Digital accessibility: how to produce content for all audiences

digital accessibility

Digital accessibility: how to produce content for all audiences

digital accessibility

Know that, in Brazil alone, according to the latest IBGE survey, there are around 45 million people with some type of disability. This includes people with reduced mobility and physical disabilities, deaf people or people with reduced hearing, blind people, people with low vision and even people who are color blind. In addition, of course, to individuals with intellectual and cognitive disabilities.

Well, have you ever stopped to wonder how a blind person consumes the content that is produced for your website? Or how a deaf person who communicates in Libras understands a video that you posted on your social networks? Most likely, this has never crossed your mind and that is precisely why we produced this article.

Read and learn about digital accessibility!

Also check out: Learn tips to understand what search intent is in SEO

But after all, what is digital accessibility?

The concept of accessibility is defined as the right and ease of all people can enjoy activities, services, products and content available in society without any type of impediment, regardless of possible physical, social, cultural limitations, among others.

Therefore, digital accessibility encompasses all these guidelines added to the digital issue. Users should have the maximum experience with the minimum of external interference.

For example, if there are users with visual impairments, website developers need to create tools and outputs so that this group can make the most of the services offered by the platform, in the same way that other users do.

Do you know what assistive technologies are?

In practice, assistive technologies are used by people with disabilities to help them perform certain tasks. They range from the simplest to the most complex, including those immersed in the digital universe.

Blind people, for example, use reading software that “narrates” the content of the page to make it easier to understand. Deaf people, who use Libras as their first language, generally have difficulty understanding Portuguese.

Therefore, it is very important that the content is also available in sign language, through avatars based on artificial intelligence or human interpreters. People with severe motor limitations, such as quadriplegics, navigate using their mouth, eyes or voice commands.

Now, let's put ourselves in these people's shoes. Imagine how difficult it is for them to face the reality that only 5% of Brazilian web pages are accessible and adapted to their disabilities? It must be horrible, right? Shopping online, studying, flirting and reading blog posts are practically impossible tasks for most of these people with disabilities.

This happens mainly because most website creators do not consider this large portion of the population as person in your projects.

How to create accessible content?

How about starting to change this reality? There are a series of simple actions that can help make your informative content easier to be interpreted by the technologies mentioned above. Check out some tips:

  • Write in direct order

Writing in direct order helps interpretation of Libras avatars and, mainly, understanding on the part of people who have dyslexia, for example.

  • Avoid figures of speech

Try to write as simply as possible. Using figures of speech, such as “I spent the morning stuck in traffic”, makes it difficult for avatars to interpret and can distress people with autism.

  • Describe the informational images

Description is essential for navigation by blind people. Whether it be maps, photos, tables, illustrations, gifs or other content that you provide, the reading software mentioned above can help these people understand.

  • Be careful when creating video content

When making audiovisual content available, remember to: insert subtitles, Libras and audio description (essential for blind people to have access to the content discussed in the material).

  • Podcast care

If you make podcasts available, remember to make the transcription for the deaf (for those who understand Portuguese) and Libras from transcription (for those who only communicate through signs). Also be careful with the volume of the sound of the vignettes, as they can cause problems for autistic people.

Have you seen how simple actions can make it much easier for people with disabilities to understand your content? How about starting right now? The change for inclusion can start with you!

 

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