ADA BASICS - WEBSITES

How Do The Visually Impaired Read?

Mac Operating System: those who are visually impaired rely on a variety of technological programs to navigate the internet. For those with Mac computers, VoiceOver is a valuable resource. VoiceOver is a text to speech application from Apple that allows users to have text and images read aloud. VoiceOver is a built-in and free application for Mac users.

Microsoft Operating System: for those with a PC, Windows J.A.W.S. can be a useful application. J.A.W.S., or Job Access With Speech, is another text to speech application which allows the visually impaired to have website text and photographs read aloud. Unlike VoiceOver, J.A.W.S. charges users for updates yearly. 

What are the Problems they Encounter?

Menu Buttons/ Headings

For the visually impaired, menus and headings are crucial for navigating websites. Sometimes, they encounter websites where the title of the headings are labeled out of order. For example: “Heading 2”, “Heading 3”, “Heading 1”. For Menu buttons, many websites simply have them labeled as “Button” which impedes a visually impaired person’s ability to navigate, as they will have no clue where the button will lead them. Both of these parts are crucial for allowing impaired users to utilize a business’ website. A website should try to use descriptive phrases to label their buttons, such as “Button to Menu”, “Button to Pricing Page”, or “Button to Locations”.

Pictures That Are Not Readable By Optical Character Recognition

Images labeled simply as “Image” give visually impaired patrons no context or explanation as to what it actually pictured in the image. In an ideal scenario, a website should use a description such as “Picture of Pink Cupcakes Decorated with Heart Shaped Frosting.” or something similar but with a longer, more descriptive name “Picture of a Hand Sewn, Light Blue, Sweetheart Neckline, Ball Gown Style Prom Dress”. The more descriptive the caption or label, the greater understanding a visually impaired person will have of the product or service.

Links

Links that are labeled simply as “Link” give an impaired person no clarity on what to expect if they click the link and what action will be performed. Ideally, links would be labeled with more specific phrases such as “Link to Menu Page”. Link descriptions should also not be overly long or written as one string of text. Links and Headings that aren’t differentiated from one another also cause difficulties for users. 

Chats and Tables

In websites, chat options and pop up windows, although helpful for many users, are often not correctly labeled which makes them inaccessible for users relying on text to speech programs. They are often just labeled as “Frames”. Tables are also not usually formatted correctly for text to speech programs, which results in data or statistics being read out, one after another, without any differentiation for column or row names. 

Therefore...

 The DOs

• Label Menu Buttons with short descriptions 
• Ensure Headings are listed in order and that Headings with links are clearly labeled (with text to speech applications)
• Ensure all Images have a descriptive caption or label, so that users will know what is being pictured
• Label Links to clarify where the Link will navigate them to
• Ensure that user assisting Chat features are accessible and useable for impaired users
• Clearly label them as Chat
• Ensure that Data Tables are properly formatted and compatible with text to speech programs
• Take the time to make sure that your website is accessible and functional for visually impaired customers
• Be proactive in prioritizing the functionality of your website and preventing lawsuits

The DONT's

• Label Menu Buttons as “Button” or “Menu Option 1”
• Order Headings as: “Heading 3” “Heading 1” or “Heading 2”
• Label Headings with links and Headings without links in the same way
• Label all Images as “Image”
• Label Links as “Link”
• Label Chat features as default terms such as “Frame”
• Format Data Tables to be read by programs in a way that allows users to know the Column and Row each data piece belongs in
• Ignore your websites compatibility with text to speech programs until you are being sued