Let me start with this: Accessibility is not a buzzword; its a crucial feature that every web application should have.
It should not be mandated by the government, but rather it should be taken as the responsibility of every developer to make their websites accessible to all users.
Making a website accessible will not just help you avoid government penalties, it will also give you a wider user base. Accessibility is all about making your website accessible to everyone.
On that note, lets get this blog started -
What is Accessibility
Accessibility is ensuring that your web application is usable by people with disabilities, including people with
Visual impairment (Blindness, Colour Blindness) -
Hearing loss
Motor Impairment ( Difficulty using the mouse)
Cognitive limitation (Dyslexia, Attention Disorder)
Accessibility Core Principle (POUR)
| Principle | Description |
|---|---|
| Perceivable | Content must be perceivable by all (e.g., alt text, captions) |
| Operable | All functionality must work via keyboard or assistive devices |
| Understandable | Content should be readable and predictable |
| Robust | Must work with various assistive technologies |
How can people with disabilities use the applications
| Accessibility Need | Requirement / Support |
|---|---|
| Visual Impairment | Should be usable with screen readers, VoiceOver, and font scaling support |
| Hearing Loss | Closed captions for video and audio |
| Motor Impairment | Keyboard accessibility support |
| Cognitive Limitation | Simple language |
Accessibility Standards
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
Defines Accessibility levels as A , AA & AAA
Read More: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/
Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA)
Adds accessibility support to non-semantic elements.
Read More: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Legal mandate in the US for accessible digital content
Read More: https://www.ada.gov/
AA is the most commonly required level of compliance.
How to make a web application Accessible
Use Semantic Tags
Use tags like
<button>,<nav>,<header>,<section>etc.Avoid using div and span all over your application
Support Keyboard Accessibility
Actions should be usable via. keyboard, including opening modals, dropdowns, and toasts.
Use
tabindexto align focus correctly.Use focus, keydown event listeners correctly
Use Aria Roles when needed
Use aria-label, aria-hidden, role="dialog", etc., when native semantics are not sufficient
Focus Management
Trap focus in modals
Restore focus when modals close
Visibly indicate focus using focus-visible or outline
Maintain Colour Contrast
4.5: 1 for normal text in AA Standard
7:2 for AAA
Check contrast: https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
Using Images and Other Media
Use alt text for images
Add transcripts/captions for videos/audio
Avoid autoplaying media files. i.e. Video
Tools for Accessibility Testing
The tools listed below are some of the most common tools for testing accessibility in a web application.
| Tool | Use Case |
|---|---|
| axe DevTools | Chrome extension to audit a11y |
| Lighthouse | Built-in browser audits |
| NVDA / VoiceOver | Screen reader testing |
| Tab key | Test keyboard navigation |
WCAG AAA is harder to implement, and most website are expected to maintain AA compliant.
I hope by the end of this post, you have a good idea of why accessibility is important and how you can add accessibility support to your application.
Thats all, folks! I hope you found this helpful. If you enjoyed this, check out more articles on my Blog, https://blog.nandan.dev/
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