Website Accessibility OKC
Making websites work for everyone.
Accessibility is considered in countless areas of life—you see it when there are subtitles on videos, you hear it when crosswalks give verbal messages, and you experience it when using a ramp instead of stairs. It’s about making places and experiences more welcoming and navigable, and it also applies to the world of web design.
Website accessibility OKC focuses on making websites as usable as possible, for as many people as possible, and on as many devices as possible. These practices are aimed at helping people with visual, hearing, mobility, and cognitive impairments use your website with greater ease.
Why focus on website accessibility OKC?
Designing with accessibility in mind is important because it is simply the right thing to do.
Beyond that, it allows you to support a larger audience by removing barriers that prevent people from interacting with your business online. Additionally, it can boost your SEO efforts; search engines favor sites that offer excellent user experiences, and accessibility plays a powerful role in that experience.
Perhaps most importantly, accessibility is required by law.
The Americans with Disabilities Act was first signed into law in 1990 to help people with disabilities access both public and private spaces. Now, it has come to include digital spaces, including websites. As such, modern websites should be compliant with the ADA.
Prioritizing these standards serves as a vital risk mitigation for your business, protecting your organization from potential legal challenges while ensuring your digital presence remains a welcoming environment for everyone.
Legal accessibility standards for different types of organizations.
Website accessibility is an excellent pursuit for any business or organization, and for many, it is a strict legal requirement. Federal updates from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have clarified that digital accessibility is not optional for those serving the public. This includes:
Healthcare and Social Services
Under the HHS Section 504 ruling, healthcare providers and human service organizations that receive federal financial assistance are required to meet specific WCAG standards. This ensures that vital health information and services are reachable for everyone.
Government and Public Entities
State and local governments, along with any organization receiving public funding, must ensure that their website content and mobile apps are accessible. This follows the latest federal mandates to provide equal digital access to all citizens.
Public Accommodations
The ADA increasingly views websites as “places of public accommodation.” This means that most private businesses that serve the public—such as retail and hospitality—are expected to maintain accessible digital spaces to ensure equal access and mitigate legal risk.
Making your website more accessible.
Achieving full website accessibility OKC involves an in-depth process, but there are adjustments you can make to start moving in the right direction. Relatively simple steps like ensuring proper color contrast, adding descriptive alt text for screen readers, enabling keyboard-only navigation, and including clear labels in your forms can make a significant difference for many users.
In particular, complying with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA level standards (often referenced in relation to Section 508 on government sites) will make your digital presence more user-friendly and broadly accessible.
Supporting your website’s accessibility.
Making your website fully compliant with ADA and WCAG standards requires a layered approach, involving strategic design practices, ongoing attention, and even specialized tools. At myheartcreative, we have crafted websites with accessibility in mind for many years. In fact, many of the core design principles we follow are key components of building an accessible website, from consistent styling and organized content to clean coding and user-friendly navigation.
To help your site better serve even more of your potential users, we offer a range of powerful website accessibility OKC services:
Accessibility Audits
We will thoroughly review your website, noting the areas where you are doing well, and advising you on the best ways to correct any issues.
Plugin for Website Accessibility OKC
This easy-to-use tool allows your visitors to automatically adapt your website to fit their needs. We love it so much that we use it on our own site!
Manual Maintenance
We regularly review sites to make sure they meet accessibility standards. SEO clients get additional edits and modifications.
Document Remediation
Our expert developers can adjust your forms, .pdfs, and other documents to ensure that all visitors are able to utilize them.
W3C acknowledges that, even when meeting the highest standards of compliance, it may not be possible to make a website fully accessible to every single person. However, it is our responsibility to do our best.
We recognize that accessibility isn’t a one-time fix, but an ongoing commitment as your brand grows and your content evolves. Our studio is proud to offer these services, as we are dedicated to applying our craftsman’s attitude to everything we do—especially when it helps people.
If you are ready to make your brand’s digital presence more accessible, get in touch to meet with our team. We are ready to help!
FAQs on website accessibility OKC:
What’s the difference between making a website accessible and just making it more user-friendly?
While user-friendliness is about general ease of use, website accessibility OKC specifically focuses on ensuring people with disabilities can effectively perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with your website with ease. Often, an accessible website is inherently more user-friendly for everyone.
How long does it take to make a website accessible?
The timeline can vary based on which accessibility service you decide is best for your brand. With our Website Accessibility Plugin in place, your site can be compliant in only 24 hours!
Please note that, while the plugin provides an immediate layer of accessibility, achieving full WCAG compliance for certain organizations often involves manual adjustments. For example, embedded videos may require subtitle additions. Additionally, this tool does not automatically convert .pdf files; as such, we recommend converting any .pdf files into web content.
For our other website accessibility OKC services, the timeline can vary based on your website’s current accessibility level, its size, and overall complexity. After an initial audit, we can provide a clear, tailored timeframe for the necessary improvements.
Can you make my current website more accessible, or do I need a redesign?
A full redesign is not always required. In many cases, existing websites can be significantly improved and brought to a higher standard of accessibility through targeted updates. Additionally, our Website Accessibility Plugin is an excellent tool for this.
However, there may be situations where a redesign is the most effective long-term solution. If you do get a new design, our team will create every detail with website accessibility OKC in mind.
Will making my website more accessible negatively affect its design or speed?
Not at all! In fact, many accessibility best practices—such as clean code, logical structure, and optimized images—can actually improve your website’s overall performance and loading speed. Additionally, accessible design is thoughtful design, and it can absolutely be beautiful and engaging for all users.
What’s the first step to improving website accessibility OKC with myheartcreative?
The best way to start is by scheduling a discovery meeting with our team. We can discuss your current website, your specific concerns, and your goals. From there, we will share our recommended next steps.