Accessibility means ease of access. It is a universal way of making anything available for people who are suffering from various problems regardless of their gender, age, and physical attributes. Moreover, this is a serious issue that is protected by many common laws across the world for giving notable access to paralyzed people. In the modern digital world, this is an unavoidable trait that is not negligible at any cost.
A common law called the WCAG 2.1 AA. was initiated a few years ago to facilitate disabled people with appropriate access to various online products and services. Any software company must develop a website accessible and usable for the paralyzed under this law. In Joomla 4 accessibility, it is also gaining importance as many companies are now adopting Joomla as their primary CMS.
In this article, we will describe how Implementing Joomla 4 accessibility is possible and how this can give your business an edge over your competitors.
What is meant by web accessibility?
Web accessibility is a feature that is solely for disabled people. This is for making your Joomla site more functional for all users, regardless of their physical orientation or physical capabilities. Web accessibility retains special features like eradicating barriers from the web interface so that disabled users can access your Joomla site properly and explore your services and products. Also, this helps to navigate with ease. In the present digital world, people expect a seamless web experience and so web accessibility guarantees this by providing equal access to all users simultaneously. This enables disabled users to enjoy your Joomla site’s content and features properly.
Why is web accessibility important?
In Joomla 4 accessibility, web accessibility is important as it is directly related to your brand’s reputation and growth. Suppose, your site is equipped with fully functional features for disabled users, then they will spread positivity about your business in various ways which ultimately give you an edge over your competitors in the long run. Moreover, web accessibility implementation is a must to avoid potential fines worldwide. Besides, it opens up the global gateway to online information. With an accessible Joomla website, you will enjoy easier maintenance and give better user experience with much reputation. Therefore, Joomla’s web accessibility feature is significant in bypassing the fractured brand reputation which may cause insincere attention to disabled people.
How to implement Joomla 4 accessibility in the web?
To implement web accessibility in Joomla, you need to have at least version 4 or above in your system. It is more effective for giving a positive impression than other CMS companies. With this, you will go one step ahead of your competitors in promoting your brand through your Joomla site for disabled people. Now, let’s look at the following points to implement web accessibility in Joomla:
Setting up the Backend
As you have already learned, Joomla 4 accessibility features work from version 4 and above. So, in Joomla 4, you should implement this feature by setting up your backend properly. Here, you need to adjust the settings of web accessibility from the backend with the ‘Accessibility Settings’ to increase the site functionality for paralyzed users. After selecting this, you will be taken to the ‘Accessibility Settings Window’ in the top right corner of this interface. There you can customize various templates by structuring them in monochromatic shape, enlarging the text, selecting a high-contrast version, or including highlights of hyperlinks. All of these actions will improve visibility and accessibility for the disabled users on your Joomla site from the backend. See the below image for more details:
Activating Keyboard Navigation
If you have completed setting up your Joomla site’s backend for web accessibility, then you need to focus on activating the keyboard navigation at this stage. Keep in mind that, Joomla 4 and above offer a functional and attractive keyboard option for disabled people. These keyboard functionalities are developed to reach the designated features and pages with easy-to-use keyboard navigation. In your Joomla 4’s backend, you can reach any page there to use this feature. Here, you should press Control + Option + 9 to enable the keyboard navigation option. By pressing these three keys simultaneously, anyone can see a pop-up area on the top of the page to work with the Keyboard Navigation.
Installing Dedicated Plugin
Following the activation of keyboard navigation, you must search for a new and fully operational ‘Additional Accessibility Feature’ plugin on Joomla 4 accessibility and above. You must need this as this is an accessible feature which can provide a range of facilities for disabled visitors. Moreover, you can activate it from your Joomla 4’s backend as it is a ready-made plugin. The below steps are needed in this matter:
- Dashboard > 2. System > 3. Manage > 4. Plugins
Just after choosing the options for the plugin, you must check for the ‘accessibility option’. Then, you need to enable the Systems – Additional Accessibility Features for helping the disabled people in your Joomla site.
The above image depicts that, this particular accessibility feature is equipped with different options for disabled people. So, with these options, they can perform the following functions:
- Changing the spacing, size, and the text.
- Altering the color scheme of your Joomla site’s pages.
- Here you can use a single color for all too.
- Again, you can reshape the mouse curser larger for better visibility.
- You can also receive necessary assistance from reading guides to learn button functionalities properly.
- You can also highlight the necessary links on your Joomla site.
- For ease of hearing, it is possible to request the browser to read the content with a louder voice.
If you face installation issues here, then we urge you to seek expert advice immediately.
Monitoring & Auditing
While conducting an overall performance test on your Joomla site’s web accessibility, you must focus on proper monitoring and auditing of the associated features. This will ensure guaranteed success while providing necessary insights into your system simultaneously. Apart from that, consistent monitoring of the system will help you avoid penalties, lawsuits, and other accessibility legislation. Then again, the auditing will guide you towards achieving the resolutions of the different problems disabled people may face while using your site. So, it is a must for you to verify the functions before implementing them. Sometimes, you must pay attention to various issues like the below to get better results from accessibility testing:
- Different forms & labels
- Measuring Color Contrast
- Image Alt Text
- Content Highlighting
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- Identifying Basic Page Structure
- Color Blind Filters
- Voice Identification Software
- Better Accessible Menu
- Create Efficient Timeouts
For a better web accessibility outcome from your Joomla website, it is wise for you to get third-party assistance.
How Dhorony Ltd Can Help You On Implementing Joomla 4 Accessibility?
At Dhorony Ltd, we have a team of expert and experienced Joomla developers working relentlessly to serve our global clients with much dedication and punctuality. Every member is skilled and well-trained to resolve delicate matters within the timeline. You can enjoy a one-stop service here with a budget-friendly estimate.
Give us a shout to learn more about our Joomla 4 Accessibility Development Services.
Summary
Since its inception, Joomla has advanced significantly. It is now one of the leading content management systems offering state-of-the-art features for users. Joomla 4 accessibility is one of those as this is aligned with social and community guidelines worldwide. The more people get access, the more popular this CMS becomes. Therefore, you must implement accessibility in your Joomla to make it more legitimate in front of your target visitors. However, we urge you to seek professional assistance if you feel perplexed at any situation during setting up this feature.