Speaker 1: Have you ever visited a website and found it difficult to navigate or access certain features? For many people with disabilities, this is a common experience. With the increasing importance of technology and the internet in our lives, web accessibility is more important than ever to ensure that everyone has equal access to information and services online. Hello everyone and welcome to this video on Web Accessibility Guidelines 2.1, where we talk about what these guidelines exactly cover and why is it important to adhere to them. As more businesses move their operations online, it is essential that web developers and designers prioritize accessibility in their work. But how is that achievable? Stay till the end of this video to find out more about Web Accessibility Guidelines 2.1. With that being said, let us take a look at the agenda for this video. First, we'll look at the overview of WCAG 2.1. Then we'll look at the differences between WCAG 2.0 and 2.1. Then we'll look at the key principles of WCAG 2.1. Then we'll talk about the success criteria and the accessibility testing. Then we'll talk about accessibility tools and resources. Then we'll look at the legal and ethical considerations. Then we'll talk about the best practices for web accessibility. Then we'll look at the future developments in web accessibility. And with that, we'll conclude. But before we begin, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell icon to receive regular updates from us. Now let us take a look at the overview of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1. WCAG 2.1 stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1. It is a set of guidelines created by the World Wide Web Consortium to help make web content more accessible for people with disabilities. The guidelines provide recommendations for designing and coding websites and web applications to ensure that they are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for all users, including those with disabilities. WCAG 2.1 builds upon the previous version of the guidelines, WCAG 2.0, by adding new success criteria that addresses accessibility issues that were not covered in the earlier version. Some of the new criteria in WCAG 2.1 includes guidelines for mobile devices, people with low vision, and people with cognitive and learning disabilities. Adhering to the WCAG 2.1 guidelines is important because it can help ensure that web content is accessible to the widest possible audience, including people with disabilities. In many countries, including the United States and European Union, accessibility is also a legal requirement under disability discrimination laws. Now we'll look at the differences between WCAG 2.0 and 2.1. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines provides a set of standards for making web content more accessible to people with disabilities. The most recent version of these guidelines is WCAG 2.1, which was published in 2018 as an update to the previous version, WCAG 2.0. One of the key differences between WCAG 2.0 and 2.1 is that 2.1 includes additional success criteria that addresses new emerging technologies that have become more prevalent since the release of 2.0. For example, WCAG 2.1 includes new success criteria that specifically addresses mobile accessibility, touchscreen functionality, and low vision accessibility, which were not explicitly covered in WCAG 2.0. In addition to addressing new and emerging technologies, WCAG 2.1 also includes updates to existing success criteria based on feedback from users and the accessibility community. For example, WCAG 2.1 includes new success criteria for providing users with more control over animations and motion effects, as well as updates to the contrast requirements for text and images to make them more accessible to users with low vision. Overall, while WCAG 2.0 remains a valuable resource for web accessibility, 2.1 represents an important update that takes into account the changing landscape of web technologies and the evolving needs of users with disabilities. Now we look at the key principles of WCAG 2.1. The four key principles of 2.1 are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Let us take a look at those. So perceivable means that web content must be able to be perceived by all users, including those with disabilities. Operable means that all users must be able to operate the interface, including those with disabilities. Understandable means that web content must be presented in a way that is easy to understand, including for people with cognitive and learning disabilities. Finally, robust means that web content must be compatible with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies. Now we look at the success criteria. Success criteria are the specific guidelines outlined in WCAG 2.1 that must be met to ensure web content is accessible for everybody. The success criteria are organized into three levels of conformance, A, AA, and AAA. Each level has progressively more strict requirements for accessibility. There are 78 success criteria in WCAG 2.1, each designed to address a specific accessibility issue that people with disabilities may face when accessing web content. The success criteria are grouped under 13 guidelines, which are organized under the four key principles of web accessibility. Perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Each success criterion has a specific requirement that must be met to achieve compliance. For example, success criterion 1.1.1 requires that all non-text content such as images, videos, and audio have a text alternative that describes the content and serves the same purpose. To meet this criterion, the text alternative should be provided in the alt attribute of an image tag or in a separate text description for videos and audio. Another example is success criterion 2.4.4, which requires that links have a descriptive and unique name. This is important for people with disabilities who use screen readers or other assistive technologies to navigate web content. If the links are not clearly labeled, people with disabilities