When creating and designing a website, you may initially just be concerned with getting something decent up and running. However, if you want to truly connect with your visitors and turn them into lifetime and loyal followers and customers, you’ll have to reach beyond this point.
One demographic that can often get forgotten about when creating websites is those with physical impairments. But if you’re willing and able to create a website that can cater to these groups and help them feel empowered to use your site, you’ve just opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for yourself. To help you get to this point, here are three ways you can make your website more accessible to those who’ve sustained personal injuries or have physical impairments.
Being Accessible To The Deaf Community
While you might not instantly think of the deaf community as having a hard time with some websites, with more and more sites using all forms of media, it can be challenging to get the full experience when you don’t have your hearing. To combat this as a web designer, Ellie Parfitt, a contributor to HearingLikeMe.com, recommends that you do things like put captions to your videos or audio files, gives multiple options for contacting your business, and use simple language, as many deaf people’s first language is sign language, not English. By taking these steps, you can make your website much more inclusive to the deaf community.
Being Accessible To The Blind Community
People who don’t have full use of their sight can also have a very hard time navigating around the Internet and through websites that don’t have their needs in mind. In fact, you may get into some trouble under the Americans with Disabilities Act if you’re not careful. To help make your website friendlier to those within the blind community, Mark Pulliam, a contributor to the LA Times, recommends using fewer pictures, making all text compatible for text-to-speech software, and designing easy-to-use navigation throughout your website.
Being Accessible To The Elderly Community
As many people age, it becomes increasingly hard to work on computers and use the Internet. But with just a few small changes, you can make it much more convenient for those within the elderly community to find your website just as enjoyable and useful as anyone else. According to Ollie Campbell, a contributor to Smashing Magazine, you can cater your website to a more seasoned audience by making the text larger, using contrasting colors, putting subtitles with your videos and more.
To ensure your website is able to reach the audience you’re intending to, it’s always a good idea to have it tested by someone within that community before it goes live. This will allow you to make any necessary changes prior to running into big problems. And to help you do this, consider using the tips mentioned above to make your website more inclusive for people with all abilities.
Originally posted on May 27, 2018 @ 9:24 am