Myth 1. A screen reader will read any website
Formally, this is true, but without adaptation of the site, it will be completely inconvenient for visually impaired people to use it. Let's assume that the headings on the pages of an online store are simply written in caps lock, but are not marked in the layout. This deprives a blind user of the ability to quickly navigate the headings, which is why he spends more time on your site than on a competitor's. Most likely, in the future, he will not have a desire to return to an inconvenient resource.
Or, let's say you go to a website and see only black text on a white background. How comfortable and enjoyable would it be for you to use such a resource? Would you prefer a competitor's beautiful and convenient website?
Myth 2. Only the main pages need to be adapted
There are no small or unimportant hong kong email list elements on a website that can be left unchanged. One of the most common problems is unsigned links in the footer of websites, where icons are usually placed. The links assigned to them lead to groups on social networks. A screen reader user can easily figure out the purpose of an icon if it is accompanied by a text label. Many developers overlook this point, although it takes very little time.
Myth 3. Any person with impaired vision can help adapt a website
Involve specialists in the field to adapt the site for the visually impaired. Don't count on the fact that you will use the help of a person with poor eyesight and that he will tell the developers what exactly needs to be done. A blind employee may be a real professional in his field (for example, writing texts or sales), but at the same time he may not understand adaptive layout at all. Therefore, his advice will most likely not be useful.
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Myth 4: Apps and websites are read the same way
The developers concluded that a significant portion of large companies successfully cope with adapting a site for the blind, but the situation with mobile applications is not so optimistic. In this case, a special approach and special knowledge are required, which most programmers do not possess.
Often, problems are related to the graphic code of the image (captcha). The web version of the site provides the ability to recognize the captcha using third-party services, but in the mobile application, it is simply unrealistic to cope with this task without the help of a sighted person. Another common difficulty comes down to the fact that it is impossible to navigate through a group of buttons collected in one area by swiping. For example, in the airline application, all sections (ticket ordering, personal account, schedule) can be combined into one group, so it is impossible to select one of them.
Myth 5. It is possible to adapt websites according to GOST
In April 2020, a new state standard came into force in the Russian Federation, combining accessibility criteria for websites, digital programs, and mobile applications. After that, a common misconception emerged that companies can adapt their services according to GOST, which regulates the basic principles of this process and affects the visual part. At the same time, many forget that the requirements of the highest level standard do not apply to individual aspects (such as, for example, adaptation for a screen reader).
9 myths about website adaptation for the visually impaired
In essence, GOST can be compared to an international declaration, and screen reader standards can be compared to legislative acts of a particular state. The text of the state standard states that it can be supplemented by other normative acts that do not contradict its basic principles.