Accessibility

Web accessibility is the practice of designing and developing websites and applications so that all people, regardless of their abilities or limitations, can access and use online resources and services. Its main objective is to eliminate barriers that prevent people with disabilities from accessing, interacting, and fully benefiting from online resources and services.

Web accessibility is based on the principle of universal design, which seeks to create products and environments that are usable by as many people as possible, regardless of their skills or abilities. This includes considering people with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive disabilities.

Key aspects of web accessibility:

• Assistive technology compatibility: Ensure that assistive technologies, such as screen readers or special keyboards, can effectively navigate and access content.
• Semantic tagging: Use HTML tags correctly to structure and describe content clearly, allowing people with visual or cognitive disabilities to understand the information presented.
• Contrast and legibility: Ensure adequate contrast between text and background to facilitate reading for people with visual disabilities or perception difficulties.
• Ease of navigation and use: Design intuitive and easy-to-navigate interfaces, incorporating controls and interactive elements accessible with both the mouse and the keyboard.
• Alternatives for non-textual content: Provide textual descriptions for images or videos so that people with visual or hearing disabilities understand the content.

Web accessibility is essential for inclusion and equal access to information and online services. Meeting accessibility standards and guidelines, such as those established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), is essential to creating an accessible web and reaching a wider audience.

Web accessibility measurement

Web accessibility is measured using different techniques and evaluations. Some of the most common forms are:

• Manual evaluation: Consists of manually reviewing the website or application to identify possible accessibility barriers, including verifying the structure of the content, the correct use of tags, contrast, navigability, the presence of alternatives for non-textual content, and other key aspects.
• Automatic evaluation tools: Use automated tools that analyze the code and content of a website for accessibility issues. These tools can detect missing or incorrect elements, provide recommendations, and generate reports on the level of accessibility of the site.
• Testing with real users: Involves testing and evaluating the accessibility of the website by people with disabilities or limitations. Real users can provide valuable feedback to find barriers and identify areas for improvement.
• Compliance with standards and guidelines: Consists of evaluating whether the website complies with established accessibility standards and guidelines, such as the W3C WCAG.

Web accessibility is an ongoing process that you must perform periodically to ensure that a website or application is always accessible, especially during development and update phases. It is essential to consider the needs and feedback of users with disabilities, as they are the ones who can best evaluate the accessibility of the site.

Accessibility in Modyo

The implementation of accessibility in Modyo varies depending on the project and its objectives. However, we recommend following these general criteria:

• Determine the level of accessibility needed for the project.
• Establish a method for measuring accessibility and evaluating compliance with standards
• Ensure compliance with the basic accessibility standards of the Bootstrap framework, which provides guidelines and components accessible by default.
• Confirm that media files, such as images and videos in Modyo Content, include alternative descriptions suitable for people with visual disabilities.
• Use the Liquid language tag instead of a fixed URL when embedding media files in a page or widget in Modyo, to ensure the correct representation of alternative descriptions and to easily allow updates by the content management team.

By following these criteria, you promote web accessibility in the development of projects in Modyo and allow a greater number of users to access and enjoy their online experience in an inclusive way.