Accessibility is a big focus point for many companies in the modern Internet era. Now, more websites than ever are becoming accessible for disabled users — and accessibility widgets are at the center of it all.
The importance of Assistive technology and accessibility widgets have made another great scene in recent years, which is to help make digital content and interfaces more usable for people with disabilities.
Here, you can learn all about accessibility widgets, including how they work and the key benefits they bring to the table. By the end, you’ll be ready to get your business site equipped with an accessibility widget and start attracting new customers.
What is an Accessibility Widget?
Accessibility widgets are small pieces of code that can be easily added to websites, apps, and other digital interfaces to improve accessibility.
It can be used to interact with at the click of a button or tap of a finger. Once you click on the icon, you’re then given lots of different accessibility options to choose from, such as increasing the cursor size or making the text bigger.
As a result, the user can then make the changes they personally need. For example, an individual with a visual impairment can choose “keyboard navigation” so that they can navigate the website using their keyboard.
Because there are 1.3 billion disabled people around the world (World Health Organization), the need for accessibility widgets has skyrocketed. After all, many of these 1.3 billion people regularly use the internet and, therefore, need accessible websites so that they can have the same experiences as everybody else.
The good news for businesses is that there are some great accessibility widgets on the market to choose from that can be added to your website in record time. To get started with this, check out the best accessibility widgets and see which particular widget appeals to you the most.
Accessibility Widgets: Features
As you would expect, accessibility widgets can differ from each other in terms of features. However, there are certain features that are relatively standard across the industry. In other words, no matter which accessibility widget you choose, you can generally expect these features to be available through it. Here’s a closer look at some of the most common accessibility widget features that you need to know about:
- Contrast
- Text spacing
- Text size
- Keyboard navigation
- Text to voice
- Color adjustment
If you know that your website audience will likely include people with a certain type of impairment, such as color blindness, then you should make sure that your widget includes the types of features they will need.
How Accessibility Widgets Work
Accessibility widgets typically work by adding a small widget icon that the user can click or tap to activate and customize the accessibility features. This allows the user to enable options like text resizing or color contrast on demand.
Behind the scenes, the widgets alter the code and presentation of the page or app to change visual properties, attach text transcripts to audio, modify navigation to support keyboards, etc. Some common technical implementations include:
- HTML attributes like ARIA roles to optimize screen reader support.
- Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) rules to dynamically resize text or change colors.
- JavaScript functions to add interactive functionality.
- Embedded audio transcripts and captions using HTML5 video features.
The widgets essentially provide an accessibility interface layer on top of the existing UI to conform with accessibility standards.
Key Benefits of Accessibility Widgets
There are several notable benefits accessibility widgets can provide:
- Enhanced compliance with accessibility laws and guidelines like Section 508 and WCAG 2.1. This helps avoid legal risks.
- Better experience for users with disabilities, making products more universally usable. More customers can be served.
- Increased search engine optimization (SEO) as accessible sites are treated favorably by Google and other search engines.
- Improved brand reputation since designing for inclusion demonstrates social responsibility.
- Lower development and maintenance costs compared to custom accessibility features coded from scratch.
Accessibility tools like these widgets allow organizations to build accessibility into their digital presence in an easy, cost-effective manner. Users get a more equitable experience while organizations enhance compliance. Leveraging these widgets is a win-win for both businesses and customers.
Whether you’re a new start-up or a company that’s been active for over a decade, these are some exciting benefits that you’ll be able to enjoy, so make sure you add an accessibility widget to your site this year.
Remember, the market is full of accessibility widgets to choose from, most of which are available at fair prices. Have a browse through the different ones and then make your decision!