The Internet is for Everyone

A practical guide

What is web accessibility?

Web accessibility means websites, tools, and digital content are designed so that people with disability can use them — they can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the web.

It covers all disabilities that affect web access: visual, auditory, motor, cognitive, neurological, and speech. But it also benefits people without disability — someone using their phone in bright sunlight, an older person whose eyesight is changing, a commuter who can’t play audio on a train, or someone with a broken wrist who can’t use a mouse. Good accessibility is good design for everyone.

The social model of disability

Article 1 • 21 MAY 2026

The social model says that disability is caused by the way society is organised, not by a person's impairment. It focuses on removing barriers. When the barriers are removed, people with disability can be independent and equal participants.

How do people with disability access the web?

Article 2 • 21 MAY 2026

Different disabilities affect web use in different ways. Understanding the basics helps you see why certain design and content decisions matter.

What are the guidelines?

Article 3 • 21 MAY 2026

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the internationally recognised standard for web accessibility, published by the W3C. If you're working on a website, this is the benchmark you need to know about.

What are the POUR principles?

Article 4 • 21 MAY 2026

WCAG is organised around four principles. If you remember nothing else from this guide, remember these — they're the logic behind every specific requirement.

Why should your nonprofit make its website accessible?

Article 5 • 21 MAY 2026

It's the right thing to do. 5.5 million Australians — 21.4% of the population — live with some form of disability. If your website doesn't work for them, you're excluding the very communities many nonprofits exist to serve.

What can you do?

Article 6 • 21 MAY 2026

These are the things you can start on today. They cover the most common accessibility failures and make the biggest difference for the most people.

WAVE (wave.webaim.org) — browser extension that visually highlights accessibility issues. The best starting point for non-developers.
WebAIM Contrast Checker (webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker) — quick colour contrast testing.
axe DevTools (deque.com/axe) — detailed accessibility testing in Chrome developer tools. Low false positives.
Google Lighthouse — built into Chrome. Run an accessibility audit from the Inspect panel.
W3C WCAG 2.2 Quick Reference (w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref) — the official guidelines in a searchable format.
WebAIM (webaim.org) — clear, practical guides on alt text, forms, keyboard accessibility, and more.
Australian Human Rights Commission (humanrights.gov.au) — the latest Australian guidance on digital accessibility obligations.

If you’d like help assessing where your website stands or building a plan to improve it, we’re always happy to chat. Accessibility is one of those areas where a bit of guidance early on saves a lot of rework later. That’s what we’re here for.