Designing for everyone: accessibility as a business advantage
Web accessibility is the practice of designing websites without barriers to users. It improves online experiences for people with permanent disabilities as well as those with temporary or situational needs. Accessibility benefits everyone – from people recovering from injuries, to those using a phone in bright sunlight, to users on older devices.
A fully accessible website combines many elements such as:
- Clear structure and logical navigation
- Code optimised for text-to-speech and text-to-Braille devices
- Closed captions or sign language for video content
- Responsive text and images that adapt to any screen size
- Colour choices that meet contrast ratio standards
- Semantic HTML and properly labelled forms and media
- Full keyboard operability
Managing all these aspects can be challenging. As specialists in accessible website design, we work with you to ensure your site meets the highest standards.
Guarding against legal action
In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 gives you a legal duty to make your website as accessible as possible; failing to do so could land you with legal complications. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define international standards for accessible design and development. They include three compliance levels, based on how perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust your website is.
Every website we build meets WCAG AA level – considered the benchmark for most organisations. We will help you maintain compliance and keep pace with the latest legislation.
Accessibility auditing
We partner with Equalize Digital, a global accessibility specialist for WordPress websites, to deliver advanced accessibility auditing. Accessibility Checker scans your site automatically and generates detailed reports.
We then help you create an accessibility statement that reflects your status and future goals. Whether you are launching a new site, managing legacy content, or looking to save time, our auditing process will strengthen your website’s accessibility.
Accessibility tools
Websites designed to meet accessibility standards can be further enhanced with third-party tools that make information easier to access for a wider audience.
Accessibility overlays are not a substitute for a well-coded, standards-compliant website. However, supplementary tools such as the ReachDeck Toolbar from Texthelp can add valuable features that improve usability for many visitors.
Some users who experience accessibility challenges may not have access to specialist software or may be unaware of the assistive tools built into modern browsers. ReachDeck helps bridge this gap by providing a floating on-page toolbar that enhances accessibility directly within the website.
Key features include:
- Text-to-speech – reads aloud website text with synchronized highlighting, helpful for people with visual impairments, dyslexia, or low literacy.
- Translation – translates text into multiple languages, useful for non-native speakers.
- Text magnification – enlarges text without distorting the page layout.
- Screen masking – dims parts of the screen to help focus on specific text lines.
- Simplified view – strips away visual clutter and displays a clean, text-focused version of the page.
- MP3 download – enable users to save spoken content as an audio file to listen to later.
- Custom settings – gives users options to change colours, fonts, and reading speed to suit personal needs.
Why it’s useful:
- Accessibility compliance – helps meet WCAG and equality legislation by making your site more usable for people with disabilities.
- Inclusive user experience – supports visitors with visual impairments, learning difficulties, or limited literacy skills.
- Wider audience reach – improves engagement from people who might otherwise struggle with text-heavy websites.
- Better comprehension – features like text-to-speech and simplified view can help all users, not just those with declared accessibility needs.
ReachDeck provide significant discounts for charities and not for profit organisations.
Related articles:
