Body
Environment
Web and digital content accessibility
Issue
I need to understand what color contrast means in the context of accessibility and why it is important.
I need to know if the colors in my content meet contrast requirements.
Resolution
Color contrast is the difference between the lightness and darkness of two colors. Good color contrast makes content accessible by making text and controls easier to see and read.
Best practices for color contrast are provided on the digital accessibility website, under Accessibility Basics > Concepts & Principles > Contrast.
Color contrast is required by digital accessibility standards and makes content more readable for all users. It is required for text, as well as for user interface components or their current state (for example, when a checkbox is checked, when a button receives keyboard focus).
Checkers and Known Limitations
Often authoring environments have built-in checkers for color contrast (of text against background). However, these checkers may fail when using a range of background elements, commonly used in slides. More information:
Additional Information
For more details on color contrast guidelines, refer to the digital accessibility website on color contrast, and WCAG standards documentation for Contrast Minimum and Non-Text Content.
Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.