Here are some tips for creating content that is more understandable to people with disabilities.
508 Primer:
508 compliance is a set of rules put forth by the United States government to make the web more accessible to those with disabilities. You can view the government site here: http://www.section508.gov.
Even though Federal run and supported sites are the only sites that are required to be 508 compliant, I strongly encourage you to create content that is easily accessible to those with disabilities. Here I will lay out some simple guidelines you can use to provide all of your site visitors a better view of your site. Many of these things can be done easily. You just have to keep on top of them as your content is created.
Images:
Make sure your image has an "alt" tag. The alt tag is short for alternative. It will be read by a user’s browser and translated into audio if that user has a visual impairment. The alt tag should be descriptive about what the image is, or what it references.
Links: Several things can be done to your links. When you assign a link to an image you should think about changing the image’s alt tag, as I explained above. Be sure to change the alt tag to not only describe the image but also say what this link is going to do. So if you create a "contact us" link with an image of a mailbox, think of adding an alt tag to the image of "Contact Us" or "Click here to contact us."
When linking a text area, there are some other rules to think about. Having non-descriptive phrases like "click here" does nothing to describe what the link is used for. Try linking to the entire sentence or phrase that explains what the link does. For example; "Click here to go to my site." This will provide visually impaired users with a description for their browser reader to use.
Navigation:
The main point of navigation is to give your users a place to find information and to understand where they are within your site. If you use JavaScript or Flash animations for navigation, think of also adding a text navigation version. People with many types of disabilities will be unable to use your fancier navigation and so you should give them an alternative way to browse your site.
Media:
For any media item you post, it is a good idea to provide additional description for people with disabilities. If you post a video, then you should describe what is in the video with text. If you post an audio piece, make sure there is also a text translation of it. These text descriptions will help people with audio and visual disabilities experience otherwise invisible elements of your site.
Color blindness:
A large percentage of people are color blind in one way or another. When adding colors to your site, as backgrounds or text colors, make sure the text or links on top of those colors are well contrasted. An easy way of telling if the text has enough contrast is to "print screen" the page and paste it into a paint program. Windows comes with "Paint" in your accessories folder. Now print the image in black and white. If you can still read it, it has enough contrast.
So what does this all mean for you?
These are all easy steps to make your site more readable and easier to navigate by everyone including those with disabilities. So next time you think about adding a link or a nice image to your site, remember to think about the extra small things you can do to enrich visitor experience. Your new potential clients will thank you.