How would you feel if you found out your website isn’t reaching 20% of the world’s population?
This percentage represents people globally with disabilities, and they can’t utilize your website if it lacks accessibility for them.
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Under the American Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III, it’s now mandatory for every business website to address the requirements of individuals with disabilities, or they may face legal consequences.
Soon after I heard about the act and some big ADA lawsuits like Robles vs. Domino’s, I set out on a quest to find a simple and effective option to bring my website up to compliance. And that’s when I came across AccessiBe.
In this post, I’ll share all there’s need to know about this amazing web accessibility solution and the benefits it has brought to my JUST Creative site.
Why Web Accessibility is Important
By the very definition, web accessibility entails ensuring that everyone has equal access to information on the Internet. It refers to designing websites in a way that allows special populations to navigate, perceive, and interact with content effectively.
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The whole idea stems from the objective of creating a more equitable and user-friendly digital landscape, where there are no restrictions based on age, language skills, and physical or mental abilities.
However, the advantages of web accessibility go way beyond catering to users with disabilities. By prioritizing accessibility, you can increase engagement, improve usability, and even boost search engine optimization (SEO).
These benefits are crucial for businesses that wish to reach a larger audience and expand themselves. This practice highlights the quality of the brand and makes it more appealing to the viewers. On the contrary, a lack of accessibility can be a reputation killer and turn away your potential customers.
AccessiBe Review: What Does It Bring to the Table?
AccessiBe is an industry-leading tool that makes websites compliant with the ADA, WCAG, and other legislations, and accessible to people with disabilities.
This web accessibility solution automates everything using AI, taking out all the manual work from the process. Below is a detailed review of how AccessiBe transformed JUST Creative with its power-packed features.
Seamless Installation
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The biggest advantage of using AccessiBe is that it has a rapid, uncomplicated installation process. All you have to do is register on AccessiBe’s website and input your domain name. Then you’ll get a single-line JavaScript code for integration into your website’s code.
Once that’s done, AccessiBe will take over the intricate tasks, scanning through every component and making the necessary changes to make your website accessible within just 48 hours. I particularly found the installation guides to be user-friendly, and the availability of round-the-clock customer support further simplified the entire process for me.
Next comes the Customization & Advanced Installation. The customization panel makes it possible to change the website’s settings all from one place – the AccessiBe dashboard. With its help, you can effortlessly adjust the interface elements, including font size, colors, and icons, without making extra back-and-forth movements.
How AccessiBe Made My Website Better
From supporting photo descriptions to dyslexia-friendly fonts, AccessiBe offers the perfect features to create an inclusive experience. Here is a list of how it improved the functionality of my website:
1. Content Adjustments
AccessiBe’s dedicated features are designed to facilitate the needs of users who are blind or visually impaired. It does so by enabling the “vision impaired profile” that instantly increases the font size, highlights titles and links, and enables the high contrast mode for enhanced readability.
I personally love how the text magnifier not only improves visibility but also emphasizes the main theme of my website. And let’s not forget about the smart screen reader software that reads the posts out aloud to ensure that readers with visual impairment can access the same information as those without.
You can try it out live by clicking the Aa icon in the bottom left corner of your screen.
2. Descriptive Links And Accessible Forms
With clear and concise link texts, AccessiBe aids users with cognitive disabilities to fully comprehend the purpose and destination of the link.
Moreover, our accessible forms, such as labels and error messages, further benefit such users by outlining all prominent elements and simplifying navigation throughout the website.
3. Reading Masks and Reading Guide
Concentration issues, especially in people with ADHD can make browsing any website overwhelming and inconvenient. But worry not as AccessiBe contains everything to tackle this problem.
The viewers can enable our reading guide which produces a blue line, next to the cursor, to help track where they are while reading through big chunks of text.
Additionally, the reading mask function generates a transparent horizontal bar while darkening the rest of the page to let you focus on particular sections of the screen.
Another admirable feature for me is the “seizure-safe profile” mode that immediately pauses all flashy and blinky elements such as GIFs present on the homepage. This comes in handy when the users are suffering from ADHD or are prone to seizures and epileptic shocks.
4. Keyboard Navigation
AccessiBe provides unparalleled support for people with motor disabilities. It makes my website navigable using only the keyboard, without the need for a mouse or any other pointing device. We also have specific keyboard shortcuts for ease of use.
There’s also an option of enabling a virtual keyboard to enter details. This keyboard stays hidden until you click on an input field to guarantee an optimal browsing experience.
5. Multilingual Support
Apart from its inventive functionalities, this tool comes with support for up to 20 languages, along with a quick and convenient interface, that lets the viewers switch from one language to another in just a matter of seconds.
6. Litigation Support
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One of my favorite parts about AccessiBe is how it not only makes my site compliant but also backs it up. This means that if my website’s compliance gets challenged, it will provide a free Litigation Support Package to refute such claims.
The Litigation Support Package covers accessibility mapping, supporting documentation, professional audits, and the team’s guidance to save me from hefty lawsuits and potential legal troubles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does AccessiBe affect loading speed?
No. AccessiBe is optimized to load asynchronously with your website. This means that it loads in parallel with your website’s contents, and therefore doesn’t affect the speed and performance of your site.
What website platforms does AccessiBe support?
AccessiBe is platform-agonistic and can be integrated with various Content Management Systems (CMS) like Wix, Shopify, Joomla, WordPress, and more. This range of options offers ease of use and flexibility for businesses using any of these popular platforms for their websites.
Does AccessiBe cover all accessibility requirements?
Yes, AccessiBe provides a comprehensive suite of tools that helps websites meet the ADA compliance requirements and WCAG 2.1 guidelines at the AA level success criteria. Certain areas even support AAA level which is a step above the legislation requirements.
How much does AccessiBe cost?
The standard plan starts at $49/month but can go up to $349/month depending on the number of pages. The prices include monthly compliance audits, accessibility statements, installation, ongoing maintenance, and AccessiBe’s litigation support package.
AccessiBe Final Verdict
While details such as font size and color adjustments seem insignificant at first glance, all of these features play a vital role in boosting the reach of your website and garnering a wider audience. This is where AccessiBe comes into the picture.
Promising support for various disabilities through its six dedicated profiles and other innovative yet user-friendly specs, I found AccessiBe to be the ultimate solution for making JUST Creative accessible and welcoming for everyone!
