ADA

What is the purpose of a website link? The utilitarian answer is that it’s what you click on to get from one page (or place) to another. But most of us don’t just automatically click on all the links we see. We rely on the link itself to give us more information about what we will see and receive if we choose to click on the link. This is why generic or ambiguous link text like Learn more or Click here can impact your site’s performance, usability and accessibility.

Digital accessibility is addressed in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act to be exact. It requires all federal agencies and departments to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities, including both employees and members of the public. This includes websites, PDFs, and digital kiosks. The requirements also apply to federal government digital procurement as well as some bodies that receive federal funding.

PDFs are commonly used for sharing information and documents, but they have limitations and drawbacks that make them less than ideal for use on the web, especially when compared to good old HTML.

Disabilities are more than health conditions. Under specific circumstances, all of us will experience mismatches between use cases and our abilities.

So you’ve just learned about accessibility. Now what? The good news is that it’s never too late and there are steps you can take to make an immediate impact. But what should you do first?