There is a misunderstanding that when one installs the free Userway widget on a website this makes the website fully accessible.

While Userway is a great accessibility tool, Userway doesn't intend to make websites totally accessible.

Designing an accessible website is not that hard. Using both Userway and the 21 accessibility requirements below will help you make your web design get closer to meeting level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

* Userway is a free widget that provides an accessibility toolbar (see www.userway.com).

Web designers refer to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to define web accessibility and its scope. The WCAG 2.1 are the latest international standards that provide specific recommendations on how to make websites accessible.

We have created a checklist to help you better understand what each success criterion of the WCAG is asking for. See our blog post Website Accessibility - How to make your Wix Website ADA Compliant. Although eight WCAG requirements are covered by installing the Userway widget, there are many that are not covered by USerway.

The following requirements ARE covered by Userway:

• Zoom text: Text must be able to be increased by up to 200% without negatively affecting the readability of a website.

• Color contrast ratio: All text must have a color contrast ratio of 4.5:1 against its background.

• Distinctive links: Text links inside a body of text (not inside the header or footer navigation menus) must stand out from normal text through at least two of the following markups: underline, bold, italics, and color.

• No automatic video or audio: Video and/or audio may not play unless a user clicks to play the media.

• No unexpected changes: No part of a website may change unexpectedly.

• Pause updating/refreshing content: Any content that automatically updates or refreshes (e.g. sports scores, scrolling news) can be paused by the user. Exception: rotating ads are permitted.

• Keyboard only: All functions and content of a website must be accessible by keyboard only.

• Focus indicator: A focus indicator box ( an outline around an element) shows all links, buttons, form fields, menu items, and things triggered by hover, like tooltips. The most common browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Safari) all have default focus indicators for most elements built into the browser.

As designers, it is our responsibility to champion accessibility. With it, we make technology usable to all people regardless of their abilities, economic situation, age, education, or geographic location.

Note:

It is your responsibility as a website owner to ensure that your website complies with your local laws. Any information contained herein is not legal advice and you should not rely upon it as such. Accessibility regulations are complex and require multiple actions from website owners. We recommend that you seek legal advice to understand and prepare for possible additional requirements stated in this regulation.

Do you need any help with accessibility compliance, or would you like us to design a beautiful, functional, and relevant Wix website for you? Contact WixCreate, we will create an online presence that works for you.