How to Make a Website More Accessible for People With Physical Disabilities

There are more than 1.3 billion people with disabilities in the world, which means that one in six of us faces some barrier in our daily lives due to a physical or mental disability.

The global Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) were developed in 1999 to overcome these barriers and adapt websites.

What is an adaptive website?

Adapting a website means increasing its accessibility for everyone. An adapted website expresses a company's social responsibility and an opportunity to reach a wider audience, including people with disabilities, and offer comfortable use of all products and services. This, in turn, means an increase in the number of users and a loyal attitude towards the company.

WCAG - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

Following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) helps make websites easy to use and accessible for everyone, especially those with disabilities. This includes providing variable font sizes (e.g., for people with low vision), contrasting colors (e.g., for color blindness), alternative texts (e.g., for images), clickable text, etc. It also sets a standard for which devices people with disabilities can use to access digital content, including screen readers and software to read aloud or translate content into Braille..

The WCAG standards set the rules for making websites and digital content accessible to everyone. These standards are divided into three levels: A, AA, and AAA.
 

• Level A (Minimal Accessibility): This is the first level of the WCAG standard and includes the minimum requirements that an accessible website must meet. For example, images must have alternative text for a screen reader to be able to read them.
• AA level (medium level, the most common standard): AA considers both minimum and additional requirements. For example, the font should be changeable, the text and background should have different color contrasts, the website should be fully keyboard-friendly, etc.

• Level AAA (High Level): This is the strictest and most detailed standard that makes the website as inclusive as possible. The text should be voiced using a special synthesizer, there should be subtitles and sign language on all videos, and there should be increased contrast between text and background, etc.

   

In most countries, the adaptation of websites is regulated at the legal level according to the WCAG standard. 

What does web accessibility include?

To enhance web accessibility, the website must be adapted in several ways. An adapted website allows blind and visually impaired people to read, listen to information, and navigate the site. All text and visual materials are readable, making the content accessible to everyone. An adapted website has added functions such as changing the contrast, enlarging and reducing the font, and a text-to-speech (screen reader) function. 

 

Adaptive site functionality

• Contrast adjustment allows users to contrast a site's background and text. Contrasting colors significantly simplify the reading process for people with vision problems and those in substandard lighting environments.
• Text size modification features allow the user to change the font size on a website. The user can enlarge or reduce the size of the text, making it easier to read. 
• A screen reader allows users to hear information about text and images on a website. This is an essential aspect of website accessibility. 
   

These features aren't just technical details—they also give businesses a competitive advantage. Companies that create inclusive digital experiences attract more customers and build a positive image. 

Who is web accessibility relevant to?

Internet users with disabilities form a varied and diverse group, which is why most accessibility issues can be grouped into four main categories:
 

• Visual impairments affect users with low vision, blindness, and color blindness. Screen reader compatibility, color contrast, scalable content, audio descriptions, and alternative text for images and videos are essential components of this category.
• Motor impairments affect users who have various forms of mobility impairments.
• Hearing impairments affect users who are deaf or hard of hearing. Subtitles and audio and video content transcriptions are key elements to consider in this category.
• Cognitive impairments affect users with impairments related to memory, attention, or the ability to interpret information.
   

Web Accessibility in Georgia

A study conducted in 2021 as part of the United Nations Development Program revealed that people with disabilities in Georgia still face significant challenges in accessing information and communication technologies (ICT) and assistive technologies. Despite the EU's Directive 2016/2102 mandates that websites and mobile applications of public and private organizations in Member States adhere to the WCAG AA accessibility standard, legal and regulatory frameworks have yet to be fully established at the legislative level.

Nevertheless, today, the number of companies and organizations in Georgia that demonstrate social responsibility and adapt to digital accessibility is steadily increasing.

We recently modified the websites mediatsigniereba.ge, comcom.ge, and cesko.ge to fully comply with WCAG AA standards, making them accessible to people with disabilities.
 

If you also want to make your website accessible to people with disabilities, contact us.