Digital accessibility of websites: why accessibility matters especially during the war in Ukraine

Accessibility as a digital responsibility

While Ukrainians are fighting on various fronts, access to information and online services is becoming not a luxury but a basic need. Among the users of your websites may be people with disabilities, veterans, people with temporary visual or motor limitations.
And this is where web accessibility becomes critically important.

As a company specializing in custom WordPress website development, we believe that accessibility should be a standard, not an option. Below is why this is important and how we implement accessibility in our projects.

What is website accessibility?

Accessibility is the ability of a website to be understandable, convenient, and functional for all users, including those with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities.

This means:

• readable fonts
  
• high contrast
  
• navigation from the keyboard
  
• support for screen readers
  
• available forms and buttons
  
• logical structure of pages
  

Why website accessibility is important right now

1. Increase in the number of people with disabilities

Due to the full-scale war, thousands of Ukrainians have been injured. Many of them have lost their eyesight, hearing, or the ability to use a mouse or keyboard. Your website is a potential source of support, but only if it is accessible.

2. Volunteers and refugees use websites from smartphones, often in difficult conditions

A small screen, poor connectivity, and minimal time to action are another argument in favor of an inclusive website design that loads quickly, has a clear interface, and is not overloaded with elements.

3. The state is moving towards digital inclusion

Ukrainian legislation is increasingly oriented towards European standards, where the availability of digital products is a prerequisite, in particular for websites of state and social importance.

What are the consequences of ignoring accessibility?

• You are losing your audience
  
• Your site gets worse rankings on Google because SEO and accessibility are closely related
  
• Possible legal consequences in the future, especially for public organizations
  
• You demonstrate indifference to the part of society that needs support the most
  

How we implement accessibility in custom WordPress sites

At Proacto, we don’t just “bolt on” modules – we build accessibility into the design, structure, and code.

🔧 Our principles:

• semantic layout (HTML5, ARIA)
  
• convenient navigation from the keyboard
  
• correct alt texts for images
  
• color solutions taking into account color blindness
  
• focus on UX for people with disabilities
  
• optimization for screen readers
  

We test our websites with accessibility tools (axe, Lighthouse, Wave) and adapt them to WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.1.

Why accessibility = SEO + UX + brand reputation

When the site is available, it:

• has better indexing in search engines
  
• provides better interaction with users
  
• increases trust in a brand that thinks about everyone

Conclusion: an accessible website is not an option, but a necessity

In 2024, creating custom WordPress sites without taking accessibility into account is like building an office without a ramp.
We, as a development company, take responsibility for creating sites that are accessible to every Ukrainian, regardless of their physical abilities or circumstances.