Among the many major challenges facing businesses today, the fight against discrimination is a major issue. That's why they need to get to grips with the issue of digital accessibility, with the help of standards and guidelines designed to support them.
The Internet is, in itself, a promise of accessibility: the promise of being able to obtain information at any time, in any place and using any type of medium. But putting content on the web is not enough to make it accessible to everyone. Some editorial and multimedia content offered online remains inaccessible to people with disabilities. More often than not, this lack of accessibility is due to ignorance of simple rules. With responsibility and popularity at stake, companies need to adopt good practice to win the battle for accessibility. accessibility challenge and, by extension, non-discrimination. Carole D'Andrea, expert and trainer in digital accessibility, takes stock.
The RGAA framework: what you need to know about accessibility
To support public institutions in their accessibility initiatives, DINUM (the Interministerial Digital Department) set up the General accessibility guidelines for public authorities (RGAA). Continually improved, it is an essential tool for publishers of Internet, intranet and extranet sites, software packages and mobile applications.
The RGAA is a reference for all players, whether they are subject to its obligations or simply keen to improve the quality of their product. It can be used to determine whether the product for which you are responsible is not, partially or fully compliant with international standards.
What does it contain?
The RGAA comprises two sections, one administrative and the other technical. It includes :
- a reminder of legal obligations ;
- the list of criteria to be applied, taken from the WCAG standards (initiated by W3C) and EN 301 549 (European directive), according to which a web application must be perceptible, usable, comprehensible and robust;
- a methodology for assessing these criteria, including several tools;
- how the results of the audit and the accessibility policy will be published.
And so, digital accessibility is no longer the exclusive preserve of public institutions and administrations The RGAA provides companies with everything they need to know to take action against discrimination against people with disabilities.
Digital accessibility: a major challenge for businesses
Accessibility is part of an inclusive approach that encompasses three major challenges for companies.
The first echoes the fundamental right of access to information: companies must ensure that their content can be perceived, used and understood by everyone.
The second is linked to the audience, in the commercial or communication sense: accessibility increases performance, on the one hand by targeting a wider audience, and on the other by improving the user experience, robustness (compatibility with different media) and indirectly natural referencing (visibility in search engines).
Finally, the last is legal: since 2019 and the law for the Digital Republic, the obligation of accessibility concerns many entities and no longer just public institutions. Private sector structures with a public service delegation, non-profit private law legal entities, companies reaching a certain turnover threshold (currently set at 250 million euros annually), all must today work for accessibility under penalty of administrative and financial sanctions.
Combating preconceived ideas
We need to combat certain preconceived ideas about accessibility.
"My digital product doesn't appeal to people with disabilities." FALSE
On the contrary digital is essential for this audience. Disability is not a characteristic linked to a person, but the result of a lack of accessibility of the product or service they wish to use. Creating products that take account of everyone's specific needs means that everyone can benefit from the advantages of digital technology.
"Designing an accessible site limits creativity". FALSE
adapting does not mean degrading. The aim is to design and develop sites in an inclusive way, anticipating different uses and graphics. This is precisely the aim of the RGAA: to help publishers adapt their products, without distorting them. Some accessibility measures may even be of benefit to users who do not suffer from disabilities: assistance with input, contrasts that are less tiring for the eyes, a more robust site, etc. (see our article on this subject: the UX Designer, the key to a successful user experience)
"Accessibility is a technical subject and too complicated." FALSE
There too, the repository simplifies work by making it accessible to everyone. Of course, accessibility requires an initial investment (training, organisation, checking, etc.). But after that, the effort diminishes and is offset by improved performance.
Responsibilities and editorial obligations
In the early days of the Internet, it was easy to build and manage a site on your own. Nowadays, websites are no longer the work of an isolated webmaster, but of many combined skills. The creation and monitoring of these sites is essentially dealt with in "project" mode.
In this context, the RGAA must supporting the accessibility policy by bringing together different areas of expertise towards the same objective of compliance. To achieve this, it is recommended that a number of measures be put in place:
- a common quality charter for all employees, to serve as an internal reference;
- the obligation to train all those involved in the project, each at their own level and in their own speciality, contributing to the final accessibility of the product.
