Design / A11y
Accessibility
Accessibility is the discipline that keeps a site usable across different bodies, tools, input methods, and perceptual conditions. On the web, that means more than passing audits. It means preserving meaning and operability when the user tabs instead of clicks, zooms instead of scans, or listens instead of looks.
The basic standard is simple to state: content should be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. The practical work is more concrete: correct semantics, keyboard access, visible focus, stable names, careful announcements, and restraint about custom widgets.
What this page should help answer
- Can the whole surface be used from a keyboard without guesswork or traps.
- Do names, labels, headings, and landmarks expose the right structure to assistive technology.
- Do dynamic changes announce themselves appropriately without becoming noisy.
- When should native HTML be preferred over custom scripted controls.
Working checks
Keyboard first
If something can be clicked, it should also be reachable and usable from the keyboard. Focus order should follow document logic, not visual improvisation.
Native semantics first
Use real buttons, links, headings, lists, and form controls before reaching for ARIA. ARIA is a repair tool, not a replacement for HTML.
Visible focus and state
Focus should be easy to find. Expanded, selected, disabled, and loading states should be conveyed clearly in text, semantics, and styling together.
Announce only what matters
Use live regions and status messaging carefully. Important changes should be announced; minor churn should not constantly interrupt the user.
Reference points
MDN accessibility
A strong practical hub for web accessibility concepts, guides, and references.
WCAG overview
Use this when the question becomes standards language, conformance vocabulary, or the larger framework behind web accessibility work.
ARIA Authoring Practices Guide
Critical when a design pattern turns into a custom widget and needs specific keyboard and semantics guidance.
MDN: ARIA live regions
Useful whenever the page updates dynamically and you need to decide how screen readers should hear that change.