Why Accessibility Matters in Web Development

Accessibility is the practice of making your websites usable by as many people as possible, regardless of their abilities or circumstances. When we talk about why accessibility matters in web development, it's not just about meeting guidelines. Web accessibility is about designing experiences that don't exclude people who can't use a mouse, have limited vision, or rely on assistive technologies. Building with accessibility in mind isn't just the right thing to do. It's smart business too, and an opportunity to create cleaner, more resilient websites. It can be rewarding for all involved.

What is accessibility?

Accessibility - often abbreviated as A11y - means enabling people with disabilities to use websites fully. The term is a numeronym where '11' represents the eleven letters between the 'a' and 'y'. You may have also come across the A11y Project, a community-driven resource on web accessibility.

For many people, technology makes things easier. For people with disabilities, technology makes things possible. This is why building accessible websites matters.

People with disabilities are not a homogeneous group. They have diverse needs and preferences and use different tools and techniques to access the web. Some common types of disabilities that affect web access are:

• Visual impairments: blindness, low vision, colour blindness.
• Hearing impairments: deafness, hard of hearing.
• Motor impairments: paralysis, tremors, arthritis.
• Cognitive impairments: dyslexia, autism, dementia.

Some people use assistive technologies (ATs) to interact with the web, such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, speech recognition software, or switch devices. Others use adaptive strategies, such as adjusting font size, colour contrast, or keyboard shortcuts. A well-built site should always be navigable by keyboard alone.

Accessibility also benefits people without disabilities. They may face temporary limitations - using a mobile device, a slow connection, or working somewhere noisy.

Why is accessibility important?

Accessibility is important for many reasons. There are four main ones, in my opinion.

1. It is the right thing to do.

Providing accessible websites is part of respecting human rights and dignity. It also promotes diversity and inclusion in the digital world. Everyone should be able to use any website. Just because someone has a disability doesn't mean they should be excluded. They may not always get an identical experience, but getting as close to that as possible should be the goal. The basics are the minimum standard.

2. It is the law in some places.

Many countries and regions have accessibility laws or regulations that require websites to meet certain standards or guidelines. Failing to comply can result in legal actions or penalties.

3. It is good for business.

Making websites accessible can increase your potential audience, improve customer satisfaction, enhance your reputation, and reduce costs and risks. Think about lost business because someone couldn't navigate your website, just because they couldn't use a mouse. Or they can't read which button does what because the contrast is off. It could result in some large sums of lost income through missing some basic additions.

4. It is good for web development.

Accessibility best practices are central to why accessibility matters beyond compliance - they improve the quality, usability, and maintainability of your websites. Following them can also boost your SEO (search engine optimisation) and performance. The easiest way is to build with accessibility in mind from the start. However, there is still plenty that can be done to an existing website.

How can you make your websites accessible?

Making websites accessible is not a one-time task or a checklist item. It's an ongoing process - planning, designing, developing, testing, and maintaining with accessibility always in mind. That's what doing it right looks like.

There are many resources and tools that can help you learn and apply accessibility principles and techniques. One of the most authoritative and comprehensive sources is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It's full of invaluable information, so I would highly recommend that web developers read through it.

WCAG 2.2 provides a set of recommendations for making web content more accessible to people with disabilities. It covers four main principles, known as POUR. They are:

• Perceivable: Web content must be presented in ways that users can perceive it through their senses.
• Operable: Web content must be operable through user interface components and navigation.
• Understandable: Web content must be clear and understandable to users.
• Robust: Web content must be compatible with current and future user agents and assistive technologies.

Each principle has a number of guidelines that explain the goals and provide success criteria and techniques for meeting them. The success criteria are organised into three levels of conformance: A (lowest), AA (medium), and AAA (highest).

To make your websites accessible, you should aim to meet at least level AA of WCAG 2.2.

This means that you need to consider various aspects of web development, such as:

Practical implementation

• HTML: Use semantic elements for their intended purpose, provide alternative text for images and other non-text content, use headings and lists to structure your content, etc.
• CSS: Use relative units for font sizes and layout, provide sufficient colour contrast between text and background, avoid using colour alone to convey information, etc.
• JavaScript: Ensure dynamic content and interactions are keyboard accessible. Provide feedback and instructions for users, and avoid keyboard traps or unexpected changes in context.
• ARIA: Use ARIA attributes to add extra semantics and roles to HTML elements, particularly for complex UI components or dynamic content.
• Multimedia: Provide captions and transcripts for audio and video content. Avoid autoplay or flashing effects that can cause seizures or distractions.
• Mobile: Ensure that your websites are responsive and adaptable to different screen sizes and orientations.