With over 4,000 active clients, Accessibly has quickly grown to become one of the most popular accessibility widgets around. By using its accessibility overlay on an Umbraco website, individuals with disabilities can take advantage of all types of features designed to improve the browsing experience, such as alternative text for images, text-to-speech functionality, and much more.
Increase ADA and WCAG web accessibility compliance with Accessibly today.
Overview of Umbraco
Created in 2005 by Neils Hartvig, a Danish entrepreneur, privately-owned Umbraco is an open-source CMS based on Microsoft .NET, a universal design language for websites, applications, and devices.
As of this writing, Umbraco is integrated into more than 700,000 websites, along with a thriving community of 20,000+ web developers, website owners, and more. It has also generated more than 500,000 installs to date, a testament to its staying power.
While Umbraco does not provide an ‘accessibility widget’ or overlay akin to Accessibly, Accessibly can be added with a quick copy and paste of custom code, introducing several accessibility features. These features work towards WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 guidelines, inclusive of virtual keyboards, screen readers, accessibility profiles, and much more.
Umbraco also offers a commercial version (Umbraco Cloud) for businesses, based on Microsoft Azure. There are three shared hosting plans – Starter, Standard, and Professional, with the option for a 14-day free trial.
Lastly, the Umbraco website offers a website accessibility course with a focus on public sector websites. Anyone can take the course from the beginner website owner to the 20-year project management veteran. Recognizing that one in seven people has a long-term disability, this on-demand course covers many interesting accessibility subjects, such as inclusive design, accessible design, and assistive technology.
What Is Accessibility?
Accessibility follows a series of inclusive design principles for physical spaces and online environments, promising inclusivity for approximately 15% of the world’s population who suffer from a partial or full disability.
One of the leading pieces of legislation enforcing accessibility in the United States is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which mandates that public spaces be equipped with accommodations to support individuals with disabilities, like wheelchair ramps, a designated number of handicap parking spaces, and widened entryways.
Another aspect of accessibility is web accessibility. Businesses and organizations must comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
It is based on four key principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust, along with three levels of conformance from A to AAA. These rigorous guidelines help ensure that websites and digital applications are designed with individuals with disabilities in mind.
To get started with Umbraco website accessibility, we also recommend familiarizing yourself with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which applies to federal agencies working alongside public and private organizations to upgrade technology accessibility requirements.
Here is a helpful ADA compliance website checklist for reference.
How Accessibly Can Help You Eliminate Accessibility Barriers
Upgrade your Umbraco website’s accessibility with the Accessibly widget.
The Accessibly ADA app allows any Umbraco website to increase compliance with ADA and WCAG standards with an innovative widget that equips it with visual and cognitive aids with these guidelines in mind. Website accessibility for the visually impaired is crucial in ensuring everyone has equal access to online information and services.
With the widget, Umbraco site visitors are no longer restricted to a one-size-fits-all navigation. Individuals with disabilities can work with one or more accessibility options, including broader color choices, adjusted brightness levels, alternative images for text, text-to-speech compatibility, and dozens of other features that optimize the look and feel of your website for individuals with disabilities.
Still on the fence? Profit from our FREE trial today!
Accessibly vs. Umbraco
The main difference between the Accessibly accessibility website plugin and Umbraco is its scope and depth of offerings.
Although the Umbraco website offers a custom CMS, it has a longer onboarding time, encouraging a 20-minute discovery call with a specialist. It is also based on .NET (ASP.NET Core), a technology which is not popular with some of today’s ecommerce site builders.
Despite having hundreds of thousands of websites in its roster, it appears geared more toward larger corporate clients that would prefer an open-source CMS solution for large-volume media and high traffic.
As a result, Umbraco has a custom approach to accessibility with “out-of-the-box” solutions that allow web developers to configure sites with custom validation measures, improved color contrast, control over navigation elements like headings through Umbraco’s Richtext Editor, and much more. It is also compatible with Accessibly’s accessibility overlay with a quick implementation using custom code, saving a lot of time for business owners and web developers.
In turn, Accessibly runs an entirely different business model than the Umbraco website. It’s a widget that can be installed in seconds, with native integrations via select apps (e.g., Shopify and Elementor) or custom HTML code with no coding required.
With regards to pricing, Accessibly plans start at $20 a month (Shopify) and $25+ a month on all other platforms.
Key Accessibly Features:
Your Umbraco website can enjoy any of the following features (not an all-inclusive list):
- Accessible accordions and tabs
- Custom readability settings (line and paragraph spacing)
- High contrast mode
- Screen reader compatibility
- Larger text and cursors
- User-friendly interface
Try Out Accessibly On Your Umbraco Website Risk-Free
To improve your Umbraco website’s accessibility, look no further than the Accessibly accessibility widget.
The Accessibly accessibility overlay instantly upgrades your Umbraco site with accessibility-friendly features, including high-contrast text and background colors, bigger cursors, highlighted links, adjustable brightness settings, alternative text for images, and much more. Users can even select from multiple font sizes to improve website readability.
Enjoy your free 7-day trial of Accessibly before committing to a monthly subscription. Accessibly constantly improves its widget user experience, so we encourage you to check back regularly for the latest updates.
What are you waiting for? Use the Accessibly widget today to help your Umbraco website become more ADA and WCAG-compliant!