How charities can run their own website accessibility audit

3. Accommodating screen size

Screen size is important to improving accessibility. The RNIB says that low-sighted users might use simple adaptations to read websites. Increasing font size, enlarging graphics / icons, and use of magnification software help users see more clearly. For charities, making sure that content is the same whether screens are small or large can increase audience reach.

4. Structure and content of the website should focus on accessibility

The logic and flow of charity websites can be essential to how messages and content are received. The NCVO offers pragmatic tips on how to makes sure headings, content text, and links are in the right order and place. The NCVO recommends:

• Using headings to separate text, with clear, short captions to help people with assistive technology skim read. Headings shouldn’t be repeated, and should be clear enough that people don’t need to read below.
• Text should be in plain English, with the main point at the beginning of the sentence.
• Links to other pages or resources should be labelled properly. Accessibility software should be able to pick up from the link’s label exactly where it leads. Links with ‘click here’ don’t work well as those using screen readers may become confused without the context surrounding the link.

5. External resources can add value to accessibility audits

For charity digital leaders who want detailed results from their accessibility audits, online resources are valuable. The most comprehensive online guides include:

• The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) – From the dedicated authority on making the internet accessible to everyone, the site features detailed polices and standards to follow. Tutorials are also available for accessibility testing.
• WAVE Web Access – A free community service launched by Utah State University, the site features an online evaluation tool for website accessibility. Users simply paste in a website link, and a summary evaluation pops up. For charity digital leaders, the evaluation provides actionable improvements for websites at no cost.
• Charity Digital Webinar – Tackling the issue of accessibility head-on, the webinar focuses on how charities can influence policies, and what tech is available to drive accessibility. Featured tech resources includes Microsoft’s Twitter handle MSFTEnable and the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk.
• AbilityNet – The charity’s website has a dedicated resources page for charity digital leaders to keep up to date. The charity also suggests evaluation tools to check the accessibility of websites.