for all images and non-text content.
  • Ensure that website content is easy to read and understand.
  • Test your website with assistive technologies to ensure accessibility.

Examples

Let’s say you’re a website owner and you want to make your website more accessible.

Here are some real-world examples of how you can apply the WCAG 2.1 guidelines:

Alternative Text for Images

One of the guidelines is to provide alternative text for images.

This means that if you have an image on your website, you should provide a brief description of what the image is.

For example, if you have an image of a cat on your website, you might provide the alternative text “A gray and white cat sitting on a windowsill”.

Keyboard Accessibility

Another guideline is to ensure that all website functionality can be accessed using a keyboard.

This means that users should be able to navigate your website and interact with all elements using only the keyboard.

For example, if you have a dropdown menu on your website, users should be able to open and close the menu using only the keyboard.

Color Contrast

Color contrast is another important guideline.

You should ensure that your website content has enough contrast between the text and background to make it easy to read.

For example, if you have white text on a light gray background, it might be difficult for some users to read.

You could increase the contrast by changing the background to a darker gray.

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