Web accessibility concerns more than an individual's ability to access the content. It also impacts how well content transitions from section to section, including appropriate differentiation of font colors, as well as appropriate use of typeface headings. Such headings should not be used as a decorative element but rather as a structural element to help the content flow and make sense.
Potential Barriers
Web accessibility addresses all barriers that may impact access to web content:
Visual Barriers: This includes, but is not limited to, blindness, low vision, and color-blindness.
Auditory Barriers: This includes, but is not limited to, deafness and hard-of-hearing.
Physical Barriers: This includes, but is not limited to, inability to use a mouse, slow response time, limited fine motor control.
Cognitive Barriers: This includes, but is not limited to, learning disabilities, distractibility, inability to remember or focus on large amounts of information.
Assistive Technologies
For individuals with disabilities, various means of assistive technologies exist to aid in their accessing of digital information. These assistive technologies include the following:
- screen reading software
- magnification software
- speech recognition software
- alternative input devices
- refreshable braille displays
The following videos demonstrate how users with impairments experience a web page when using such assistive technologies.
Screen Reader Demo
User demonstrates the JAWS screen reader.
Screen Reader Demo for Digital Accessibility
Screen Reader Demo for Digital Accessibility.