Help us shine the light on the need for digital accessibility!

May twentieth marks the 10th Global Accessibility Awareness Day which brings attention to the need for digital access and inclusion for more than one billion people with disabilities or impairments. “Someone with a disability must be able to experience web-based services, content and other digital products with the same successful outcome as those without disabilities.”

Accessibility is defined in the dictionary as “the quality of being easily reached, entered, or used by people who have a disability.” How would this apply to digital access? Throughout the years, digital content has become more prevalent in our lives; banking and shopping are now commonly done online, connecting with friends and family is done via social media or messaging platforms, and newspapers and magazines have moved away from printed form and focus more on digital content. This shift from physical to digital has made it essential that digital content be accessible for those with disabilities.

What does digital accessibility mean for those who are blind or have a visual impairment?

Digital accessibility includes:

• websites navigable by keyboard
• alternative text image descriptions
• easy-to-read high-contrast font
• audio descriptions or captioning for videos · interactive buttons, headers, and drop-down menus compatible with screen reading software

Business owners, digital content creators, web developers, and others need to ensure that their website and digital content is accessible for those with disabilities. If you are uncertain if your content is accessible to all or know that it is not but do not have the tools to make it accessible, connect with an accessibility solutions provider.