Visual of a lightbulb with many coloured lines superimposed on it

Our Accessiblity Toolbar  

on May 10, 2023 at 9:49am |Updated on May 10, 2023 at 9:55am

We do this as standard!

Ever since 2006, when we created our first fully accessible website, we have always created an accessibility toolbar. This was always in addition to our fully WCAG compliant, accessible coding techniques.

Originally it was very simple and consisted of 4 buttons. Each button allowed you to change the way the page content was displayed.

You had a choice of 4 options:

  • Standard Layout
  • Large Text, which is easier for those with visual impairment
  • High Contrast, which is easier for neurodivergent visitors
  • Plain Text, which is easier for neurodivergent visitors and anyone else

Giving visitors a choice!

This meant that, from the outset, every website we created would always allow, at the very least, these options to every visitor. It allowed them to make the change at the press of a button, rather than them having to do anything in their own browser.

We have continually developed and enhanced our toolbar and it now gives a greater range of options but, as it is written directly into our code, it does not rely on any third-party software. Software that uses overlays that make websites less accessible, not more accessible.

If you want to find out more, do watch the video!

Imitation is the highest form of flattery!

We are always extremely gratified when others follow our lead and do the same. We are seeing our techniques being copied and used on other websites and for this, we are actually profoundly grateful.  Simple things like this, when done correctly, can make a tremendous difference to the accessibility of a website.

This is one of the many reasons we love helping others on their digital accessibility journey. Once the penny drops, there's no looking back. Ever.

Would you like to find out more?
If you would like to find out more about website accessibility, please follow these links:

Watch my TED Talk
Find out more about website accessibility audits 
Discuss having an accessibility audit of your website
Have a 1-hour consultation on any aspect of website accessibility 

Clive Loseby
Access by Design

Beautiful, WCAG Compliant, Accessible Website Design
Delivering an Outstanding Website Accessibility Audit
Award-winning Web Design, Chichester

 

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