In New Zealand, an estimated 1.1 million people are disabled(external link). That's 24% of the country's population. In 2018, the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) launched the MSD Accessibility Charter as a commitment by New Zealand government agencies to provide accessible information and services to the public. The charter champions alignment with Web Accessibility Content Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure web content is accessible to everyone.
Web accessibility key takeaways in 2024
This year, I've completed a range of projects, from general and high-level overviews to extensive accessibility audits. Accessibility audits help organisations:
- identify their current compliance levels
- highlight web accessibility barriers
- receive actionable feedback for improvements.
I've completed audits for government organisations such as the Department of Conservation (DOC) for their public website and hunting permit applications. These audits also ensure that their platforms work seamlessly with assistive technologies, such as screen readers. You can learn more about how we approached improving web accessibility in DOC’s presentation.(external link)
Key takeaway: Accessibility audits provide a clear roadmap for organisations to improve user experiences.
The benefit of embedding web accessibility from day one
One of the most exciting changes I've seen this year is organisations bringing in web accessibility at the start of projects. Before 2024, we would audit websites at the end of their development cycle (already live and under maintenance). Now, we receive more requests for implementing accessibility reviews at the start of the project (during the design phase).
Bringing web accessibility in at the beginning offers numerous benefits for users and the developers working on the project. As a developer, I've found that my front-end knowledge has enabled me to provide specific technical solutions for other developers. For example, when a solution can’t be implemented in a particular way due to technical limitations, having both accessibility and development knowledge enables me to assist with finding alternative methods and approaches to resolve the problem. As projects progressed developers quickly learnt best practices and applied previous solutions to new components.
The Catalyst website also moved to Catalyst Starter, a Silverstripe CMS recipe with commonly requested features. Catalyst Starter is built to comply with WCAG 2.2, but any additional features need assurance of their accessibility. I ran an audit on our new website to ensure all new features are accessible and WCAG compliant. It was great to be a part of such a big content migration to ensure our services remain accessible.
Key takeaway: Including web accessibility from the beginning empowers developers to implement best practices and deliver better outcomes.
Anyone can improve web accessibility
This year, I presented my first webinar 'Web accessibility: 101' which provides an introduction to web accessibility for beginners, or those after a refresher. While working on my presentation, I wanted to share that web accessibility extends beyond the code of a website, and many different people and roles can improve the accessibility of content. For example, writing alt text for images. Alt text provides a description of an image, so if the page is slow to load, or someone is using a screen reader, they have the relevant context. Learning how to write good alt text takes time and practice, but starting to include alt text is a great first step.
Key takeaway: To further support our clients, I'm exploring how to improve methods of giving feedback on alt text to empower more people to feel confident in including it.
What’s on the horizon in 2025?
As we move into 2025, I definitely believe we’re moving in the right direction with web accessibility. I’m excited to enter the new year with my learnings from 2024, and to build on the momentum we’re experiencing with the prioritisation of web accessibility. The government’s Service Modernisation Roadmap(external link), a three-year program of digital initiatives, includes developing improved web accessibility standards, with proposed updates(external link) released earlier this year. Early in 2025, the new web standards for the MSD charter are expected to be released.
Catalyst is excited to support new projects, including government applications and large-scale university systems. The focus is enhancing user journeys and improving high-priority pages to deliver lasting impact. I’m also working toward my Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) certification(external link) and am excited to create more educational content, like webinars, to raise awareness and share practical solutions.
Overall, I think there will be lots of good things coming in 2025 and lots of exciting accessibility work to look forward to. If you have accessibility goals for 2025 and 2026, contact me to discuss an audit or a full plan of attack for your organisation.
