As we observe another year ending and a new one beginning, let us celebrate the truly human qualities of peace, of generosity, and of understanding. From everyone at UserWay, we’re incredibly thankful for being able to do what we do – make the internet an accessible space for all.
It wouldn’t be possible without our users. Everyone who has installed our incredibly short but powerful line of code to make their websites accessible is contributing to an inclusive internet for all.
With a new year comes new opportunities to improve. A fresh start, a new goal. Companies, much like people, are using the opportunity to set new goals for the year ahead. What can they be doing better for their clients and team?
Make accessibility your priority in the New Year – here are four undeniable reasons we think it’s a pretty good idea.
It Shows That You Care
Caring about inclusivity is caring for your neighbor. It really is this simple: A little copy-paste and your unique code is set up. With some minimal personalization, your widget is ready to go. And now, your accessibility journey can begin. You’ll see where your site’s obstacles are blocking or hindering people with disabilities.
You’ll find suggestions that will help you improve your site’s accessibility, or take it to the next level. Most importantly, with UserWay’s AI widget, the majority of your site’s violations will be automatically remediated for users, behind the scenes, with no intervention required. And that’s without even mentioning the accessibility customization options your site visitors can choose with either AI or basic widget versions.
The changes you make won’t take much of your time – some users can install our widget within 15 minutes – but those few minutes are a powerful message of empathy and understanding. Those of us with the ability to surf the web without assistance might not think twice about the tiny accessibility icon. But imagine being restricted to only visiting sites with the accessibility icon.
Those who know about digital accessibility – the advocates, developers, people with disabilities, and without – understand and appreciate the effort. Users see the UserWay widget badge and immediately know you’re an ally.
Unsurprisingly, making a difference will often increase your audience’s loyalty to your brand. Let your site visitors, customers, and collaborators know that you care by going the extra step to accommodate their needs. If you don’t, they may seek out the competitor who did.
By committing to enhancing your website’s accessibility, you are showing that you value your audience. You can also create an accessibility statement to show your site visitors where you are in the process of making your site compliant. Here’s our free accessibility statement generator to help you get started.
It Really Helps People
The accessibility changes you make are helping more people than you think. A massive portion of the population is going to benefit from the accessibility modifications you make to your site. The World Health Organization estimates about 15% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability, of which 2-4% experience significant difficulties in functioning. That’s millions of people across the globe who need assistance to interact with your site.
The numbers are staggering, and yet they don’t even take into account temporary disabilities that we all experience from time to time. Temporary disabilities can impact anyone, at any time. Whether it’s getting your eyes dilated at an eye exam that makes it tough for you to see, or breaking your dominant arm, or some other issue that causes you to interact with the world in a modified way.
While those with temporary disabilities may not use accessibility tools on a daily basis, they’ll certainly be glad they have the option once they need a little help.
Be Part of a Thriving Community Working to End the Digital Divide
Here’s a universally agreed upon statement – individuals who are blind or motor-impaired should have the same access to transportation and infrastructure. The digital world should be no different. Access to the internet and online services is just as critical as the physical world.
Each and every website owner who supports our mission to make the internet accessible for all is part of a growing and thriving community of pioneers making digital accessibility a staple of online life. UserWay’s widget is now available to millions of people around the world and is by far the world’s leading accessibility solution, with more downloads daily than any other solution.
We thank the governments, municipalities, academic institutions, e-commerce sites, and more who continue trusting UserWay with their accessibility needs.
While UserWay provides the solution, it’s nothing without the proactive members of the online community who understand the importance of adaptive technologies and their value to end users.
The Future is Looking Bright
Momentum around digital accessibility is growing. How do we know? They say the best way to predict the future is to study the past. Well, this past year has been a bombshell for accessibility around the web. UserWay is fortunate to be at the forefront of it all, with a number of breakthroughs we’re incredibly proud of.
Every New Year celebration deserves a moment of reflection and we’d be remiss to forget the powerful partnerships we have developed that are pushing digital accessibility forward.
UserWay’s AI Widget Powers Accessibility for the Tokyo Paralympics Website
It was an honor to be chosen the accessibility provider for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics website. The International Paralympic Committee is the leading representative for accessibility and inclusivity around the world. Its decision to entrust UserWay with its website’s accessibility highlights UserWay’s status as the gold standard in web accessibility.
Making the Intranet Just as Accessible as the Internet with ShortPoint
UserWay partnered with ShortPoint, a leading intranet design company. With ShortPoint integrating UserWay accessibility solutions into its platform, all employees are able to get their job done – and thrive – in an inclusive intranet workspace.
The Motley Fool and UserWay Team Up To Make Financial Choices More Accessible
The Motley Fool, which provides investing insights and financial advice to millions of people, boosted accessibility for its users with the addition of UserWay’s AI-Powered Accessibility Solution. The Motley Fool has made accessibility a priority, going beyond basic compliance to achieve an inclusive experience for all of its users.
UserWay Released its AI-Powered Accessibility Widget for Shopify Stores
Shopify has a new addition to its app store! By embedding the UserWay widget in its sites, Shopify store owners can now ensure their shops are inclusive of the more than one billion people living with disabilities.
UserWay and Duda Joined Forces to Improve the Accessibility for Professional Websites
Duda makes website development easy. Now, it’s making accessibility easy, too. Adding UserWay’s accessibility technology to the Duda platform allows web professionals the freedom to design their websites without having to worry about the effects their choices have on accessibility. All Duda customers can now find UserWay in the Duda app store.
Userway’s Latest Report, “The Economic Impact of Inaccessibility,” is Making an Impact
Research undertaken by UserWay has identified that e-commerce retailers stand to lose 16.8 billion global e-commerce sales annually due to websites that are inaccessible to people with disabilities – and people are taking notice. Here’s Forbes on why this is a big deal.
Making Accessibility Part of Your New Year’s Resolution is Easy
We encourage website owners, developers, content managers, and your organization’s leadership to make accessibility a priority for the New Year. Installing the UserWay AI-Powered Accessibility Solution is a small effort with a big impact.
The UserWay widget offers users a number of useful tools, including a screen reader, dyslexia font, color contrast correction and many more customizations. With just one line of code, UserWay puts your website on the path to working for everyone.
