What Is Web Accessibility

What is web accessibility

Web accessibility refers to the practice of designing and developing websites and applications so they can be used by all people including persons with disabilities. This includes people with vision impairment, hearing impairment, motor difficulties, and cognitive disorders. According to World Health Organization data, over a billion people worldwide live with some form of disability, making accessibility not only an ethical imperative but also a business need because ignoring this population means losing a significant portion of potential audience.

Accessibility isn't just for persons with permanent disabilities. Situational barriers like using a phone in bright sunlight, temporary hand injury, or noisy environment preventing audio listening affect all of us. Designing for accessibility improves the experience for all users. An accessible site is usually also better optimized for SEO because search engines and screen readers interpret content similarly. BeoHosting supports accessibility as an important aspect of quality web presence.

WCAG guidelines

WCAG standard overview

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines or WCAG is the international standard for web accessibility. Securing the site via security certificate is also important for user safety, developed by the W3C organization. The current WCAG 2.2 version was published in 2023 and defines three compliance levels: A as minimum level, AA as recommended level for most sites, and AAA as the highest level that's hard to fully achieve for all content types. Most legal regulations require AA level which represents a good balance between accessibility and implementation practicality.

WCAG is organized around four principles known as POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Perceivable means users must be able to perceive content with at least one sense. Operable means users must be able to use the interface and navigation. Understandable means content and interface must be understandable. Robust means content must be robust enough that various technologies can interpret it including assistive technologies.

Key compliance criteria

Text alternatives for non-text content are one of the most important criteria. Every image must have an alt attribute describing its content for users who can't see it. Decorative images use empty alt attribute alt="" so screen readers know to skip them. Informative images have a concise content description while complex images like charts require a more detailed description or text alternative nearby. Video and audio content require transcripts and captions.

Keyboard navigation is critical because many users can't use a mouse. Every interactive element must be accessible via keyboard using Tab for navigation, Enter for activation, and Escape for closing. A visible focus indicator must clearly show which element is currently active. A skip navigation link at the start of the page enables screen reader users to skip repetitive navigation and directly access main content.

ARIA attributes

ARIA basics

Accessible Rich Internet Applications or ARIA is a set of attributes extending HTML with additional information for assistive technologies. ARIA doesn't change the visual appearance or behavior of elements but only the way screen readers present them to users. The first ARIA rule is don't use it if there's a native HTML element providing the same semantics. For example, instead of div role=button use the native button element, which already has built-in accessibility including focus and keyboard.

The ARIA role attribute defines the element's role in the interface. For example, role=navigation marks a navigation block, role=main marks the main page content, and role=alert marks a dynamic message requiring user attention. Landmark roles like banner, main, navigation, and contentinfo help screen reader users quickly navigate through the page structure, skipping parts that don't interest them.

Most commonly used ARIA attributes

The aria-label attribute provides an accessible label for an element without visible text. Use it for icon buttons like aria-label="Close menu" for a button with an X icon. The aria-labelledby attribute refers to the ID of another element whose text serves as the label. The aria-describedby attribute connects an element with a more detailed description, useful for forms where a field has additional instructions for filling.

The aria-hidden=true attribute hides an element from screen readers while still being visually visible. Use it for decorative elements that only confuse screen reader users. The aria-expanded attribute indicates whether an element like a menu or section is expanded or collapsed. The aria-live attribute marks regions whose content dynamically changes and should be announced to screen reader users. Value polite waits for the user to finish current activity while assertive interrupts immediately.

Color contrast

Contrast requirements

WCAG defines minimum contrast ratios between text and background. For normal text, minimum contrast ratio is 4.5:1 at AA level and 7:1 at AAA level. For large text from 18pt or 14pt bold, minimum contrast is 3:1 at AA and 4.5:1 at AAA level. Non-interactive graphic elements and interface components require contrast of minimum 3:1 with adjacent colors. These rules ensure readability for persons with reduced vision and color deficiency.

Never rely on information conveyed only through color. For example, if you use green for success and red for error in a form, also add text label or icon because users with deuteranopia don't distinguish red from green. Use tools like WebAIM Contrast Checker or browser DevTools to check contrast. Chrome DevTools has a built-in contrast checker displaying ratio and WCAG compliance directly in the element inspector.

