Skip to Content

What is accessibility?

Web accessibility is all about ensuring equal access to material on the web. That means that when someone puts something on the web (what is called "content", and can be a webpage, a PDF, a video, etc.), then that something should be available to as many people that it's intended for as possible, including those with different kinds of disabilities. But how?

One of the keys to accessibility is recognizing that we all surf the web in different ways. Some of us like to just have one window, because it keeps our focus. Some people like to have lots of windows, and lots of tabs, because they feel it makes them more efficient, and they don't forget where they've been. Some of us like to use the mouse as much as we can, while others prefer navigating a page via keyboard. Some of us use our eyes to read pages, while others might use a screenreader or braille display. Note that you don't have to be blind to use text-to-speech technology; some people will use a program to convert their text documents (like PDF) to an audio file, then listen to it, simply because they learn better from audio than visual.

In web accessibility, our goal is to facilitate access to content in as many ways as possible, whether the user employs assistive technology, like screenreaders, or not.

Besides the obvious benefits of widening one's audience to as many people as possible, accessibility has the added benefit of making content consumable by the number one user of the internet - search engines. Video files can't be indexed, but their captions can. Using proper structure helps search engines figure out what a page is "about". Using descriptive link text does the same.

What accessibility is NOT

Accessibility is not difficult (usually)

For 95% of pages, accessibility can be attained by doing four things (it's not a complete list, but it's a good place to start):

  1. Appropriate ALTernate text for images
  2. Proper use of headings, lists, and paragraphs
  3. Data tables have row and column headers
  4. Link text describes the destination of the link

Of these, the most difficult to understand is probably #2, but it's arguably the most important. Structuring your web page like a document, with a clear hierarchy of headings, is one of the top things you can do to be accessible.

Things can get a lot more complex, especially when you start talking about web applications and forms and Javascript. But if you follow these 4 rules, you'll be in good shape.

Accessibility is not optional

Due to the ATI, all Sac State (and affiliated) websites are subject to Section 508, which sets out a set of guidelines for webpages to conform to. The Sac State Standards go beyond Section 508, and we encourage site owners to adopt those guidelines when updating and checking their site for accessibility.

Beyond the legal requirements, there is a good moral reason to incorporate accessibility practices. Today, we would never think of building a government or commercial building that couldn't be accessed by persons who use wheelchairs to get around. It's not just because it's the law, it's just wrong to deny people access based on disability. The same goes for the web.

Accessibility is not extra

Doing accessibility doesn't require that you learn a lot of new tricks and techniques. Yes, there a few things that require some instruction, but they are not big long processes to memorize, more like tips to integrate into your normal workflow. Adding ALT text when you place an image on a page is a matter of filling out a single text box, not lots of menu commands and keystrokes.

Some people think that accessibility requires a lot of extra planning and training, and in some cases that's true. But for most people most of the time, following some best practices (which improve everyone's experience) is enough to take a big first step.

Accessibility is not just one technique

A common misconception about accessibility is that it's just providing alt text for images. But there's so much more to ensuring access. Imagine for a moment that a sighted person accidentally burns their mouse-using hand. Having ALT text for images isn't going to help them because they don't have a problem perceiving the web page, they have a problem operating the page. Accessibility has many dimensions to it, and we shouldn't forget that being accessible is an iterative process.