Accessibility

Make your website work for everyone.

What is Accessibility?

Accessibility ensures your website is usable and enjoyable for all visitors, including those with visual, auditory, cognitive, or motor impairments. It involves optimising your design, content, and code to meet recognised standards like WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). Accessibility is not just about compliance - it’s about creating an inclusive online experience that allows every visitor to engage with your brand.

Why is Accessibility Important?

For Your Organisation

Accessibility broadens your reach by ensuring that everyone can interact with your website, including users with disabilities. Complying with accessibility standards not only protects your business from legal risks but also positions you as an inclusive and socially responsible brand. By improving usability, you create a better overall experience for all users, which directly translates into more traffic, longer site engagement, and increased conversions.

For Your Customers

Your customers want to feel valued and included, no matter their abilities. Accessibility ensures that your site is navigable, readable, and enjoyable for everyone, which strengthens trust and loyalty. Simple improvements, such as adding alt text to images or making forms easy to use, can make a world of difference. A site that works for everyone is a site that retains visitors, converts more leads, and drives repeat business.

A tested process

1. Audit

Sometimes you will already have a clear problem identified, and we can work from there. But most the time we’ll need to perform an audit first to gather all the issues within the topic.

2. Resources & Planning

From the audit we’ll prioritise based on resources both side, who is involved, the impact of the issue and how much time we have. This stage is important for managing expectations.

3. Delivery

I can run delivery too - either working as a project manager within your team or I’m also happy to get stuck into the work myself. Whatever is best for your business is ultimately what we will go with.

The Tools & Resources I Use for Accessibility

What Does an Accessibility Audit Contain?

My accessibility audit evaluates your site’s compliance with WCAG 2.1 standards and identifies areas for improvement. Each issue is documented with actionable recommendations to enhance usability and inclusivity.

I assess text alternatives, ensuring all non-text elements, such as images and videos, include accurate and meaningful descriptions.

I review content adaptability, checking that your site can be presented in different ways, such as simplified layouts, without losing structure or functionality.

I evaluate color contrast and visual design to ensure all text and interface elements are easily distinguishable, even for users with visual impairments.

I analyze keyboard accessibility, verifying that all functionality can be accessed without a mouse. This includes testing for logical navigation order and clear focus indicators.

I review interactive elements to ensure adequate time is given for users to complete tasks without interruptions or timeouts.

I test for seizure-inducing content, ensuring that animations, videos, or flashing elements adhere to safety guidelines.

I audit navigability, confirming that users can easily find and understand content through features like breadcrumbs, clear menus, and search functions.

I assess input assistance, ensuring forms and interactive elements provide helpful error messages and instructions to guide users effectively.

I test compatibility with assistive technologies, such as screen readers, ensuring your content is accessible across a range of tools and devices.

How I approach Accessibility

Accessibility is a combination of a one-off project and an ongoing process. I begin by conducting a detailed audit to identify and resolve immediate issues, ensuring your site meets WCAG standards. Beyond the initial fixes, I offer guidance on maintaining accessibility as your site evolves, helping you keep pace with changing standards and user expectations. This ensures a site that remains inclusive and compliant over the long term.

Measuring the value of Accessibility

Compliance

Purpose: Ensure compliance with standards

Metric: WCAG compliance score from tools like WebAIM or WAVE

Goal: Achieve full compliance with WCAG 2.1 standards

Impact: Legal protection and enhanced brand reputation

Audience Reach

Purpose: Broaden audience reach

Metric: Increase in website traffic from assistive technology users

Goal: Make the site accessible to all users

Impact: A larger audience results in more potential customers

Usability

Purpose: Improve usability for all users

Metric: Reduced bounce rate and increased session duration

Goal: Ensure content is easy to navigate and consume

Accessibility is more than a legal requirement - it’s an opportunity to reach a broader audience, improve user satisfaction, and demonstrate your commitment to inclusivity. By creating a site that works for everyone, you build a stronger, more trustworthy brand.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or need to improve an existing site, I can help.