Digital accessibility: No such thing as 100%

Steps to ensure online content can be read by everyone

As Global Accessibility Awareness Day on 15 May approaches, it's a good time to ask what's really holding us back from making online content accessible to everyone, and what we can do about it.

 I've heard people say at conferences that the keyboard was designed for blind people, as was the internet. That touch screens came from technology for those with limited mobility. Whether true or urban legends, there's a sense that digital was always meant to be accessible. This sparked the question: if accessibility was part of the original plan, why isn't it the reality? 

Being blind, this reminds me of a frustrating personal experience when someone sent me an image, and instead of writing a description, they said:

“Run this through AI, it will tell you what you need to know”. 

I felt irritated by the extra work that others in the chat didn't have to do – the energy spent thinking of the right questions to ask AI, waiting for responses, and hoping it would give me enough context to join the conversation. From their side, there was anxiety about getting it wrong and an assumption that AI would describe it perfectly. Ultimately, I was stuck carrying the burden of making the conversation accessible to me. These are exactly the kinds of experiences that Global Accessibility Awareness Day activities highlight.

I've noticed there's a real anxiety around digital accessibility – the pressure to get it perfect or not get it wrong. A never-ending checklist of criteria and technical jargon that many struggle to interpret. Raising awareness that digital accessibility is for everyone is just the first step. After that, how do we overcome this fear of imperfection? How do we create a sense that it's okay to try and fail, because next time it will be more accessible? These are questions we should explore during Global Accessibility Awareness Day.

Here's my answer:

There is no such thing as 100% accessible. But that shouldn’t stop us from trying. 

The WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) give everyone working on the web a checklist aimed at ensuring most people can access content. That doesn't mean everyone always can, but everyone should always be the goal. This is what Global Accessibility Awareness Day is all about – encouraging everyone to take small steps towards being mindful of and improving their knowledge of digital inclusion. Inclusivity is also one of our values here, and we offer many support services to students who may have additional needs.

Examples of things we can all do to make our online content accessible are: 

5 basics of digital accessibility for Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2025

1. Headings
2. Links
3. Making your content easy to read
4. Using colour contrast in designs
5. Visual and non-visual content

Headings 

It’s important to introduce your content using a clear word that summarises what’s to come next. This also needs to be written into the code. Any web developer or UX designer should be aware of this. Important if you want a career in games design or any online job.

Dos for headings

• Be descriptive
• Create headings in a descending order (1,2,3)
• Style each heading level as a different font size, decreasing in size with each level (Heading 1 should be the largest font size).  
• Have headings in a different colour from the body text.
• Format your text as headings using the style tool. 

Don’ts for headings

• Skip a heading level. A heading level 4 should not follow a heading level 2.
• Use the font size and colour tool to create a heading (particularly relevant for Word documents and Intranet pages)
• Use a heading to highlight important information.
• Make your headings overly long, try to use 5 words or fewer. 

Useful guides to headings

• Add a heading in a Word Document
• Creating headings in a Google Doc
• Intro to paragraph styles in MAC (guidance for creating headings)
• Add accessible content and links to a SharePoint site (see the Heading - Add headings to make your content easy to scan).

Links 

Hyperlink text is an easy way to direct readers to other content, like pointing people to sources in your dissertation. However, the text needs to say exactly what the link is going to be. 

• Hyperlink text should match the page title it links to.
• You should not use: ‘read more’, ‘click here’, ‘here’, ‘website’, ‘show more’ or similar. 

What to do when using hyperlinks 

Example 1: UEL can offer a range of support for disabled students. This support is arranged by the Disability and Dyslexia team. 

Example 2: UEL can offer a range of support for disabled students. To find out more information, please visit the Disability and Dyslexia team intranet page (sign in required). 

What not to do when using hyperlinks 

Example 1: Click here to find out more about how UEL support disabled students. 

Example 2: UEL can offer a range of support for disabled students. Find out more. 

Easy read language 

Easy-read text is about making content understandable for the widest audience. 

For easy-to-read text, do 

• Use plain English.
• Keep sentences to 20 words or fewer.
• Write out an acronym in brackets the first time you use it.
• Provide a glossary of complex or subject-specific terminology. If you write clearly, you won't need this at all.

For easy-to-read text, don’t

• Unnecessarily use complicated words
• Use idioms or sayings.
• Use local phrases.

Colour contrast 

Good colour contrast makes a huge difference for those who are colour blind, partially sighted or have low vision. Colour conveys importance or risk, but this colour palette isn't accessible to most colour-blind people. Also, poor contrast between colour and text can make it difficult for many people to read.

Do’s of colour contrast 

• Use a text alternative to convey the same information.
• Use symbols and text to support the information shown through colour.
• Use a colour contrast checker to ensure contrast meets legal requirements (see links below).

WebAIM Contrast Checker

EightShapes Contrast Grid

Colour Contrast Analyser

Don’ts of colour contrast 

• Use only colour to highlight important information or a hyperlink.
• Use only colour in a graph, chart or spreadsheet to highlight status.
• Use colours of a similar shade, even if they are different colours.  

Visual and non-visual content

We often unintentionally exclude people when content isn't provided in formats that work for them. This includes podcasts, images and videos. This will also help neurodivergent people and those with chronic illnesses that may affect cognitive function.

So, don’t exclude people by providing content in just one format.

Do’s for images 

• Provide descriptions for images outlining the important information being shown.
• Provide a written description or table of data to accompany a graph or chart. 

Do’s for videos and audio-only content 

• Find content with captions and transcripts.
• Create transcripts and captions for your content.
• Find videos with audio description.
• Provide an audio description for your videos.
• Read out the important information from slides for lectures, talks and webinars.

Making every day a Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2025 is about creating a more inclusive digital world every single day, one small action at a time. If you work in an online industry or want to, then these actions are daily musts.

I challenge you to pick just one of these basics and start implementing it. See how it changes your approach to creating content. Notice how it becomes second nature.

Then we move closer to a world where digital accessibility isn't something we must remember, it's just the way things are done.