Patients find care online first, which is why healthcare website accessibility is a must. An accessible site helps every visitor book appointments, read instructions, and contact your office easily. It also lowers risk, improves SEO, and shows respect for people who use assistive technology.
Why Healthcare Website Accessibility Matters
Accessible design supports patients with low vision, hearing loss, mobility limits, cognitive differences, and temporary impairments. Clear pages reduce phone time for your staff, improve satisfaction, and make your practice look professional. When you invest in healthcare website accessibility, everyone benefits.
Start With Legal And Ethical Context
Most healthcare organizations look to WCAG 2.2 AA as the practical standard, and many follow Section 508 guidance as well. While this article is not legal advice, aligning with established standards, documenting fixes, and training your team shows good faith and reduces risk.
Healthcare Website Accessibility Foundations To Prioritize
Tackle high impact items first so patients can act right away.
- Provide text alternatives for images and icons
- Ensure full keyboard access for all menus and forms
- Keep color contrast strong for text and interactive elements
- Use clear, consistent headings and landmarks
- Offer captions and transcripts for videos
- Make error handling and success messages obvious
Color And Type For Readability
People should be able to read your content without strain.
- Aim for a 4.5 to 1 contrast ratio for normal text and 3 to 1 for large text
- Set body type at 16 to 18 px with generous line height
- Avoid using color alone to show status, pair color with icons or text labels
- Keep paragraph widths comfortable, about 60 to 80 characters per line
Verify readable contrast with the WebAIM contrast checker.
Navigation And Structure That Works With Keyboards
When considering healthcare website accessibility, it’s important to remember that many visitors use keyboards or screen readers.
- Ensure logical tab order for links, menus, and form fields
- Make focus states visible, outlines should be clear on buttons and links
- Use semantic HTML, header tags in order, lists for lists, nav and main landmarks
- Provide a Skip To Content link so users can bypass repeated menus
Forms, Appointments, And Portal Tasks
Booking and intake must be simple on any device.
- Pair every input with a visible label, not placeholder text alone
- Group related fields with fieldsets and legends for screen readers
- Explain errors next to the fields and in text, not only with color
- Offer clear confirmation and next steps after submit
- Keep phone numbers clickable and list office hours in text
Images, Icons, And Media Alternatives
Give equal access to information presented visually.
- Write descriptive alt text for meaningful images, for example “nurse taking a patient’s blood pressure”
- Mark purely decorative images as empty alt
- Caption all videos and provide transcripts for audio
- Avoid autoplay with sound, allow users to control media
Telehealth And Third Party Tools
Healthcare website accessibility extends to tools you embed or link.
- Check video platforms for keyboard support, captions, and readable controls
- Review scheduling widgets for labels, focus states, and screen reader cues
- Provide an accessible contact path if a vendor tool fails, for example a phone number or email
PDFs And Downloadables
Many clinics share forms as PDFs, which can be barriers.
- Prefer accessible web pages for directions, preparation steps, and instructions
- If you must use PDFs, tag them correctly, set reading order, and add document titles and alt text
- Offer the same information in HTML when possible
Measure Healthcare Website Accessibility
Build a routine that keeps improvements moving.
- Run automated scans with tools like Lighthouse or WAVE, then fix issues they flag
- Pair scans with manual checks, keyboard only navigation, screen reader spot tests, and color contrast reviews
- Track issues in a shared backlog, assign owners, and set due dates
- Re test after every major update or theme change
Scan key pages with the WAVE accessibility tool and then perform manual checks.
Quick Healthcare Website Accessibility Checklist
- Strong contrast, readable type, and no color only indicators
- Keyboard access for menus, tabs, accordions, and forms
- Clear headings, landmarks, and skip links
- Descriptive alt text or decorative images marked correctly
- Captions and transcripts for media
- Error messages that explain what to fix and how
- Clickable phone numbers and accessible hours
- Accessible PDFs or HTML alternatives
- Regular audits, documented fixes, and team training
The Bottom Line
Prioritize tasks that help patients read, navigate, and schedule care quickly. When you make healthcare website accessibility part of your monthly maintenance, you improve outcomes, reduce support load, and build lasting trust with your community.