According to a statistic from Statista, an online market research, and data analysis platform, in 2020, an estimated 1.9 billion people worldwide – or 24.9% of the global population – had a disability. If we narrow it down to the US, 13.4% of the population has a disability.
In addition, approximately 360 million people around the globe have reported some form of hearing impairment. Due to this, website accessibility has become increasingly important for companies to consider in order to be inclusive to hearing-impaired users.
In the United States, government policies such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act require companies to offer an accessible website, meaning that the website must be user-friendly for those with disabilities.
Currently, the US Department of Justice estimates that since 2017, over 3,300 ADA website accessibility lawsuits have been filed in Federal court. Thus, companies should ensure that their websites are designed and developed with accessibility features to provide an optimal experience for all users.
The good thing is there are online solutions available, like Accessibility Spark, that enables websites to adhere to ADA, s508, and WCAG 2.1 standards without doing much.
What is Website Accessibility
Website accessibility refers to making websites usable and navigable for people with disabilities, including those with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities. Web accessibility involves making sure that people with disabilities can use and access all parts of a website, including its content, images, videos, forms, and functions.
It also involves creating designs that are accessible for those who use assistive technologies, such as screen readers and speech-input software. Website accessibility helps ensure that all users can take advantage of the same information and features, regardless of their individual abilities.
Problems Faced by Hearing Impaired
One of the biggest problems people with hearing impairments face when accessing websites is difficulty understanding the content. Audio content, such as the playback of videos and audio files, is inaccessible to people who cannot hear it. As more and more websites are using video and audio content due to faster internet speeds, this is becoming a common problem.
Without captions and subtitles, videos, podcasts, audio tutorials, and other audio-based information can be impossible for someone with hearing impairment to comprehend.
It is also difficult for people with hearing impairments to access interactive elements on certain websites due to their reliance on sound. Alert tones, notifications, and feedback provided in the audio form are often useless to the hearing impaired, prohibiting the user from understanding the outcome and the next steps to take.
People with hearing impairments might be excluded from certain website experiences due to not having access to the audio content. Furthermore, purely visual design elements, such as color gradients and high-contrast tones, might be overlooked or misperceived by someone with hearing impairments.
Accessibility Features Providing Benefits to Hearing-Impaired Users
As it is almost essential for websites to ensure website accessibility is part of their website features and online approach, here is what businesses can do to make sure they are doing everything right.
Captions and Subtitles
Captions and subtitles are one of the most important accessibility features for hearing-impaired users, as they enable them to access audio content, such as the dialogue in a movie. Captions indicate the presence of speech and provide a written out version of the dialogue, as well as other audio cues such as sound effects.
Subtitles also provide a written version of the dialogue and additional information about the context or tonal elements of the speech.
Alert Tones and Notifications
Alert tones and notifications are necessary for users with hearing impairments to understand the outcome of an action, such as feedback on whether the data entry was successful or not. Therefore, developers should consider providing both visual and audio cues where necessary to inform the hearing-impaired user of their progress.
Higher Contrast Tone and Background
Higher contrast tone and background can help make websites more readable and understandable for hearing-impaired users, as they can distinguish between elements of the website more easily. Higher contrast tones can also help differentiate between types of content, such as links, images, and videos.
How Government Regulations are Helping Improve Accessibility
It is more than evident that governments across the globe are putting efforts to make sure internet access and, more importantly, accessibility to websites gets easier for people with disabilities.
Recent government regulations are designed to make sure website accessibility and are helping to improve barrier-free access to websites to people with disabilities. Most governments are creating detailed guidelines and adherence standards to force businesses to adhere to the pre-described set of rules and regulations.
These regulations are helping to create a more equitable online experience for all users, including those with hearing impairments. They are helping to ensure that websites provide accessible content and features for people with disabilities and that website developer and website owners can easily implement accessibility standards and protocols.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), are an international standard for creating websites that are accessible to people with disabilities. The guidelines address issues that may prevent people with disabilities from perceiving, understanding, navigating, and interacting with websites.
Department of Justice ADA Compliance
In the United States, the Department of Justice’s ADA Compliance regulations are designed to ensure that all buildings, services, and activities are accessible for people with disabilities. Section 508 of the ADA requires all Federal agencies to provide individuals with disabilities equal access to information and data found on their websites.
This includes providing audio or visual descriptions for any audio-based information, making sure text elements are readable, and providing alternative options for audio content.
Solutions for Web Developers for Building Hearing-Impaired-Friendly Websites
One of the best solutions for web owners building hearing-impaired-friendly websites is to incorporate visual cues and tools that allow people with hearing impairments to easily navigate the site and access content. For this, businesses can use online tools like Accessibility Spark.
This could include adding subtitles to videos, providing captions for images, and providing audio alternatives for complex information that is otherwise conveyed orally.
Design Approach for Deaf Users
When designing a website for deaf users, it is important to consider accessibility from the ground up. This means taking a deliberate approach to the site’s layout, design, and functionality in order to ensure that all visitors, regardless of hearing ability, can easily use and find the content.
Beyond aesthetics, the most important consideration for website owners is usability — creating a website that is both usable and accessible to deaf users. It’s also important to ensure that website content is written clearly, using grammar and language that can be easily understood by people with hearing impairments.
To ensure that a website is both accessible and usable for deaf users, you should focus on making all content both visible and understandable. For example, use appropriate font sizes, contrast, and color palettes to ensure that all text is legible. Also include subtitles, captions, and transcripts for any videos or audio content.
Additionally, ensure that any interactive content is clearly labeled and easy to use. Finally, always test your website with deaf users and actively seek feedback to ensure the best possible user experience.
Implementing Accessibility Standards and Protocols
Implementing ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) tags is also a great option. It enables people with hearing impairments to identify specific website elements, such as buttons or links.
Incorporating open-source plugins and software into a website is another viable solution for web owners building hearing-impaired-friendly websites.
For example, a website that relies heavily on audio information can include a plugin that takes written content and converts it into audio using text-to-speech technology. This allows people with hearing impairments to access audio information without having to rely on headphones or other sound-enhancing hardware.
By incorporating these solutions, web owners can easily build websites that are hearing-impaired-friendly and accessible to all users.
Final Words
In conclusion, it is essential for website owners to design their websites with accessibility features in mind. This includes providing captions and subtitles, alert tones and notifications, and implementing accessibility standards and protocols. With website accessibility, you can extend your reach to new audiences and ensure that your website is friendly and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of their disability.
Additionally, companies should take advantage of open-source plugins and software in order to provide an optimal experience for all users. Tools like Accessibility Spark are a great help to ensure your website adheres to all ADA and WCAG standards.
Making an effort to create accessible websites is beneficial not only for people with hearing impairments but for the business as well. Websites designed to be more accessible offer a more inclusive and cohesive user experience for everyone, not just people with disabilities.
In addition, by adhering to ADA, Section 508, and WCAG standards, businesses can avoid costly ADA website accessibility lawsuits. Finally, by integrating accessibility features on their website, companies can open up their online platform to a broader audience, breaking down barriers and fostering inclusion.