Accessibility should never be overlooked, both in the physical or digital world. Business owners should ensure their sites are accessible for users in an open and fairway.
As per reports released by the CDC, there are 25% of people in the USA live with disabilities. This is a significant number, not only from the ethical viewpoint but also from the viewpoint of traffic. Many business sites cannot afford to overlook such a big proportion of web visitors to their sites.
How can an accessibility overlay transform your site?
In order to comply with ethical standards, several nations have incorporated legislation that mandates all sites must meet specific requirements or be faced with heavy fines. The issue here lies with small companies, as they do not have the knowledge nor the expertise to ensure everything is fine. Large companies with dedicated teams can read every line of the content and pay for manual accessibility guideline adherence.
An accessibility overlay is a solution for a company in a position where they are unable to afford the costs of development required for website accessibility and compliance. They are ideal for small businesses and must be considered for their site.
An insight into an overlay
The accessibility overlay refers to an automated application that makes the desired changes to the site for enhancing accessibility. It is called an overlay because it sits on the top of the site code without causing a change to the source codes. This makes it an ideal solution as there are no changes made to the source code when accessibility issues need to be fixed.
There are several areas where the accessibility overlay tool helps you, depending upon the provider you choose. Some of the key features that an overlay gives you are-
1. Screen reader modes- They are software programs that read out the text of the content and help blind or visually impaired users understand the content published on your site. Generally, here a braille display or a speech synthesizer is used. The overlay can also add text to photo and video files.
2. Fonts can be customized- Those with visual impairments are able to change the size, alignment, and type of the text.
3. Colors can be customized- Many users have color blindness, and an overlay helps them understand different color-contrast sites. This option allows them to adjust them as per needs.
4. Pause animations- Users that are subject to epileptic seizures, can pause flash files and animations on the site when they navigate it for an intended purpose.
Therefore, when a small business embraces an accessibility overlay, it gets the benefits that have been stated above. Suppose you are a small business owner and confused as to whether you should hire a developer for your accessibility needs or invest in an overlay tool. In that case, the latter is more cost-effective and faster for you. Choose an overlay infused with the latest technology like artificial intelligence or machine learning, as they give you better results over their manual peers.