Integrating accessibility criteria into editorial content
There are several stages involved in creating web content:
- firstly, the framework (what objectives, what actions, what graphic and editorial charter, what technical and functional specifications, etc.);
- then the preparation of content (compliance with the charter, introduction of accessible alternatives, etc.);
- finally, publication (deployment and quality control).
The editorial team's main responsibility is to prepare the content for which it is responsible. guarantor of good accessibility practices. If the site is an independently developed product, the technical aspects will be handled by the developers. If it is based on a CMS (Content Management System), it must comply with the W3C ATAG guidelines and produce code that is compatible with accessibility.
Cryptic content
Certain RGAA criteria specifically target editorial content. In particular, the standards refer to the accessibility of "cryptic content". What does this mean? Cryptic content is content that has a hidden meaning, whether behind a form (emoticons, ASCII art, etc.) or a particular turn of phrase (misinterpretation, sarcasm, etc.) that assistive technologies transcribe literally, and therefore incorrectly.
The cryptic content is as follows inaccessible to people with visual or intellectual impairments, and more generally to anyone using a screen reader. To remedy this, the repository requires the addition of a textual alternative enabling the cryptic content to be decoded in a relevant way, either in the code with a "title" attribute, or in an adjacent definition.
Specific editorial features
Accessibility rules in the editorial field also apply to writing and presentation methods. There are three pieces of advice to bear in mind in particular:
- Focus on clarity
Avoid double meanings and ambiguous figures of speech, unless they are clearly explained in an alternative version. Colours and contrasts should be sufficient to facilitate reading, with the RGAA defining the threshold values to be respected. Frames and tables should be used sparingly, making them easy to explore using the screen reader.
- Provide an alternative for images (illustration, symbol, computer graphics, etc.)
First and foremost, we need to distinguish between images that convey information and those that are decorative. The former must include an alternative, whereas the latter do not. The alternative content of information-carrying images can be conveyed by the "alt" attribute (simple images) or a description (complex images), both of which are vocalised instead of the image by the screen reader.
- Structuring your content
It is essential to have a clear hierarchy for your texts, with several levels of headings. The order and relevance of headings are essential. Text should be left-aligned and not "justified" to make it easier to read. Finally, also use the CMS features or code tags to identify quotations, lists, line breaks, etc. so that the structure is preserved whatever the mode of consultation.
The editorial charter is a generic document that will remind all contributors, including external service providers, of these rules. This is to ensure that accessibility is maintained over the long term, as publications continue.
Specific multimedia features
In the RGAA, multimedia content includes video content, audio content and animated elements such as advertisements or interactive maps where information can be navigated or displayed dynamically. They require specific measures:
- Provide alternatives for sound and visuals
A textual transcription (summary associated with the multimedia content) allows access to the information content independently of the audio/video streams. For videos, dialogue needs to be dubbed with quality subtitles. An audio description (secondary audio track providing additional explanations) can also be useful for people with visual or intellectual impairments.
- Offer user controls
Pause, show or hide subtitles, adjust the sound volume... users need to be able to adapt the multimedia stream to their needs.
- Limiting distracting visual effects
Stroboscopic effects, continuous movements... certain effects can cause epileptic or vestibular disorders and should be avoided. Purely informational content should avoid these effects. If they are used in entertainment or artistic videos, a warning must be given before the video is launched.
In conclusion, digital accessibility is less complicated than it might seem. Based on international standards and the RGAA, project teams can be trained and quality charters drawn up. Notally for editorial and multimedia content production) that promote inclusion and the fight against discrimination.
But beyond the regulatory basis for accessibility laid down by the RGAA, certain questions remain: "Who is going to use this content? Or "What is the right balance between accessibility and natural referencing", since the two areas have some good practices in common and others in contradiction.
These are strategic questions, and the answer will be different for each project. This will extend the compliance process, for a truly optimal user experience.
