Web Accessibility (a11y)
Web accessibility ensures websites and applications are usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. This includes visual impairments (screen readers), motor disabilities (keyboard navigati…
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Definition
Web accessibility ensures websites and applications are usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. This includes visual impairments (screen readers), motor disabilities (keyboard navigation), hearing impairments (captions), and cognitive disabilities (clear language). With India's 2.68 crore disabled population, accessibility is both a moral imperative and increasingly a legal requirement.
Key Points
- Standards: WCAG 2.1 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) AA level is the target
- Key practices: semantic HTML, keyboard navigation, alt text, sufficient colour contrast
- Testing tools: axe, Lighthouse, WAVE, screen readers (NVDA, VoiceOver)
- India's Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (2016) mandates digital accessibility for government
Frequently Asked Questions
Beyond the moral imperative: (1) 2.68 crore potential customers you might be excluding, (2) accessibility improves UX for everyone (captions help in noisy environments, large buttons help elderly users), (3) government contracts increasingly require WCAG compliance, (4) accessible sites rank better in search engines, (5) it's increasingly a legal requirement.
Start with: (1) Use semantic HTML (headings, landmarks, labels), (2) Ensure all images have descriptive alt text, (3) Make everything keyboard-navigable, (4) Maintain 4.5:1 colour contrast ratio, (5) Add ARIA labels where semantic HTML isn't sufficient, (6) Test with a screen reader. Run Lighthouse accessibility audit for a baseline score and improvement suggestions.
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