By the proof. team ·
An accessible website is one that people can use with a keyboard, a screen reader or low vision. The standard most businesses aim for is WCAG 2.2 Level AA, and you can check the basics of your own site in about ten minutes.
What does WCAG 2.2 AA ask for?
WCAG is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. In plain terms, Level AA asks that:
- Text has enough contrast against its background to be read.
- Everything works with a keyboard alone, and you can see where you are on the page.
- Images that carry meaning have a text description.
- Form fields have labels, and errors say what went wrong.
- Headings are real headings, in order, so a screen reader can move through the page.
- Buttons and links are big enough to tap, and nothing depends on color alone.
How can you test your own site?
- Put the mouse away and press Tab. Can you reach every link, button and form field, and always see which one is selected?
- Zoom the browser to 200%. Does the page still work, without text cut off?
- Run a free automated checker, such as WAVE or Lighthouse in Chrome. Automated tools catch only part of the problems, but they catch the common ones.
- Turn on the screen reader on your phone and try to book or contact your own business.
Does meeting WCAG mean you comply with the ADA?
No. WCAG is a technical standard and the ADA is a law, and meeting one doesn't guarantee the other. Meeting WCAG 2.2 AA is the usual way to lower your risk. For your specific situation, ask an attorney.
Do overlays fix it?
An overlay is a widget that promises to make a site accessible with one line of code. It doesn't repair the page underneath, so the problems stay for the people who most need them fixed. The dependable route is to build the page correctly and test it.
What should you ask your web vendor?
Ask which standard they build to, how they test (automated tools plus manual keyboard and screen-reader checks), and whether they'll send you the results. Ask what they do if a page they built fails. Remember that content you add later, and third-party widgets like booking or payment tools, are outside what they built.
How we do it
We build the pages we design to WCAG 2.2 Level AA, test them with automated tools and by hand, and send you the results at launch. If a page we built fails, we fix it at no cost. See what's included in a proof. website.