Many websites remain difficult for people with vision impairments

Many websites are still difficult for people with vision impairments to use, despite digital accessibility requirements introduced more than a year ago, LSM reports. Online shopping and services that are routine for many people can be impossible to access for others.

Service providers offering certain goods or services online must make information available through at least two sensory channels, said Linda Rinkule, deputy director of the Consumer Rights Protection Centre. For a blind person, that means being able to hear and understand how to complete a purchase or obtain a service.

Apeirons, an association of people with disabilities and their friends, says websites often use small, hard-to-read text, unsuitable fonts and images without descriptions. Image descriptions can help blind users identify products, the association’s communications manager, Liena Eisaka, said.

Websites should also have navigation that works without a mouse, allowing users to move through pages with the Tab key, Eisaka said. She also noted that videos about products often lack subtitles, making it harder for deaf and hard-of-hearing users to follow the information.