Beach Access North East
Website accessibility is growing in conversation weekly and is now a topic on a national platform in the UK, especially amongst charities. Every day there is something in the news about someone committing to do it properly, or an organisation being called out for not doing it well or at all.
Passionate about accessibility and about the North East where I live and run my business, I am also a trustee and work closely with a number of charities on their websites. It is safe to say that I am one person who would love to see the charitable sector in the North East ahead of the trend curve.
Website accessibility doesn’t have to be a difficult or an expensive thing to implement, particularly if it’s built in from the very start of the design stage. But sadly it is too easy to dismiss even though it is something which can have a huge impact on someone’s ability to use the web, which, after all, is no longer something that anyone can avoid doing.
One client of mine who is a perfect example of leading the field with accessibility, and which doesn’t compromise design, is Beach Access North East.
The website not only encompasses colours that are accessible but also ones which reflect what Beach Access North East does in creating freedom for all to roam the region’s beautiful beaches, with a soft beachy feel and fun blue water theme.
Meeting the WCAG 2.1 AA level standards, this charity’s website features dyslexic friendly fonts, can be navigated by keyboard, and considers colour blindness with its palate use of underlining for navigation. Videos have closed captions, images have alternative text descriptions, form fields have clear labels and autofill capability, and much more. A full accessibility statement can be found on the site for those who want to read more.
It is worth closing with the discussion point that the USA is well beyond where we are with legal wrangles and personal suing petitions being brought against organisations failing to meet standards. The North East is a close-knit community who generally care about everyone’s wellbeing – let’s pull together to show the rest of the country and the world that our charities do things the right, accessible way!