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However, the increase in digital communication and services for healthcare means that disabled people become limited to the quality of their treatment if they cannot access those digital resources effectively. Therefore public and private healthcare providers in Ontario must prioritize accessibility to meet the needs of all patients and clients.

Think about all the new technology that’s been introduced within the last few years like 5G internet, voice assistants, contactless payments, and artificial intelligence (AI).

Today, websites serve as windows to businesses, services, and information as our world continues to shift online. Because of this shift, ensuring equal access for everyone is more important than ever.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines were developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and have been around since 1999. The W3C launched multiple versions of WCAG over time to ensure the guidelines evolved with the accessibility needs of society.. At the moment, the latest version is WCAG 2.1 with version 2.2 pending approval.

Here's something you probably didn't know. Of all the content written on a webpage, roughly only 20% of that content is read by the user. Nowadays, users consume mostly images and videos, so when they consume text, they scan it and pick out the most important words. However, not all users have the ability to scan through text seamlessly. Roughly five to ten percent of Canadians live with Dyslexia, a disability that can be difficult to diagnose. Due to the different severity levels of Dyslexia, it's essential to update your digital content so all users can easily consume that information.

Planning is part of creating, maintaining, and growing a business. You plan for the initial start-up. You plan for its ongoing progress. And you plan on how to increase your business's success. However, within that plan should be a strategy to address accessibility barriers affecting your staff and clients. Although new legislation mandates companies and organizations to create a more accessible environment, there are still barriers that affect the everyday life of people with disabilities.

Nowadays, it's not just about having a website. It's about making sure that everyone, including people with disabilities, can access and use it.

Have you tested your website recently? Not for common error pages or new customer journey maps but to see if users with disabilities can use the website as seamlessly as those without disabilities.

What can you do as a business, or organization, to ensure disabled users can access the content, products, and services they need as your business adopts new technologies?