might have difficulty understanding where they lead or what their purpose is. Meeting all the success criteria is necessary to achieve WCAG 2.1 compliance and doing so can help ensure that web content is accessible to the widest possible audience, including people with disabilities. It is important to note that some success criteria may be more challenging to meet than others and it may require collaboration between designers, developers, and content creators to ensure that all criteria are met. Now we'll take a look at accessibility testing. Accessibility testing is the process of evaluating a website or web application to ensure that it meets accessibility standards and is usable by people with disabilities. The goal of accessibility testing is to identify and fix any barriers that may prevent people with disabilities from accessing or using the website or application. Accessibility testing can be conducted manually or through automated tools. Manual testing involves using assistive technologies such as screen readers, voice recognition software, and keyboard-only navigation to evaluate the website or application. Manual testing is often more thorough and accurate than automated testing but can be time-consuming and require specialized skills. Automated testing involves using software tools to scan the website or application for accessibility issues. These tools can identify issues such as missing alternative text for images, improper heading structure, and inadequate color contrast. Automated testing can be faster and more efficient than manual testing but can also produce false positives or miss certain types of accessibility issues. There are several different types of accessibility testing that can be conducted. Let us take a look at those. Starting with functionality testing. Functionality testing evaluates whether the website or application is fully functional and usable by people with disabilities. This includes testing with assistive technologies to ensure that all interactive elements can be accessed and used and that all content is presented in a clear and understandable way. Moving on to usability testing. Usability testing evaluates the overall usability of the website or application for people with disabilities. This includes testing the navigation and layout of the site as well as the easy use of interactive elements such as forms and buttons. Finally, compliance testing. Compliance testing evaluates whether the website or application meets specific accessibility standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1. Compliance testing involves testing against each of the success criteria outlined in the standards and identifying any areas where the website or application falls short. In addition to manual and automated testing, it is also important to conduct user testing with people with disabilities to ensure that the website or application is truly accessible and meets their needs. User testing can help identify specific barriers or issues that may not be detected through other types of testing. Now let's move on to accessibility tools and resources. There are many accessibility tools and resources available to help web developers and designers test their content against the WCAG 2.1 success criteria and ensure that it meets accessibility standards. Here are some of the most commonly used tools and resources starting with automated testing tools. These are software programs that automatically scan web content for accessibility issues. Some popular automated testing tools include Axe, Weave and Siteimprove. These tools can quickly identify issues such as missing alternative text for images, improperly labeled form elements and low color contrast. However, it's important to note that automated testing tools are not foolproof and manual testing is still necessary to ensure full accessibility compliance. Second is manual testing methods. These involve testing web content manually to identify accessibility issues that may not be caught by automated testing tools. Manual testing can involve using assistive technologies such as screen readers, keyboard only navigation and voice recognition software to simulate the experience of a user with disabilities. It can also involve conducting user testing with people with disabilities to get feedback on the accessibility of the content. Third is accessibility checkers. These are web based tools that can evaluate a web page for accessibility issues. Some popular accessibility checkers include WebAims, Weave and Achecker. These tools can identify accessibility issues and provide suggestions for how to fix them. Fourth is web developer tools. These are built-in tools in web browsers that can help developers test their web content for accessibility. For example, Chrome's accessibility developer tools can simulate the experience of a user with disabilities and provide information about accessibility issues on a web page. Finally, accessibility testing services. These are third-party services that can perform accessibility testing on web content. Some popular accessibility testing services include Deck Systems, Level Access and Accessible 360. These services can provide a detailed analysis of web content accessibility and offer suggestions for how to fix any issues. Now let's move on to legal and ethical considerations. Starting with legal considerations, web accessibility has become a legal issue in many countries around the world. In the United States, for example, the American with Disabilities Act, ADA, requires that public entities provide equal access to people with disabilities, which includes web content. Similarly, the European Union Web Accessibility Directive requires that public sector websites and mobile apps meet accessibility standards. