Building Accessible Websites

Why Accessibility Matters

Web accessibility ensures that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with websites. It’s not just about compliance—it’s about creating an inclusive web for everyone.

Core Principles (WCAG)

1. Perceivable

Content must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive:

• Provide text alternatives for images
• Offer captions for videos
• Ensure sufficient color contrast

<!-- Good: descriptive alt text -->
<img src="chart.png" alt="Sales increased 25% from Q1 to Q2 2025" />

<!-- Bad: missing or unhelpful alt text -->
<img src="chart.png" alt="chart" />

2. Operable

Users must be able to operate the interface:

• All functionality available via keyboard
• Give users enough time
• Don’t use content that causes seizures

3. Understandable

Content must be understandable:

• Use clear, simple language
• Make navigation consistent
• Help users avoid and correct mistakes

4. Robust

Content must be robust enough for various user agents:

• Use semantic HTML
• Ensure compatibility with assistive technologies

Quick Wins

1. Use semantic HTML - <button>, <nav>, <main>, <article>
2. Add ARIA labels - When HTML semantics aren’t enough
3. Test with keyboard - Tab through your entire site
4. Check color contrast - Use tools like WebAIM
5. Add skip links - Let users bypass repetitive content

Testing Tools

• axe DevTools
• WAVE
• Lighthouse accessibility audit
• Screen readers (VoiceOver, NVDA)

Building accessible websites benefits everyone—it’s simply good design.