Website Accessibility Design For Colour Contrast

Colour contrast for the visually impaired is an important consideration when designing and developing your website. While certain designs may appear to be aesthetically pleasing, they may not be appropriate for those with a disability. For this reason, your website designer and developer should be well educated about WCAG 2.0 accessibility standards and how to adhere to the required guidelines.

Accessibility standards exist to assist visitors with visual impairments, allowing them to more easily read content or distinguish certain colours. For example, making sure that the background and foreground colours do not conflict is key to someone who suffers from reduced vision or colour blindness.

Accessibility and Disability

This short video focuses on the importance of colour contrast for visually impaired and website design and development. It also outlines the corresponding ratios required when developing for accessibility guidelines that meet WCAG 2.0 Level A and Level AA  requirements.

If you are an Ontario-based business looking to redesign or develop a new website, you may want to see if the the accessibility guidelines affect your company. January 2021 is the website compliance deadline facing many organizations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). The new AODA website requirements have been in effect for government-based organizations since 2012. However, larger organizations must comply with Level A requirements after January 1, 2014 and with Level AA requirements after January 1, 2021.

By law, both new and “significantly refreshed” public websites must be accessibility compliant.

This new compliance will apply to:

• a private or non-profit organization with 50+ employees or
• a public sector organization

The organization that controls the website must meet the accessibility requirements.

Compliant sites will meet WCAG 2.0 guidelines which provides text alternatives for any non-text content to facilitate conversions into alternate formats such as large print, braille or high contrast visuals to enable those with sight limitations to use the website.

For more information about how this could affect your organization click here.

For more information about AODA guidelines and deadlines, please click here.

If you are looking for help to make your current or future website AODA compliant, please contact info@sproutcommunications.ca.