It’s not just good enough to have an accessibility plugin for your website. My company is on a mission to build a better web for Fresno and the world, so I’m excited about the chance I had today to meet with the Valley Center for the Blind to explore how I can better incorporate truly accessible code and best practices into my services.
I already incorporate WCAG compliance for websites, as most web developers do it because it’s good for search engine optimization. But I didn’t get into business to just make websites… I wanted to offer solutions that give people the tools to make better decisions in their daily lives.
So it’s great to find out that the Valley Center for the Blind has a service dedicated to helping your website see how it can become accessible compliant, not just for the WCAG standards, but for the people who live in your community who may need the information as much as anyone else who may not share their disability. Their reports give a comprehensive and detailed rundown of what it will take to make your website truly accessible.
I am working to incorporate their best practices into my websites so that accessibility isn’t an afterthought, but rather a pillar of the design. Some 25% if web users have some disability that affects their browsing experience, so if you’re a business, think about who is missing out on your message by not being more accessible. I’ve always worked with my government agency clients to remediate accessibility issues.
If your website needs help, let me know or contact the Valley Center for the Blind to ask for an audit. I’m here if you need help implementing the changes or at least to provide a technical report from a web developer’s perspective that shows what’s needed on each element of your site.
