Why Indian Websites Can't Ignore Accessibility Anymore

Title - Why Indian Websites Can't Ignore Accessibility Anymore


India has over 26 million people with disabilities, yet most of our websites are designed as if they don't exist. We're building digital India while leaving a significant chunk of Indians behind. That's not just bad ethics. It's a terrible business.

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 requires both government and private establishments to make their services accessible. That includes your website. But here's what frustrates me. Most Indian businesses treat accessibility as a legal checkbox instead of recognising it for what it really is: a massive untapped market and a fundamental aspect of good design.

The Reality of Indian Internet Users

Think about the diversity of people accessing Indian websites

These aren't edge cases. They're a part of the community you are trying to build with your band. And right now, most of them are having a miserable experience on your website because nobody thought about them during the design process.

Where Indian Websites Fail Most

Colour contrast is a disaster on most Indian websites. Designers prefer using light grey text on white backgrounds because they want to create a modern aesthetic through minimal design. The design approach results in reading difficulties for people who have low vision and for users who read text on their phones under bright sunlight conditions.

Captchas on banking and government websites are often impossible for screen readers to process. You're literally preventing people from accessing essential services. There are accessible alternatives that don't require visual puzzle-solving.

Forms are consistently awful. No proper labels, confusing error messages, and mandatory fields that aren't clearly marked. Someone using a screen reader has to guess what information goes where. E-commerce sites are particularly guilty of this, losing sales because their checkout process is unusable.

Start Small, Start Now

You are not required to correct everything overnight. Start with your basic or essential customer experiences. Can someone book an appointment using only their keyboard? Can they understand your error messages? Is your text readable on mobile devices in daylight?

Add proper alt text to images. Use semantic HTML instead of divs for everything. Make sure your forms have clear labels. These changes take minimal effort but make enormous differences.

Test your website with actual users who have disabilities. Not hypothetically. Actually hire people and watch them try to use your site. The insights you gain through one hour of actual user testing exceed the value of your months spent making unproven assumptions.

The Future

Digital India should provide all Indians with complete digital access. Every person you exclude from your business operations results in a lost customer and a shut down of their input and a missed chance for expansion. At TYC, a leading branding PR company in Delhi, we understand the basic ethics and requirements of accessible design to ensure that you don't only meet compliance needs but also those of customers.


https://tyccommunication.com/services/pr-consultants-in-delhi/


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How to Rank in Web Stories and Reach More People Online

The Psychology of Public Relations: How Emotions Shape Brand Perception

How to make the media talk about your brand?