The following is a short list of some of the best practices for making your website more inclusive. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and the WAI guidelines will provide a broader sense of accessibility issues and ways for your website to overcome them. Some inclusive design best practices include:
- Provide accurate, succinct alt text with images so that screen readers may describe the content to the user.
- Use style sheets (CSS) that will allow the user to easily and effectively change the font size and style to suit his or her needs.
- Avoid using tables that can confuse screen readers and thereby confuse the user with nonsense text.
- Provide text equivalents for video (captions) and audio (transcripts) content, so that it may be read by a screen reader or conveyed to the user via Braille keyboard.
- Provide context for videos by describing the content of the movie or animation.
- Insure effective site navigation by keyboard, as some users lack the dexterity or coordination to control a mouse.
- Provide control over audio so that music and other audio does not interfere with screen readers. A simple play/pause button allows the user to control when they wish to hear the audio content.
- Use colour wisely with regard to layout. Use of striking differences in colours helps to differentiate text from the background, as well as navigational areas from content areas.
- Avoid flicker, or blinking content on your site. Persons with photo-sensitive epilepsy may be triggered by rapidly blinking content at frequencies between 2 and 55 Hz.
- Avoid patterns or constantly moving content as this can provide a distraction for people with cognitive disabilities.