Vivid image is committed to providing websites that are accessible for ALL users including those with visual, cognitive, or physical impairments, and other forms of disabilities. Not only is having an accessible site good for usability, it is also becoming much more important when it comes to rating factors and Google has started to give sites more priority if they are accessible – allowing the site to reach even more people than ever before.
Here at Vivid Image, we strive to follow the WCAG 2.0/2.1 Level AA guidelines throughout the website. In order to remain as ADA compliant as possible, these are the steps that should be taken when adding content to a page or post.
Follow these guidelines when adding additional content to a page or post:
- Limit the use of ALL CAPS – only use for headlines, as it is difficult for screen readers to read.
- Remember line length – be aware of sentence lengths. Try not to use too long of sentences because they can be difficult for screen reader users to understand.
- Use of color – always use high contrast colors and don’t convey anything on the website by the use of color alone. Avoid the use of colors such as green on red, or pastels on pastels, as users who are color blind may bto be able to distinguish the difference between specific colors. It is always safest to use a very light color on a dark background or a dark color on a light background.
- Stay away from tables – use accessible formatted tables only or have an alternative description explaining the same information that can be found within the table.
- Animation and Video – avoid flashing or strobing content for people with risk of seizures. Videos must provide a transcription or a link to the YouTube site that has a transcription available there.
- Audio – if any audio automatically plays for more than 3 seconds, there must be an option to pause or stop the audio. Users must also have an option to control the audio volume independently from the overall system volume level. This applies to carousels, image sliders, background sounds, and videos. Remember to provide a transcript if it is not just background music.
- Timing – the user must be able to either turn off any time limits before encountering it, be able to adjust the time limit at least ten times the length of the default settings before encountering it, or be able to have the option to extend the time limit if getting close to their limit. (This does not apply to real-time items where no alternative to the time limit is possible, such as an online auction.)
- CAPTCHA – Avoid CAPTCHA where possible and use automatic detection or interface interactions instead. If CAPTCHA is absolutely necessary, ensure that it is simple to understand and includes alternatives for the users with disabilities such as providing more than 2 ways to solve the CAPTCHAs, providing access to a human representative who can bypass CAPTCHA or don’t require CAPTCHA for authorized users. If the purpose of the non-text content is to confirm that content is being accessed by a person rather than a computer, make sure text alternatives that identify and describe the purpose of the non-text content are provided and alternative forms of CAPTCHA using output modes for different types of sensory perception are provided to accommodate different disabilities.