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6 Best Shopify Accessibility Apps – [2023]

Last modified: July 4, 2022

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Some people can struggle with accessing websites and using them. They might have impairments that restrict mobility of their hands or vision issues which mean they can’t see the products on your store properly. Therefore, you need to provide a way to offer more accessibility to your site. You can also have apps that can detail the accessibility of your stores or can restrict access to certain parts of your website. This article looks at the best Shopify accessibility apps that can help you.

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Why use Shopify Accessibility Apps?

There are numerous reasons why you might want to use one or more of the best Shopify accessibility apps. The first of these is to improve your websites attraction to those that have impairments that prevent them using computers normally. Some apps can provide more details about what is on the screen, like reading text, describing colours on products and more. Or they can enable other technology, like speech, to work on the website.

It is important to note that there are lots of different impairments that might need to be catered for. Not all of these are permanent. For instance, those who’ve had a recent accident and have a broken hand or reduced vision for awhile. But some might need help because of problems associated with ageing, like the text needing to be larger. Research has shown that about one in four guests to your website might need some help reading it. Therefore, one of the best Shopify Accessibility apps might be a great investment to improve revenues significantly on your website.

Are Shopify Accessibility Apps Necessary?

Recently there has been a surge in demand for websites to be more compliant with laws that are based in the US and other territories that say that brands should not discriminate against those with impairments. This includes restricting them from using facilities that other customers can use. The law in the US is known as the American Disabilities Act and is a civil rights law that covers a range of areas including jobs, schools, transportations and other areas that are open to the public.

There are specific areas of the law that mention how brands need to focus on offering suitable physical alterations to allow for the access of wheelchairs, mobility scooters, those with impaired vision and more. However, there is little within the guidelines that specify how a website should be changed to make the website more accessible to those with impairments.

However that doesn’t mean that websites aren’t subject to the same laws.

How Websites have been Subjected to the ADA Laws

There are two civil cases that have been highlighted that have meant that online stores may have to adhere to ADA laws. This is more common for those stores that don’t just have a digital presence but those with a physical presence as well. For instance in the case of Gil versus Winn Dixie, the judge stated that if a website has been heavily integrated with a physical store location and the website acts as the gateway into the physical store, then it should be counted as a public location and therefore should fall under the ADA legislation.

Another case was Robles versus Domino’s Pizza. This is when the panel of judges deemed that the mobile app and website were connecting customers to a physical restaurant and therefore ADA laws should be applied to the website and app as they would to the restaurant.

Therefore, under the two cases here, websites and mobile apps should be considered public domain. Therefore, they should be set under the rules of the ADA.

Not all Cases State this

Of course, not all cases have stated this. There have been cases that have been brought against Amazon, Burger King and Hulu. These sites have been sued by claimants for not having compliant websites under the ADA laws. Most of these cases have the settled privately or have been dismissed by the courts.

But these were before the two previous cases and the settlement does suggest that some large eCommerce websites understand that they need to provide the facilities to support everyone who might visit their website.

How to make your Shopify Store more Compliant

There are several things that can be done on your website to help you make your website more compliant to ADA laws. For one, you can use page builders and other elements to enlarge elements such as buttons and text to ensure that they’re readable by all.

In addition, you can edit the colors of your online store to ensure that the text is accessible to all. Those who are color blind or have other visual impairments might struggle to read your text. And that isn’t all.

These changes are good, but you can’t cater for everyone in a design. Therefore, you will need to use one of the Shopify accessibility apps.

So, here are the 6 best Shopify accessibility apps that you can use.

Accessibility Assistant

Accessibility Assistant

This free app allows you to give customers a better chance of reading your website and adhering to better social responsibilities and improve compliance with accessibility laws across the world. There are a lot of options here and many functions that make this free app a great choice.

One of the top options is the app allows your website to turn off colors and display the website in black and white mode. This allows those who have color blindness to read your website easier. Users will also be able to adjust the contrast of the website’s colors.

You can also adjust the text up to four different levels for those that need support reading the text. There is also a feature that can help the customer to find the cursor on the screen if they’re having trouble finding it on the website.

Keyword navigation is also enabled. This allows someone to use a keyword that is already on the page to find other entries like it. The app can also help customers with navigation through better identification of internal and external links.

Accessibility Assistant Highlights:

  • A free app that can be installed on your website within moments.
  • Helps with numerous problems that users might face.
  • Allows you to be more socially responsible.
  • Adjusts text, colors and how content looks on your website.

Final Word: The 6 Best Shopify Accessibility Apps

When you’re dealing with your website’s usability, you have to consider those who might have accessibility issues. This includes those who have a hard time reading your text/content on the site, those who find using a device challenging and more. One or more of the Shopify accessibility apps above should be able to help you offer a better experience to your customers. Which one will you install?

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