Equal Access

There are several principles that are central to accessible web development, including:

• Perceivable: Information and user interface elements should be presented in a way that is easy for users to see, hear, and understand.
• Operable: The user interface should be easy to use and navigate, regardless of the device or input method being used.
• Understandable: The website should be easy to understand, with clear and concise instructions and information.
• Robust: The website should be compatible with a wide range of technologies and devices, including assistive technologies.

By following these principles and adhering to accessibility guidelines and standards, developers can create websites that are usable by as many people as possible, including those with disabilities.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the Web Accessibility Initiative – Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) are two different sets of guidelines that are related to web accessibility. While they have some overlap, they serve different purposes and are used in different ways.

WCAG is a set of guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that provides standards for making web content more accessible to people with disabilities. It covers a wide range of topics, including how to make text and images accessible, how to design forms and controls that are easy to use, and how to ensure that websites are compatible with assistive technologies.

WAI-ARIA, on the other hand, is a set of guidelines specifically focused on making web content that uses dynamic content and user interface elements (such as JavaScript or AJAX) more accessible to people with disabilities. It provides a way to annotate and describe the purpose and status of these elements, so that they can be understood by assistive technologies and made more usable by users.

In general, WCAG provides broad guidelines for making web content more accessible, while WAI-ARIA provides specific techniques for making dynamic web content more accessible. Both sets of guidelines are important for creating accessible web content, so here at Conlumina we follow both in order to create websites that are usable by as many people as possible.

An accessible website is no longer a nice-to-have, but a must. Lawsuits related to web accessibility are on the rise and you can expect increased regulations as accessibility laws catch up with technology. With an accessible website you can lower your risk of costly legal issues and damage to your brand’s reputation.

By July 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA), adopted by the EU in 2019, must be enforced in all member states. Member states are in charge of enforcing their own penalties for noncompliance, which should be “effective, proportionate, and dissuasive.”