Accessibility 101: Building for Everyone

Accessible websites, apps and events let everyone take part, and they work better for all of us.

About one in four adults in the United States lives with some form of disability. Accessibility means designing so that people with visual, hearing, motor, cognitive or other disabilities can use what we build, without a separate, second-best version.

The four principles

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), published by the World Wide Web Consortium, organize accessibility into four principles, known as POUR:

• Perceivable: text alternatives for images, captions for video, enough color contrast.
• Operable: everything works with a keyboard; nothing flashes dangerously; people have enough time.
• Understandable: clear language, predictable navigation, helpful error messages.
• Robust: works with screen readers and other assistive technology.

A quick checklist

• Can you use the page with only the Tab and Enter keys?
• Does every meaningful image have a short description?
• Is text readable when zoomed to 200 percent?
• Do videos have captions?
• Are buttons and links labeled with what they do?

Across the Boston Made network we are working through this checklist on every site, including this Reader.

Part of the Boston Made Reader’s special collection Courage, Conscience & Service. Written for the Reader and free to read here.