Accessibility isn’t just a feature—it’s a fundamental principle of good design

Accessibility isn’t just a feature—it’s a fundamental principle of good design. For arts and culture organisations, where inclusivity is often a cornerstone of the mission, creating accessible digital spaces is essential. It’s about ensuring that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can access and engage with the rich experiences, stories, and works of art your organisation shares.

At Subism, we’ve partnered with arts and culture organisations to create websites that not only look stunning but also prioritise accessibility at every level. The result? Digital experiences that are welcoming, intuitive, and impactful for everyone. Let’s dive into why accessibility is so crucial and how it shapes the user experience for arts and culture websites.

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The Case for Accessibility in Arts and Culture Websites

Accessibility in digital design means removing barriers that prevent people from fully engaging with your content. For arts and culture websites, this is particularly important because these organisations often aim to inspire, educate, and connect with diverse audiences. By ensuring accessibility, you open your virtual doors to more people, aligning with your mission and values.

There’s also a legal imperative. In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 requires organisations to ensure their websites are accessible. Beyond compliance, accessibility enhances your brand’s reputation, builds trust with audiences, and creates a smoother experience for all users—not just those with disabilities. After all, many accessibility improvements, such as faster load times, mobile responsiveness, and clear navigation, benefit everyone.

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Key Elements of Accessibility for Arts and Culture Websites

Crafting an accessible website involves a mix of technical, design, and content considerations. One of the foundational elements is ensuring your website is easy to navigate. This includes providing clear, intuitive menus and links that work seamlessly with keyboard navigation and screen readers. For arts and culture organisations, where websites often house event information, ticketing systems, and multimedia galleries, logical navigation is essential.

Visual accessibility is another critical area. This involves using high-contrast colour schemes to ensure text is readable, as well as choosing fonts that are clear and easy to decipher. For visually impaired users, providing alternative text for images is vital. This ensures that screen readers can convey the content and context of visual elements, which is particularly important for showcasing artwork or promoting events.

Multimedia content is an area where accessibility can truly shine. Videos should include captions and transcripts to make them accessible to those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Similarly, audio content should be accompanied by text-based alternatives. For arts organisations that share performances, lectures, or behind-the-scenes insights, these features not only ensure inclusivity but also enhance SEO by making content more searchable.

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Accessibility and User Experience: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Accessibility and user experience (UX) are deeply interconnected. A website designed with accessibility in mind naturally creates a better experience for all users. For instance, mobile responsiveness—a key accessibility feature—is now a baseline expectation for most audiences. Users want websites that look and function beautifully on any device, and responsive design ensures this is the case.

Another example is the structure of content. Accessibility guidelines recommend clear headings, logical flow, and well-organised information. These practices don’t just help users with disabilities; they also make it easier for everyone to find what they’re looking for quickly. On arts and culture websites, where users might be browsing for event details, exploring educational resources, or learning about your organisation’s history, clarity is paramount.

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Addressing Common Accessibility Challenges

Despite the benefits, many organisations face challenges in making their websites accessible. One common issue is the lack of alternative text for images. For arts and culture websites, where visuals are often a focal point, this can leave users relying on screen readers in the dark. Solving this involves adding meaningful descriptions to every image, which is a relatively simple yet impactful step.

Another frequent challenge is inaccessible navigation. Dropdown menus, interactive elements, and forms that don’t work with keyboards can create significant barriers. Ensuring these elements are properly coded and tested with assistive technologies like screen readers is essential. At Subism, we use a mix of manual and automated testing to identify and fix these issues, ensuring the experience is seamless for all users.

Multimedia content often poses additional challenges. While videos and audio recordings are increasingly common on arts and culture websites, they are not always accompanied by captions or transcripts. Adding these features not only improves accessibility but also increases engagement, as users in sound-sensitive environments or with slow internet connections can still consume the content.

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How Subism Brings Accessibility to Life

At Subism, accessibility is woven into every stage of our design and development process. We begin with discovery workshops to understand your organisation’s audience, goals, and challenges. This allows us to identify the specific accessibility needs of your users and prioritise them in the design process.

From there, we conduct comprehensive accessibility audits. Using both automated tools and hands-on testing, we uncover barriers that might exclude users with disabilities. This could range from unlabelled form fields to inconsistent heading structures. Once identified, we address these issues with best practices grounded in WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards.

Our design approach also focuses on inclusivity. This means choosing colour schemes with sufficient contrast, ensuring font sizes are readable, and creating navigation that works flawlessly with assistive devices. Additionally, we test websites with real users, including those who rely on assistive technologies. This helps us refine and optimise the experience to ensure it’s truly accessible.

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The Benefits of Accessible Design for Arts and Culture Organisations

An accessible website doesn’t just benefit users with disabilities—it elevates the experience for everyone. For arts and culture organisations, this can mean reaching more people, increasing engagement, and ultimately, having a greater impact. Accessibility can also improve SEO, as many best practices, such as using descriptive alt text and well-structured HTML, align with search engine algorithms.

There’s also a reputational advantage. By committing to accessibility, you demonstrate your organisation’s values and enhance your credibility with audiences, stakeholders, and funders. It shows that you’re not just talking about inclusivity—you’re putting it into action.

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Accessibility: A Continuous Commitment

It’s important to recognise that accessibility is not a one-off project. Technology evolves, standards change, and user needs shift. Regular audits and updates are essential to maintaining an accessible website. At Subism, we provide ongoing support to ensure your site continues to meet the highest standards of accessibility as your organisation grows and evolves.

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Final Thoughts

Accessibility isn’t just about compliance—it’s about connection. For arts and culture organisations, where the goal is often to inspire, educate, and engage, an accessible website ensures your mission reaches everyone. By prioritising accessibility, you create a digital space that is welcoming, intuitive, and impactful.

If you’re ready to make your arts and culture website more accessible, we’d love to help. At Subism, we specialise in designing inclusive websites that celebrate creativity and diversity. Let’s work together to create a digital experience that truly reflects your organisation’s values.

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