International Day of People with Disability
International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is held on 3 December each year. It aims to increase public awareness, understanding and inclusion of people with disability and celebrate their achievements and contributions.
This IDPwD, Guide Dogs Australia is highlighting how Australians can be online allies for people who have low vision or blindness.
More than 25 million people in Australia have internet access. They are streaming content, working flexibly, accessing telehealth or shopping online.
However for the more than 500,000 Australians with low vision or blindness, accessing online services and supports can still present a challenge.
A recent report by EY Sweeney commissioned by Guide Dogs Australia surveyed 622 Australians living with low vison or blindness and found:
- more than nine in 10 people with low vision or blindness use online devices.
- More than three quarters (77 percent) encounter regular challenges when using devices to access the internet.
- One in three (33%) said this was because websites, apps and software were inaccessible and poorly designed.
The good news is all Australians can help make the internet a more inclusive space.
Meet Annette
Creating content is a daily task for Annette Ferguson. As Client Communications Coordinator for Guide Dogs and a person with low vision, Annette knows the challenges of digital accessibility all too well.
“Accessible design shouldn’t be about finding a way to make something that is inaccessible more accessible,” she said.
While people are starting to understand the importance of accessible physical environments, the world is still playing catch-up when it comes to the digital space.
“If we are to rescue and achieve quality education and reduce inequalities, both important goals for the blind and low vision community, everyone needs to start with consistently producing accessible digital information,” Annette says.
How you can help
With the digital world growing by the day, all online users have a responsibility to think about the accessibility of their content, whether they’re Instagramming, programming or browsing.
Guide Dogs Access and Technology Advisor Ben Moxey, who is blind, has shared his top tips on how you can be an ally to the low vision and blind community online.
You can read the full article here, or see his five basic ways everyone to make your content more accessible.
- Avoid Small Text. To improve accessibility for everyone, don’t use really small text. We recommend a minimum of 12 point font on all materials.
- Watch Your Colour Contrasts. You can make a big difference by making sure there’s great contrast between your text and background colours. There are tools you can use to check. But if you want to keep it simple, stick with black text on a white background. This produces the highest contrast ratio possible.
- Avoid Pictures Behind Text and Visual Clutter. A safe bet is to avoid pictures, patterns or colours behind text in general.
- Add Alt Text to Images. Next time you add an image to a document, email, website or social media, make sure there’s alternative text (alt text). This will be spoken by screen reader apps for people who are blind or have low vision, so they know what’s in the picture.
- Use Simple Language. Keep it simple to make sure you get your message across and be brilliant!
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