How to Make a Website Accessible for Visually-Handicapped or Blind Persons
Visual impairments are surprisingly common, and websites need to be able to support users with impaired vision. While there is software available which will read the site contents out loud, certain formatting styles need to be used to ensure that a page is read correctly.
Use "Alt" and "Title" tags. These will tell the software where the title is and where images appear. Without these tags, the software may be unable to detect titles from normal text, which will make the site sound scrambled. "Alt" tags allow you to enter text which will appear if you hover over the image. The software will read this text out loud.
Avoid using a lot of images. Most audio software will skip over images, as they cannot describe them. A site covered in images will be both slow to read and very empty for someone who cannot see them. For essential images, check that the "Alt" tags are informative and correct.
Avoid tables. Software for visually impaired individuals usually read tables wrong and severe gaps could appear.
Allow color changes. Try to use black and white for the main site, but have an option to change the color scheme to blue and orange, which is sometimes easier to read.
Validate your HTML syntax. There are a lot of tools that will do this for you built into site makers, and having correct syntax will ensure your site reads right.
