Why Accessibility Matters
Over 1 billion people worldwide have some form of disability. Web accessibility ensures your content is usable by everyone — including those with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities. Beyond the ethical imperative, many jurisdictions require web accessibility by law.
WCAG 2.1 Core Principles (POUR)
Perceivable: content must be presentable to all users. Operable: interface must be navigable via keyboard. Understandable: content and interface must be clear. Robust: content must work with assistive technologies.
Common Accessibility Mistakes
- Images without alt text
- Insufficient colour contrast (less than 4.5:1 for normal text)
- Non-descriptive link text ("click here")
- Form fields without labels
- Focus indicators removed with CSS (outline: none)
- Keyboard traps where focus cannot escape a component
ARIA When HTML Is Not Enough
ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes supplement HTML semantics for dynamic content. Use aria-label for elements without visible text, aria-expanded for toggleable content, and role attributes for custom components.
Try the free tools mentioned in this article: Heading Analyzer — no signup required.
