Web Accessibility: Building for Everyone

Accessible design means more people can use your site. It helps users with vision impairment, limited hand movement, and learning differences, or those in busy environments. It also benefits people on slow connections, older devices, or who multitask. In short, accessible pages are clearer and faster for everyone.

Plan from the start. Use semantic HTML: header, nav, main, article, aside, footer. Images should have alt text. Forms should have visible labels and clear error messages. If you add extra instructions, use aria-labels sparingly and keep labels consistent.

Color and visuals matter. Choose high contrast colors and readable font sizes. Allow text to resize up to 200% without breaking layout. Do not rely on color alone to convey important information. Provide recognizable focus styles for all interactive elements.

Navigation and interaction: ensure keyboard users can move through the page in a logical order. Every button, link, and control should be reachable with Tab and activated with Enter or Space. Include skip links at the top and a visible focus ring.

Media and accessibility: videos should have captions and transcripts. Images should have meaningful alt text. Audio content deserves a transcript. Offer text alternatives for essential information.

ARIA and roles: use ARIA to fill gaps, not replace native HTML. Prefer native elements and attributes. When you need custom controls, add roles, states, and labels carefully. Keep this simple and consistent to avoid confusion.

Testing and improvement: automated checks catch many issues, but they cannot see everything. Pair automated tests with real user feedback. Try screen readers like VoiceOver on Mac or NVDA on Windows. Test on mobile devices and with different keyboards.

Create a small checklist for your project: semantic HTML, alt text, labels, accessible forms, color contrast, captions, keyboard testing, and user feedback. Keep this list in your project wiki and revisit it with each release.

Key Takeaways

  • Accessible design benefits everyone and improves overall usability.
  • Start with semantic HTML, clear labeling, and good color contrast.
  • Combine automated tests with real user feedback for the best results.