Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day!
The purpose of this day is to get people all around the world talking, thinking and learning about digital accessibility and users with different disabilities.
Digital accessibility involves ensuring that people are not excluded from using and interacting with the web, regardless of ability and technology.
We have worked with an organisation called the Shaw Trust to ensure that the council’s public website can be used by people with a range of disabilities.
Some examples of the testing carried out include:
- blind and partially sighted users who have web pages read aloud using a screen reader
- users with cognitive or motor impairments who rely on a keyboard or joystick instead of a mouse
- users with Dyslexia or difficulties with colour contrasts
Digital accessibility is very important to us and this will be a priority as we build the new website. The new website will also be responsive to assist users visiting on a mobile device and we are looking to reduce PDF documents as these are generally not very accessible.
The GAAD website has some great ideas on how to participate in Global Accessibility Awareness Day – such as going mouseless, or using a screen reader for an hour. Why not give it a go?