Web Team blogGetting started with digital accessibility
What is digital accessibility?
Let’s be clear, digital accessibility is a great thing.
For some people, however, it can be overwhelming. Even a little intimidating. For others, you might be reading this and thinking - ‘digital, what now!?’
So, what exactly do we mean by digital accessibility?
The brilliant Sheri Byrne-Haber, the author of 'Giving a Damn About Accessibility', defines digital accessibility as...
the inclusive practice of ensuring that everyone has equal access to information, functionality, and experience on digital platforms. That means no barriers prevent interaction with, or access to, digital products by people with any type of disabilities or traits commonly linked to disabilities.
Who is digital accessibility for?
It's for everyone. No, seriously.
The more accessible your content is, the more people can use it. Not convinced? Allow me to throw an example into the mix.
You’re on a particularly noisy train journey into the office. The commuter sitting next to you (probably me, hiya) is watching an episode of last night’s Love Island at full volume. No judgement. Ahem.
To save your sanity, you might decide to disappear down that infamous YouTube rabbit hole. But, gosh darn it, you don’t have a pair of headphones handy. Enter stage left: captions. Et voila. Disappear down that rabbit hole my friend - see you in six hours!
Adding captions means people can watch videos where audio is unavailable. Or when it's inconvenient. If you’re a business especially, that’s excellent news. More people watching = more customers = potentially more sales. Double voila!
So, how do I make my content accessible?
1. Simplify your language
Clear, succinct language is best. Simple does not mean boring.
As an English Literature graduate, I’m terrible at being concise. I friggin' love a long sentence.
To help, I deploy the Hemingway App. It provides helpful feedback on the readability of your text.
What else? Oh, keep your sentences short. Sentences longer than 25 words are generally not accessible. And break up walls of text by formatting your content as numbered lists or bullet points.
Finally, avoid jargon. Some phrases are not universal. Best to say what you mean and mean what you say. Wait, is that a stone being thrown in a glasshouse…
2. Follow the heading hierarchy
Okay, this one is a head-scratcher. Please stick with me.
You must use headings hierarchically on a web page. Why?
Well, a person using a screen reader relies on headings to navigate a web page. For neurodivergent users, a clear hierarchy helps them follow and understand the content.
To create a consistent heading hierarchy, format your headings. So, 'Heading 1', 'Heading 2' and so on.
Skipping heading ranks can be confusing. Make sure a Heading 2 is not followed by a Heading 4, for example.
Pssst, repeat after me - styling your text as bold or enlarging the font size does not make a heading.
3. Use descriptive link text
Before we dive in, first let's clarify what I mean by link text.
So, link text is the text you select for a link on a web page. It should explain what information the user will find when they click on that link. For example, Download a prospectus is link text. Join a virtual visit is link text.
When it comes to accessibility, avoid writing vague link text such as, ‘Click here’ or ‘Read more’. This can make it challenging for people to understand where the link will take them.
Also, never include the full web address as link text. For example, www.strath.ac.uk (the irony of writing that is not lost on me, dear reader). Better link text would be the University of Strathclyde.
4. Add captions to videos & podcasts
All video and audio content you publish on the website should have captions.
Captions are key for people who cannot hear the content. They also help people who find it challenging to absorb information when it’s spoken.
Fun fact. A study found that 71% of students without hearing difficulties use captions. It helps them to retain information.
Try it for yourself! The next time you watch a video on YouTube, turn on the captions to see the difference it makes. I'll bet you'll take in the information more than you would if you simply listened to it.
5. Alternative text
Huh? Yeah, that was my first thought when I first stumbled upon alt text (alternative text). Let me explain…
Alt text describes the appearance or function of an image on a web page. It’s read aloud by screen readers. It tells a screen reader what exactly the image is.
Let’s take this picture of my dog, Holly.
If we add alt text to this image, we might write ‘Happy dog’. However, depending on this image’s context, you might want to tell people her colour and breed. Or the fact she’s at Irvine Beach, having a rocking good time.
When adding alt text to an image, avoid writing, ‘An image of…’ or ‘A picture of…’. Also, if the image is decorative, we'd suggest not including alt text. Doing so communicates to assistive technologies that ignoring this image is okay. It’s there for decoration purposes only.
About me...
Hello, I'm Lyndsay Henderson. I work as a Digital Content Officer at the University of Strathclyde. Three random things to know about me...
- My favourite hobby: it's a very close call between running marathons and reading books. Nope, sorry. I can't. I love both equally. Don't make me choose!
- My favourite food: Gosh. Okay, vegan mac n'cheese. Followed by some bourbon biscuits dunked in a very large cup of tea.
- The last song I played on Spotify was: Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush. Classic.
Sign up
Want to learn more about Digital Accessibility?
Then attend our new Introduction to Digital Accessibility course.
We'll show you how to make your content accessible and demonstrate the very real impact of inaccessible content.
You will not want to miss it!