Sponsored by accessiBe
An accessible website is usable for people with disabilities. This means there are no digital barriers that hinder navigation and engagement. Websites should be accessible to everyone because all people deserve equitable access to information and services. An accessible website is mutually beneficial for both businesses and people with disabilities. Businesses benefit from improved brand reputation, legal risk mitigation, and widened customer reach. Companies like accessiBe exist to simplify and streamline the process of web accessibility and compliance with legal standards, like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
What is accessiBe and How Does it Make Websites Accessible?
accessiBe helps businesses of all sizes and from all industries make their websites accessible with its ecosystem of web accessibility solutions. The company’s mission is to enable businesses to make the internet a more inclusive space.
One way that accessiBe helps make websites accessible is through its flagship product, accessWidget. accessWidget is made up of two applications that work together to remediate a website. The first application is the accessibility interface which takes care of UI and design-related adjustments. The second application is the AI-powered process that handles the complex requirements in the background of a website, handling the optimization for screen readers and keyboard navigation.
There are many benefits of using accessiBe’s accessWidget. By integrating accessWidget businesses can:
- Expand audience reach: Businesses can widen their customer base and reach a new audience because their website will be usable to everyone. Plus, their website may rank higher on search engines because of the enhanced SEO web accessibility provided. This will drive more traffic to a website.
- Clean user experience: Web accessibility offers users with disabilities consistent page headers and structure, making navigation simpler. The easier it is to navigate a website, it becomes more likely that conversion rates will rise and bounce rates will drop.
- Comply with relevant legislation: Mitigate legal risk for your business with an accessible website that complies the ADA according to WCAG.
Understanding the Different Types of Disabilities
Users with disabilities require different accessibility features. With accessWidget users can adjust the website UX during their browsing session, according to their specific needs:
- Visual Disabilities: For people with visual disabilities, some color combinations or font sizes and shapes can make it hard to see a website’s content. Some of the most common visual disabilities affected by these inaccessible elements are color blindness, glaucoma, and low vision. For people who are blind, screen reader capabilities are crucial so what’s on the screen can be dictated in real-time.
- Hearing Disabilities: Video content can be difficult to fully experience for people with hearing disabilities. People who are hard of hearing or deaf require closed captions to get a full grasp of any type of multimedia.
- Cognitive Disabilities: People with cognitive disabilities experience barriers when it comes to perceiving and understanding certain website content. For example, slang and abbreviations can be incoherent for people with cognitive disabilities.
- Motor disabilities: Physical and motor disabilities make it impossible to use a mouse. Keyboard navigation ensures that a user with a mobility disability can navigate a website and perform actions.
- Neurological Disabilities: Some people with neurological disabilities experience sensory difficulties when using a website or engaging with its content. For example, a person with photosensitive epilepsy will be triggered by flashing images and videos.
How accessiBe Can Help People with Disabilities
accessWidget’s interface allows the user to adjust a website’s design and UI on a session basis. The accessibility adjustments can be made by activating a preset profile built for a specific disability. Users can also customize a website for their accessibility needs using the individual adjustment options.
accessWidget’s machine learning and AI processes run in the background of a website and use contextual understanding and computer vision to address any complex requirements required for optimal screen reader and keyboard navigation accessibility.
accessiBe Features and Benefits
accessiBe’s accessWidget does many impressive things. For starters, the solution offers automatic detection and maintenance which makes new and updated content accessible every 24 hours. And, accessWidget’s customization options within the interface can allow any user to make any accessibility combination they need, on the spot.
The AI-powered analysis behind accessWidget is vast. It scans millions of past encounters on a website - to learn from context - what elements do and their purpose on the page. This way, the AI can match elements to behaviors that should be performed by a user on an accessible version of the website. The AI-powered remediation allows backend adjustments to be done automatically. To remediate images, for example, it adds alternative text for screen readers using OCR and IRIS technology.
The list of businesses that trust accessiBe to provide a web accessbility solution keeps growing. Satisfied customers can rest assured that their websites are in accordance with WCAG and legal risks associated with inaccessibility are mitigated.
Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing accessWidget
The first step is to purchase accessWidget through accessiBe’s website. Next, you’ll add the installation code to your business’s website, found in the client dashboard. accessWidget immediately appears on your website and starts scanning and analyzing your website and fixes the inaccessible code.
After installing accesswidget, it will take up to 48 hours for your website to become accessible and compliant. An accessibility statement is also included in accessWidget’s interface indicating the remediations your website have been completed.
Any extra challenges can be addressed with accessiBe’s team of web accessibility services experts. accessServices includes file and media accessibility which can include, but is not limited to, closed captions and audio transcripts, and making PDF and Excel files accessible.
accessiBe in Action
accessWidget is providing accessibility solutions for hundreds of thousands of websites worldwide. Industry-leading enterprises, government and state agencies, credible law firms, and e-commerce stores are just a few of the industries that have websites with accessWidget installed. accessiBe continues to develop and expand it’s solutions, helping to make the internet a more inclusive space for everyone.
