Introduction

Some people think the graphics are bad for accessibility. The truth is that graphics can be very beneficial for the accessibility of a web page providing images, icons, animations and other visual elements that enhance understanding of sighted people. We often forget that we are not developing for the blind. All types of disabilities must be considered. Graphs can be particularly helpful for people with certain disabilities in reading, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder or cognitive disabilities.

Illustrations

Many concepts are transmitted more efficiently with the addition of illustrations. Try to learn the human anatomy in a book (or on a website) without illustrations. At what point would it be effective? An example of an image of the hand muscles.

You will probably find difficult to imagine a textual description could be as understandable as the text supplemented by illustrations. The illustrations make the content more accessible to you. Illustrations may also be particularly beneficial for those with learning disabilities or reading difficulties. Developers of educational courses should especially consider the use of illustrations to improve comprehension.

Animations

Animations and attention disorders

Animations are rarely used to improve the accessibility of Web content. Mostly, they are simply unnecessary. Banner ads voluntarily use quality animations to distract us from the main content of the document. Elementary schools are known for their use of beautiful animations that have no particular interest except to attract children's attention precisely. In fact, the children's attention is diverted from the main content of the page. For example, an animation commonly used is that of a mailbox that opens and closes, like the one below:

The question you should ask yourself is whether the animation is essential to the page content. Is the purpose of the page is to encourage people to send emails? Maybe, but probably not. This type of animation is most often at the bottom of a page that has nothing to do with sending an email to the person who wrote the page. The animation is a distraction, even when used on Web sites for children. It would be preferable to eliminate this distraction.

Icons

Many software programs use icons that replace or accompany the text in the navigation bars (think Microsoft Word, for example, and icons to open a file To print , Etc.).. Here is a set of icons to the bar of Internet Explorer:

Here is a set of icons similar to the Opera Web browser:

The usefulness of an icon depends on:

• if properly designed,
• if it conveys a precise concept,
• if the audience understands the concept conveyed,
• if it clearly expresses the concept it is supposed to carry.

Icons should be simple and must be easily understood. Their artistic value is a secondary consideration, but unattractive icons can have a negative effect on their understanding. Therefore, choose your creator!

One problem with icons is that they are rarely included in the same way by everyone. Most people associate an arrow pointing left (like the one below) with the notion of return or go back, but in languages ​​where the text is written from right to left, its meaning is reversed.

In fact, there is no real icons that are understood in all languages ​​and cultures. Even within the same culture and language, the icons can be easily misinterpreted. Imagine that someone decides to add an icon to a page to indicate that information in a paragraph are only speculations and they should not be considered true. To indicate this, a question mark, like the one below, is placed before each of such information in the paragraph.

Would you know immediately what it means to the question mark? Probably not. If the meaning of this question mark was explained then the icon would be helpful. You can use the icons and can actually increase the understanding, but only when used wisely.

For the general population, the icons can be useful, but they are not always absolutely necessary. Some people with certain types of cognitive impairment, however, need to understand icons information. Some sites are developed specifically for this population. Even with illustrations and icons, these people often need the assistance of another person but they can understand the meaning of icons with some practice.

Video and Multimedia

Although we can not go into details of the video and multimedia, it is worth mentioning that these elements can also be used to improve the understanding, the same way that the illustrations, animations and icons. When a video is used and you provide a verbatim transcript (for the blind) and subtitles (for hearing impaired), these elements actually participate in improving the understanding before responding to accessibility needs . Regarding other types of multimedia such as Flash, accessibility issues are somewhat complex, but it is usually possible to present the content in a way that is accessible to persons with disabilities.