The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is an initiative run by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to ensure web content is universally accessible. For more details on WCAG please see this article.  

WCAG is organised around four main principles, often referred to by the acronym POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. These principles allow web designers and web content providers to consider/design websites that are accessible to users regardless of their abilities or the assistive technologies they use.

This article delves deeper into the second of the POUR Principles: ‘Operable’ and how it applies to online surveys.

As websites became more dynamic, it was important to ensure they could still be used by the disabled. At the same time, the definition of accessibility extended to those with motor-based disabilities (for example older people with hand tremors).  Operable states that content should be easy to discover and navigate.

• All interactive elements must be usable by keyboard
• Users must be able to navigate, find content, & orient themselves
• Content providers must allow adequate timing for users to complete tasks

Survey components and navigation must be functional for users in ways they can operate. For example, a user must be able to perform the required survey actions using a keyboard or voice commands, not just using a mouse.

Another example is that, in a choice question, the user should be able to navigate between the options using arrows keys and select/de-select using the spacebar.

And for video or audio playing and recording the user should be able to start and stop the recording or playing by pressing a key – typically the space bar. Videos should not autoplay.

In summary: 

Survey functionality must be available, regardless of how it is accessed.