In today’s digitally driven world, ensuring that eLearning and web experiences are accessible to all is not just an ethical stance—it’s a strategic business decision.
With recent data highlighting that up to 27% of adults in Canada and the United States live with disabilities, the need for accessible design is more apparent than ever. Embracing accessibility means unlocking your digital content for up to a quarter of the population that might otherwise be unable to engage with your online presence.
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Why Accessibility Matters
Accessibility isn’t just about meeting legal standards or ticking boxes; it’s about widening your audience, enhancing user engagement, and ultimately, driving more traffic to your digital platforms. An accessible website or eLearning course ensures that all users, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities, can navigate, understand, and benefit from your content. This not only boosts your social impact but also reflects positively on your brand’s image, showing a commitment to inclusivity and equality.
Our commitment to creating inclusive digital experiences is underscored by our meticulous accessibility audit process. Aligning with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) AA standards, our audits dissect and address every facet of digital accessibility.
Detailed Evaluation and Actionable Feedback
Our accessibility audit process is distinguished by its meticulous evaluation and the provision of actionable feedback for each WCAG criterion. Through a blend of automated tools and expert manual review, we dive deep into the digital product’s architecture, ensuring comprehensive coverage across all accessibility standards. Here’s a detailed look at our approach:
Comprehensive Criterion Assessment:
- Rigorous Evaluation: Each WCAG criterion is thoroughly examined against the digital product to assess compliance. Our evaluations categorize findings into three levels: “Supports”, “Partially Supports”, and “Does Not Support”, ensuring a clear understanding of each element’s accessibility status.
- Detailed Documentation: For every criterion, our audit notes include specific instances where the product meets, partially meets, or fails to meet accessibility standards. These notes are accompanied by detailed comments that describe the issue, its impact on users, and recommended steps for remediation.
Targeted Analysis and Recommendations:
- Non-Text Content: We audit all visual and auditory content for text alternatives (alt text, captions, transcripts). Common issues like missing alt attributes or insufficiently descriptive captions are flagged. Recommendations might include adding alt text that accurately describes images or providing captions and transcripts for videos and audios.
- Navigational Elements: Our analysis includes testing for logical structure and keyboard accessibility, crucial for users who rely on screen readers and keyboard navigation. We identify issues such as missing semantic markup or inconsistent navigation order and recommend improvements like implementing proper heading levels and ensuring all interactive elements are keyboard accessible.
- Visual Design: Color use and contrast are scrutinized to ensure that information is perceivable by users with varying degrees of color vision. Issues like low contrast ratios or color-coded instructions without alternative indicators are addressed. We propose enhancements such as adjusting color contrasts to meet minimum requirements and using shapes, patterns, or text to complement color cues.
- Semantic HTML and Landmarks: To facilitate navigation and content organization, we evaluate the use of semantic HTML and ARIA landmarks. Common findings include the lack of landmark roles or improper use of HTML elements, leading to navigational confusion. Recommendations often involve the introduction of semantic elements (e.g., <nav>, <main>, <aside>) and ARIA landmarks to delineate distinct sections of the page, making the site more intuitive for screen reader users.
- Real-World Impact Considerations: We prioritize issues based on their impact on the user experience, particularly for those relying on assistive technologies. This prioritization helps clients understand which issues to address first to make the most significant improvement in accessibility and user satisfaction.
Actionable Insights and Remediation Plans:
The audit culminates in a set of actionable insights, with clear recommendations for addressing identified issues. This includes:
- Corrective Actions: Specific fixes for non-compliant elements, from adding text alternatives and captions to ensuring logical heading sequences and enhancing keyboard navigation.
- Enhancements: Suggestions for improving overall accessibility, such as implementing additional indicators beyond color for links or improving the visibility of focus states.
- Technical Guidance: Detailed technical advice on how to implement changes, including examples of code adjustments or design modifications.
- Collaborative Implementation and Follow-Up: We work closely with our clients to implement the recommended changes, providing support throughout the remediation process. Ensuring that all modifications meet the desired accessibility standards, cementing our commitment to creating an inclusive digital space.
Deciding to Invest in Accessibility
Choosing to make your digital products accessible is an investment in your brand’s future and social impact. By partnering with us, you’re not just enhancing your website’s or course’s usability; you’re opening your doors to a wider audience, including the 27% of the population that could significantly benefit from accessible content. This decision not only improves user experience across the board but also positions your brand as a leader in inclusivity and digital innovation.
