To be a website accessible should follow some accessibility principles. These principles are known as WCAG when we talk about content and can be grouped into the following categories.
- Use of semantic markup, which provides a single structure in the file.
- The semantic markup also refers to the organization of the structure of the website but also to the announcement / publication / creation of definitions of the internet services in a way that they are recognizable by other internet services on different websites. Standards for the semantic web are based on the IEEE.
- Use valid markup languages that correspond to a published DTD or Schema.
- Provide the equivalent of textual information for any information provided graphically or multimedia.
- Use links embedded in the text.
- Do not use panel frames for aesthetic layout.
- Use CSS instead of HTML to build tables.
- Write the page in such a way that when the code is read line by line by user agents (such as screen readers) it remains legible.
However, the W3C allows, as an exception, tables intended for display on the Web site to be understood when they are linearized or if something similar can be applied.
Website accessibility also changes due to Content Management Systems, which allow changes to be made to websites without the need for special programming knowledge.
Website development requires the collaboration of many different elements to make the internet accessible to people with disabilities. These items include:
- Content - information on a website or web application includes:
- Physical information such as text, images and sounds
- Code or label that specifies the structure, presentation, etc.
- Navigation programs, multimedia players, etc.
- Auxiliary technology, for some cases - screen readers, alternative keyboard, switches, scanners, etc.
- Knowledge of the level of users, their experiences and in some cases customized strategies using the internet
- Developers-Designers, writers, etc., including Developers with disabilities and users who contribute to the design
- Editorial tools - programs that build websites
- Evaluation Tools - Internet Accessibility Evaluation Tools, HTML Guarantees (HTML validators), CSS Guarantees (CSS validators), etc.
