Making a statement about accessibility
By Lis Shorten
When you read the accessibility policies on some websites, you get the feeling that the site owners are making a statement about how clever they are, and not about how committed they are to helping their visitors. All the stuff about WCAG and compliance levels is of no interest at all to site visitors, even those who use assistive devices, and the average site visitor cares even less about how you’ve marked up your tables or tested the site.
The lack of attention to user needs is shown above all in the way that that sites use ‘accessibility’ as a link title, when any user experiencing a problem is more likely to be looking for ‘site help’.
It is important to publish an accessibility statement, but it must be focused on the user’s needs. A few lines, such as those used by Lloyds TSB, are enough to assert your commitment to accessibility. After that, you should consider your accessibility policy to be more of an instruction manual for the site than a guide to how it was coded.
You should include instructions for any features you have introduced to improve accessibility, including, for example, details of any access keys you’ve configured or any on-screen buttons for increasing font size. Many users will be unaware of browser features they can use to improve their experience, but there’s a limit to how much information you can be expected to provide. Rather than reinventing the wheel, you can link to the BBC’s My Web My Way website, which has detailed instructions for using the accessibility features in popular browsers and operating systems.
You should be candid about any limits on your site’s accessibility, too. Tell your visitors about any sections that will require Javascript, or where a new window will open without warning. Let them know what plans you have to address these shortfalls, and about any workarounds that can make that content accessible.
Accessibility is a journey, and you should invite your visitors to travel with you. Provide a feedback mechanism so you can find out what problems your users experience and what fixes they can suggest.
If you’re looking for inspiration, try Legal & General, Radio Times, Tesco, and Lloyds TSB. They don’t all get everything right, but they do put the user at the heart of their accessibility policy.