There is irony in saying seeing is believing when talking about accessibility, but having the story of what internet use looks like for a variety of users can help take web accessibility out of check-the-box mode and into “how can we do this better?” mode.
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is a service of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3), the international organization that establishes web standards. WAI specifically focuses on making web and related technologies are accessible so that all people with disabilities around the globe can participate equally in the digital world.
As part of this mission, they have developed some training tools and materials, including a series of videos and discussions on how specific disabilities use and struggle to use the internet.
I have selected a few videos to highlight for our purposes. Below I will include links to all of the videos and resources.
Direct Links to WAI Resources
Note: I have embedded some representative videos below, but there are more (written and additional video) resources available. I recommend going right to the WAI site and watching the videos/reading the content from there:
Page: Diverse Abilities and Barriers
Page: Stories of Web Users
Staying focused: Ian, Stefan, Sofie, and Elias - Videos
Mobility: Physical abilities, Ade
Visual: Visual, Marta
Applying these experiences to your website
Here are some ideas for applying the experience of disabled internet users to reviewing your website:
- Attempt to navigate your website using only the keyboard.
- Test the ability to fill out and submit forms using only the keyboard.
- Test your website in dark mode (or light mode if you generally use dark mode).
- Try using your website only in tablet/phone landscape mode.
- Apply 150%, 200%, 250% magnification and attempt to navigate your site.
- Use a tool like Colorblindly to simulate various types of colorblindness.
And once you do this with your website, test it with the online catalog, library account logins, online resources, or other things you link to from your website.
Direct Links to WAI Resources
Below are some additional resources and experiences from real assistive technology users:
- University of Colorado, Boulder: Videos – Demos of blind and low vision users
- Developing Websites for Older People:
How Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Applies