Lets talk Accessibility
At Cold Banana, we understand the importance of complying with accessibility guidelines to enhance your brand and help you reach wider audiences. Optimising your website to be accessible to a wider audience ensures that all, regardless of their abilities, can engage with your website and brand.
According to the House of Commons Library, 24% of the UK population had a disability in 2022/2023. By using an accessibility agency, you open your market to nearly a quarter of the population who may otherwise be excluded from your services.
What is Web Accessibility?
Web accessibility is the practice of designing and developing websites so that they are usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. The concept can be broken down into four key principles known as P-O-U-R:
Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presented in ways that users can perceive, whether through sight, sound, or touch.
Operable: Users must be able to interact with the interface, even if they use assistive technologies like screen readers or alternative input methods.
Understandable: Both the content and the operation of the website must be easy to understand for all users.
Robust: The website must be built in a way that allows assistive technologies to reliably interpret and process the content.
The level of attention you need to apply to accessibility often depends on your industry. Sectors like government or healthcare, where a high proportion of users may have disabilities, will prioritise accessibility more.
However, as a general rule, accessibility should be a serious consideration for any website, regardless of industry.
What is WCAG 2.2?
WCAG 2.2 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a set of guidelines to help businesses manage their web accessibility. These guidelines are broken down into three levels of compliance:
Level A: This is the minimum level of accessibility, covering the most basic web elements.
Level AA: This is the standard most businesses should aim for, ensuring the majority of accessibility barriers are removed.
Level AAA: The highest level, addressing more complex accessibility needs.
In the UK, the legal requirement is for websites to meet at least Level AA compliance.
We'll conduct a thorough review of your website and provide actionable recommendations that align with the latest accessibility guidelines, WCAG 2.2 AA. Our goal is to help you make reasonable changes that will enhance the user experience for all visitors, regardless of their abilities
Our experts will work closely with your team to identify and fix front-end content issues such as H1 headings, alt text image captions, and improved image captions. We'll make sure your website content is not only visually appealing but also accessible and user-friendly for everyone.
Our team will assist with more complex, technical issues that require expertise in digital accessibility. Whether it’s optimising your website’s code for screen reader compatibility or adjusting the design to ensure intuitive keyboard navigation, we’ll ensure your site is compliant and user-friendly
What are Some Common Web Accessibility Mistakes?
Many businesses unintentionally overlook accessibility issues, leading to barriers for users with disabilities. Some of the most common mistakes include:
Colour contrast: Text that lacks sufficient contrast with the background makes it difficult for users with low vision to read.
Missing or improper alt text for images: This can prevent users who rely on screen readers from understanding the visual content on a site.
Lack of keyboard navigation: If users cannot navigate your website using a keyboard alone, they may be locked out of important features.
Why Choose Cold Banana for Accessibility?
We believe that websites should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. That's why we employ a team of digital accessibility experts to help our clients to create user-friendly and accessible websites.
Our team has experience helping both public and private organisations with the latest guidelines, including WCAG 2.2 at AA and AAA levels. While the release of WCAG 3.0 guidelines outlines many new regulations, stay ahead of the curve by ensuring your digital platform is AA compliant.
Contact us today to schedule a review with a WCAG 2.2 compliance agency.
Cold Banana have been supporting business like yours since 2015, if you would like to find out more about how we could help you and your business than please get in touch.
Alternatively if you are looking to find out how you can join the team then please get in touch to speak with one of our team.
How can I tell if my website is accessible?
The most effective way to assess your website is through a professional accessibility audit. Here at Cold Banana we review websites against recognised accessibility standards like WCAG 2.2. This allows us to identify existing barriers to accessibility on your site that may affect users with disabilities. After a comprehensive website accessibility audit, we provide practical recommendations to improve accessibility and compliance (and we can help you implement these too so that your site is WCAG 2.2 compliant!).
Is website accessibility a legal requirement in the UK?
Website accessibility requirements depend on your organisation and the sector you operate in. Many public sector organisations are legally required to meet recognised accessibility standards, while private sector organisations are increasingly expected to provide accessible digital experiences. Improving website accessibility also helps reduce the risk of excluding users, supporting better usability for everyone and maximising the reach of your sites content by being inclusive and understandable by all.
Can Cold Banana improve the accessibility of an existing website?
Yes. We can assess and improve the accessibility of existing websites, regardless of who originally developed them. Our team can identify accessibility issues and recommend practical improvements; implementing changes that help your website align more closely with WCAG guidelines.
What does an accessibility audit include?
An accessibility audit includes a detailed review of your website to identify issues that may affect users with different access needs. We combine automated testing with expert manual reviews to assess areas such as keyboard navigation, colour contrast, form accessibility, heading consistency, image alt text implementation and screen reader compatibility before providing a prioritised action plan.
Does Cold Banana provide ongoing website accessibility support?
Yes. We provide ongoing accessibility support to help organisations maintain accessible websites as they evolve. Our team can carry out regular accessibility reviews, advise on new features, monitor compliance, and implement improvements that support an inclusive digital experience, regardless of how large your business’ site grows!