42 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
42 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
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---
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title: Accessibility
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---
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## Accessibility
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<strong>Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web</strong>.
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More specifically, Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, and that they can
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contribute to the Web. Web accessibility also benefits others, including [older people](https://www.w3.org/WAI/bcase/soc.html#of) with changing abilities
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due to aging.
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Web accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the Web, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological
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disabilities. The document [How People with Disabilities Use the Web](http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/people-use-web/Overview.html) describes how different
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disabilities affect Web use and includes scenarios of people with disabilities using the Web.
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Web accessibility also **benefits** people *without* disabilities. For example, a key principle of Web accessibility is designing Web sites and software
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that are flexible to meet different user needs, preferences, and situations. This **flexibility** also benefits people *without* disabilities in certain
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situations, such as people using a slow Internet connection, people with "temporary disabilities" such as a broken arm, and people with changing abilities
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due to aging. The document [Developing a Web Accessibility Business Case for Your Organization](https://www.w3.org/WAI/bcase/Overview) describes many
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different benefits of Web accessibility, including **benefits for organizations**.
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Web accessibility should also include the people who don't have access to the internet or to computers.
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A prominent guideline for web development was introduced by the [World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)](https://www.w3.org/), the [Web Accessibility Initiative](https://www.w3.org/WAI/)
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from which we get the [WAI-ARIA](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Accessibility/WAI-ARIA_basics), the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite.
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Where WAI tackles the semantics of html to more easily nagivate the DOM Tree, ARIA attempts to make web apps, especially those developed with javascript and
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AJAX, more accessible.
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The use of images and graphics on websites can decrease accessibility for those with visual impairments. However, this doesn't mean designers should avoid
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using these visual elements. When used correctly, visual elements can convey the appropriate look and feel to users without disabilities and should be used
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to do so. In order to use these elements appropriately, web designers must use alt text to communicate the message of these elements to those who cannot see
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them. Alt text should be short and to the point--generally [no more than five to 15 words](https://www.thoughtco.com/writing-great-alt-text-3466185). If a
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graphic is used to convey information that exceeds the limitations of alt text, that information should also exist as web text in order to be read by screen
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readers. [Learn more about alt text](https://webaim.org/techniques/alttext/).
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Just like Alt text is for people who are visually impaired, transcripts of the audio are for the people who cannot listen. Providing a written document or a transcript of what is being spoken accessible to people who are hard of hearing.
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Copyright © 2005 <a href="http://www.w3.org" shape="rect">World Wide Web Consortium</a>, (<a href="http://www.csail.mit.edu/" shape="rect">MIT</a>, <a href="http://www.ercim.org" shape="rect">ERCIM</a>, <a href="http://www.keio.ac.jp" shape="rect">Keio</a>,<a href="http://ev.buaa.edu.cn" shape="rect">Beihang</a>). http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/2015/doc-license
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### More Information:
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<a href='https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/accessibility.php' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>w3.org introduction to accessibility.</a>
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<a href='http://a11yproject.com/' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>The A11Y Project</a>
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