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in legal action, including fines and lawsuits. In addition to these specific laws, many countries have adopted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which recognizes the right of people with disabilities to access information and communication technologies on an equal basis with others. This convention has been ratified by over 170 countries worldwide and has implications for web accessibility regulations in these countries. Now let's move on to ethical considerations. In addition to legal considerations, there are also ethical considerations related to web accessibility. Ensuring that web content is accessible to all users, regardless of their abilities, is a matter of social responsibility and human rights. People with disabilities often face significant barriers to accessing information and participating fully in society, and web accessibility can help to address these barriers. Designing accessible web content is also a good business practice. It can increase the audience for a website, improve user experience for all users, and help to avoid legal issues and negative publicity. Furthermore, ethical considerations extend beyond web content to the tools and technologies used to create it. For example, software applications and programming languages used in web development should also be accessible to people with disabilities. This includes providing alternative input methods for people who cannot use a mouse or keyboard, and ensuring that code is written in such a way that it is compatible with assistive technologies. Now we'll look at some of the best practices for web accessibility. Starting with provide alternative text for images. Alternative text or alt text is a brief description of an image that is read by screen readers for people who cannot see the image. Providing alt text is essential for making images accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. Second is use descriptive and concise link text. Links should be descriptive and provide information about the destination of the link. Avoid using generic phrases like click here or read more as they do not provide any information about the link's destination. Instead, use descriptive phrases like learn more about our services or download our browser. Third is use headings and proper document structure. Use headings to create a clear and logical structure for the content on a web page. This not only helps with navigation for all users, but also ensures that assistive technologies like screen readers can provide context to users with disabilities. Fourth is ensure color contrast. Low color contrast between text and background can make it difficult for users with low vision to read. Ensure that text is easily readable by using high contrast colors. Moving on to the fifth one, make forms accessible. Forms should be designed with accessibility in mind, including clear labels, properly labeled form fields, and easy navigation using keyboard only. Sixth, use accessible multimedia. Audio and video content should be accompanied by transcripts, captions, and audio descriptions for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or blind. Next is provide keyboard accessibility. Ensure that all content on a website can be accessed and navigated using a keyboard only. This is important for people who cannot use a mouse or other pointing device. And the last one is test for accessibility. Using automated and manual testing methods to check for accessibility issues and ensure compliance with WCAG 2.1 guidelines. Now let's move on to future developments in web accessibility. Web accessibility has come a long way in recent years, but there is still so much work to be done. Here are some of the future developments in web accessibility. First is artificial intelligence and machine learning. AI and ML have the potential to improve web accessibility by making websites and web applications more adaptive to individual user needs. For example, AI can learn the preferences and needs of individual users with disabilities and adjust the website accordingly to provide a more personalized experience. Second is virtual and augmented reality. Virtual and augmented reality technologies are becoming increasingly popular, but they also present new challenges for web accessibility. Developers and designers will need to ensure that these technologies are accessible to people with disabilities, including those with mobility, vision, and hearing impairments. Third is greater focus on mobile accessibility. Mobile devices are becoming the primary way that people access the web. So it is important that mobile apps and websites are accessible to people with disabilities. This includes ensuring that content is optimized for small screens, providing clear and concise navigation, and supporting keyword-only navigation. Fourth is improved accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities. People with cognitive disabilities face unique challenges when it comes to web accessibility. Future developments in web accessibility will focus on creating content that is easier to understand and navigate, including the use of plain language, simple design, and easy-to-use navigation. Finally, greater emphasis on user testing. User testing is essential for identifying accessibility issues and ensuring that web content is accessible to people with disabilities. In the future, there will be greater emphasis on user testing and involving people with disabilities in the testing process to ensure that web content is truly accessible. In conclusion, web accessibility is an important consideration for all web developers and designers. By following best practices and staying up-to-date with the latest developments in web accessibility, we can ensure that all users, including those with disabilities, can access and use web content. As technology continues to evolve, it is essential that we remain committed to improving web accessibility and building a more inclusive and equitable web for everyone. Whether you're a web developer, designer, or user, we all have a role to play in creating a more accessible and inclusive digital world. With that, we come to the end of this video. Thank you for watching. Just a quick info guys. Intellipaat provides full-stack web development course in collaboration with ENICT IIT Guwahati. The course link of which is given in the description below.