Visual impairment
What is a visual impairment? And how can you take this into account on the internet? Digitally accessible websites and apps are built so that everyone can perceive visual information.
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In short
If you have a visual impairment, it means you cannot see or cannot see well. This comes in different forms and degrees. Some people have it from birth, others develop it later in life. The cause may be in the eye, but also in the optic nerve or in the brain.
"In the Netherlands, around 300,000 people are blind or visually impaired. That number will only increase in the coming years."
About blindness
What is it?
If a person sees less than 5% or if the field of vision is less than 10 degrees, we call it blindness (a normal field of vision is 140 degrees).
What do they experience?
Some people who are blind can still tell the difference between light and dark or see the outline of a person, for example. This is also called "socially blind". If someone is completely blind, this person sees nothing at all.
How does it arise?
People can lose their sight in various ways. This can occur acutely, such as blindness caused by damage to the eye in an accident (e.g. from fireworks). Other causes include hereditary diseases, cataracts or optic nerve inflammation. The cause may also lie in the brain, if visual signals cannot be processed properly.
How do you take blindness into account on the internet?
Colour contrast
Ensure sufficient contrast, both for text and icons and input fields.
Zoom in
When zooming in on the website, make sure no content falls out of view.
No text in images
Do not put text in images, but make sure people can apply their own stylesheet to text (for example, to choose a different font that is more readable).
About colour blindness
What is it?
In colour blindness, there is a problem seeing colours. The retina of the eye contains cells called rods and cones. The rods can distinguish light and dark, while the cones can see colours.
How does it arise?
Colour blindness is usually caused by a problem with these cones. This can be inherited.
How do you take colour blindness into account on the internet?
Links
Make sure that links in a running text are not only a different colour, but also underlined, for example
Graphs and diagrams
In a graph or diagram, use not only different colours but also different shapes or also offer a table with the same information.
Forms
If a user makes an error in a form, provide an error message in text instead of just a red border around the field.
Make your colours accessible!
Want to learn more about how to take into account people with visual impairments? Perhaps our training course: "Digital accessibility for content" is of interest to you! After this training, you will know exactly:
Knowledge of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
Translating the WCAG into your content expressions
How to create accessible text, links & tables, images, videos, design and maps & tables!
More questions?
We would love to help you improve your online product for visually impaired people. Leave your details and we will contact you right away.
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