Accessibility
The web can remove barriers to communication and interaction if pages are designed properly.
The goal is to enable all people to percieve, undestand, navigate, and interact with, and contribute to the web
Accessibility is about making web content more accessible all-around - To mitigate difficulites which can arise from various situations - Older people, temorary disabilities/injuries, people on mobile devices or in challenging environements
Given that the web has become an indespensable resource across education, employment, and government, it's essential that we strive to provide equal access and opportunity for all people to access the resource. The UN defines access to communication technologies and the web as a basic human right. Further good accessbility imroves overall user experience and staisfaction, which helps sustain businesses and drive innovation.
We should strive for good accessibility from the outset of any project.
Accessibility Principles
Web Accessibilty Standards
Key components
- Web Content
- User Agents
- Authoring tools
Percievable information and user interface
- Text alternatives for non-text elements
- Captions for multimedia
- Allow content to be read aloud, enlarged, or adapted to meet the needs and preferences of different people
Operable user interface and navigation
By default, specific HTML elements (anchors, form controls, image map areas) receive keyboard focus. However, complex controls not directly available in HTML are often constructed with the use of “generic” HTML elements such as span or div, coupled with additional JavaScript behavior to make them interactive. These elements do not receive keyboard focus unless they are properly coded, and are therefore impossible for keyboard-only users to reach.
- Keyboard-first functionality - keyboard focus does not get trapped and can match any action of a mouse
- Designs should maximize use of other input modalities as well
- Users have plenty of time to read the content
- Content should not risk causing seizures or physical reactions
Understandable information and user interface
- Readable and undestandable
- Content has predictable behavior
- Users are helped to avoid mistakes and make corrections
Robust content and reliable interpretation
Content that's compatible with different browsers, assistive technologies, and other user agents. Valid markup is required - bugs cause issues.
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