We are Making a Commitment to Digital Accessibility

September 7, 2021 10:21 am Published by

wooden blocks with Digital Accessibility written on them

Inclusivity is a key part of who we are as a business and ensuring that our digital content is accessible to all online users is one of the ways we can achieve it.

With an increasing reliance on digital products and online resources, it is vital that those with a disability are just as able to benefit from online material as those without. That’s why we are embarking on a journey to improve our own online experience.

As part of our commitment to ensuring our digital content is inclusive, our website and online material recently underwent an Accessibility audit. This enabled us to identify any gaps, and to begin to rectify them as appropriate.

Read on to find out more about Web Accessibility, the steps we’re taking to ensure our online content is inclusive, and how you can do the same.

What is Web Accessibility?

Web Accessibility refers to a set of guidelines which lists the rules and standards to which online content should conform, to allow those with disabilities to use websites and other online resources effectively.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 covers a wide range of recommendations for making web content more accessible to those with disabilities. The WCAG encompasses all disabilities, both permanent and temporary, and considers how usable your website is in such circumstances.

The guidelines are broken down into levels A, AA and AAA, ranging from basic Web Accessibility features through to the highest level of Accessibility.

Why is Web Accessibility Important?

1 in 5 people in the UK are living with a disability, yet research shows that only 30% of websites are fully accessible.

This means, not only are the majority of websites not inclusive of those with disabilities, but in some instances, many websites could actually be at risk of failing to abide by UK legislation.

The Equality Act 2010 states that all organisations in the public, private and charity sectors have a legal obligation to provide equal access to people with disabilities.

In addition, the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 state that any public sector organisation has a legal obligation to ensure their websites, mobile apps and online documents are accessible to people with disabilities to at least AA standard as per the WCAG guidelines.

Accessibility online continues to be widely discussed from an equality perspective and as best practise, businesses should aim to ensure their online content is inclusive.

FCF Accessibility report: 

As a business which works with many individuals, it is important to us that our website and other online content is accessible to all users, and so we have set ourselves the target of ensuring we comply with the WCAG 2.1 to AA standard.

In July, our web design company, All Things Web® ran an Accessibility audit on our website and online content to identify any areas which needed improving. The report issued allowed us to develop a strategic plan moving forward.

Whilst most of our website already achieved the standard as set by the WCAG, some areas were identified which needed improving and we are now working to rectify these as well as committing to ensuring that we remain compliant going forward.:

We understand that many of our customers will want to ensure their own website and online content is inclusive, and so have listed some basic Accessibility tips below to encourage you to embark on your own journey with Web Accessibility.

Basic Tips for Accessibility Compliance: 

  • Contrasting colours – Ensure font and background colours are contrasting so that any text is easily legible. You can check your colour contrast easily using a free tool.
  • Add alternative text to imagery – This is a description of the image and any embedded text which is used by assistive technology to benefit those with a visual impairment.
  • Make sure font is easy to read – Calligraphic font may look appealing but can prove a challenge to read. Similarly, font should be large enough to read without zooming in.

Need Help Accessing Our Content?

Our Web Accessibility journey has only just begun, so if you have any problems accessing any of our digital content, please get in touch so that we can help and provide you with accessible versions whilst we undergo the work needed to bring everything up to standard. Call us on 0117 3790810 to find out more.

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