Accessibility in Art

Image by Jil Wright via Flickr

Introduction

Accessibility is one of the most critical aspects of design. It is essential that your design is able to apply to all people. There are all types of people with disabilities throughout the world, so it is vital to take all of them into consideration. For my blog, I want to make it enjoyable and accessible for people to view no matter the disability.

Simplicity

There are different aspects that I try to take into consideration when creating my blog posts. I thought of certain practices that can provide access to everyone on the web. These include being easy to access, easily visible, and simple to navigate. These are some of the most important aspects of my blog that I would like to make better.

Changes to Blog

I decided to modify my blog in a way that takes these practices into consideration. I think the use of Blogger for my posts makes it very easy for people to get access. For visibility, I wanted to change it up a bit to make it easier for people to read. I didn’t want the page to be too bright, but I also didn’t want it to be too dark. I know there are people who prefer “light mode” and those who prefer “dark mode”. I wanted to make it a color in between the two to appeal to a larger audience. I wanted to avoid a lot of color with my choice as it can make it less appealing to the eye. The last change I made was to allow navigating through the post simpler. I wanted to add more subheadings before paragraphs to help separate them a bit more. It also makes it easier for people to look back and find specific information within it. I think these changes will be more effective and accessible to people. 

Designing for Accessibility

I found the TED Talk by Elise Roy to be the most informative and helpful resource regarding this subject. This TED Talk came from somebody with a disability, so she knows firsthand how much this affects people. One thing from her TED Talk that really stood out to me was the idea of designing for a disability first. When you do that, you are thinking differently and developing new ideas you would’ve never thought of before. She gave great examples of how impactful this can be. She talked about text messaging and an OXO potato peeler being designed specifically for users with a disability. As we know, these ideas are used constantly by people who don’t have a disability. It shows how they are able to accommodate all different users. I wanted to put this same concept into my blog posts and designs. 

Roy, Elise. “When We Design for Disability, We All Benefit.” Elise Roy: When We Design for Disability, We All Benefit | TED Talk, https://www.ted.com/talks/elise_roy_when_we_design_for_disability_we_all_benefit?referrer=playlist-designing_for_disability&autoplay=true.

Wright, Jil. Web Accessibility Word Cloud.