Design with accessibility in mind

Accessible design doesn't have to be boring. Many modern design palettes meet WCAG contrast criteria with visual appeal. Dark text on light background is generally more accessible than light text on dark background. Avoid text over images unless using a semi-transparent overlay providing sufficient contrast. For interactive elements like buttons and links, pay attention to contrast in all states: normal, hover, focus, and active.

Typography plays a key role in accessibility. Use fonts designed for on-screen readability with clear distinctions between similar characters like l, 1, and I. Minimum text size for body content should be 16px with line height 1.5 for optimal readability. Avoid italic for large text blocks and don't use exclusively uppercase for sentences because they're harder to read. Allow users to enlarge text up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.

Screen readers

How screen readers work

A screen reader is software that interprets screen content and presents it to the user via synthesized speech or braille display. The most popular screen readers are NVDA free for Windows, JAWS commercial for Windows, VoiceOver built into macOS and iOS, and TalkBack built into Android. Screen readers rely on HTML semantics and ARIA attributes to understand content structure and purpose. That's why proper use of HTML elements is key for accessibility.

Screen reader users don't read pages linearly as we visually scan. They use headings for navigation by content structure, lists for browsing items, landmark regions for moving between sections, and tabs for navigating interactive elements. That's why proper heading hierarchy h1 to h6 is key because screen reader users use headings as table of contents for navigation similar to how we use visual page overview.

Testing with screen readers

Testing the site with a screen reader reveals problems not visible through visual inspection. Use the site check tool for additional analysis. Turn on VoiceOver on macOS with Command+F5 and navigate the site using only keyboard. Listen to how the screen reader announces each element and verify labels are meaningful and content structure is logically presented. On Windows, install free NVDA and repeat the same test. Every page should have a meaningful page title, clear heading structure, and informative labels for all interactive elements.

Automated tools like axe DevTools, Lighthouse accessibility audit, and WAVE evaluator can detect many technical issues but can't replace manual testing. Automated tools find missing alt attributes, contrast issues, and ARIA errors but can't assess whether alt text is truly descriptive, whether focus order is logical, or whether form error messages are understandable. Combine automated and manual testing for best results.

US accessibility regulations

The Law on Electronic Communications and the Law on Prevention of Discrimination of Persons with Disabilities in the US set foundations for digital accessibility. State institutions and public enterprises are required to make their sites accessible according to WCAG 2.1 AA standard. The private sector has no explicit legal obligation but the Consumer Protection Law and anti-discrimination regulations may be interpreted in the context of digital accessibility.

The European Directive on Web Content Accessibility that's part of the EU accession process will additionally strengthen accessibility requirements in the US. Companies planning EU market business must already consider the European Accessibility Act, which from 2025 requires accessibility of digital products and services. Proactive approach to accessibility isn't just a legal obligation but also a competitive advantage because it shows social responsibility and opens the site to a wider audience.

Practical implementation steps

• Use semantic HTML: header, nav, main, article, section, footer instead of generic div elements
• Add alt text to all informative images and empty alt to decorative images
• Ensure keyboard navigation for all interactive elements with visible focus indicator
• Check color contrast using WebAIM Contrast Checker for all text and background combinations
• Mark page language with lang attribute on html element for proper speech synthesis
• Use labels for all form fields and connect them with for attribute
• Add skip navigation link at the start of every page
• Test with a screen reader at least once a month
• Run Lighthouse accessibility audit and fix all detected issues
• Educate the team about accessibility because it's everyone's responsibility, not just developers

Conclusion

Web accessibility is a fundamental aspect of quality web development that ensures your site is usable for all people regardless of their abilities. Implementing WCAG guidelines, proper ARIA attribute use, ensuring sufficient color contrast, and testing with screen readers are key steps toward an accessible site. Accessibility isn't a one-time project but a continuous process that should be integrated into every aspect of design and development. At BeoHosting, we support accessibility as an important part of professional web presence, and our hosting packages are optimized for fast loading, which is key for users of assistive technologies.