Web Accessibility: Building Websites for Everyone

16% of the world's population (1.3 billion people) have a disability. Can users with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive disabilities use your website? Web accessibility (a11y) isn't just an ethical responsibility — it's a legal requirement in many countries.

What Is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility means websites and applications are perceivable, usable, and understandable by everyone, including people with disabilities.

Why Accessibility Matters

1. Legal Requirement

• US: ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
• EU: European Accessibility Act (2025)
• Accessibility lawsuits are increasing globally

2. Wider Audience

• 1.3 billion potential users
• Aging population is growing
• Temporary disabilities (broken arm, bright sunlight)

3. SEO Advantage

• Alt tags → Image SEO
• Structural headings → Better crawlability
• Clean HTML → Lower error rate

4. Better UX

• Accessible site = better site for everyone
• Keyboard navigation
• Clean, readable design

WCAG Standards

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) — Accessibility standards published by W3C.

4 Core Principles (POUR):

1. Perceivable

• Alt text on images
• Video captions
• Sufficient color contrast
• Resizable text

2. Operable

• Full keyboard navigation
• Enough time for actions
• No seizure-triggering content
• Navigation aids

3. Understandable

• Readable text
• Predictable behavior
• Error help and suggestions

4. Robust

• Works across devices and browsers
• Compatible with assistive technologies

Conformance Levels:

• A — Minimum (required)
• AA — Recommended (most regulations require this)
• AAA — Highest level

Core Accessibility Techniques

Images

<!-- Good -->
<img src="chart.png" alt="2026 sales chart showing 40% increase">

<!-- Decorative image -->
<img src="divider.png" alt="" role="presentation">

Heading Hierarchy

<h1>Main Heading</h1>      <!-- One per page -->
  <h2>Sub Heading</h2>
    <h3>Detail</h3>
  <h2>Other Sub Heading</h2>

Form Accessibility

<label for="email">Email Address</label>
<input type="email" id="email" aria-describedby="email-help" required>
<span id="email-help">e.g., name@company.com</span>

ARIA Labels

<button aria-label="Open menu" aria-expanded="false">
  <svg>...</svg>
</button>

<nav aria-label="Main navigation">
  ...
</nav>

Color Contrast

• Normal text: minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio
• Large text (18px+): minimum 3:1
• Tools: WebAIM Contrast Checker

Accessibility Testing Tools

| Tool | Type | Price | |------|------|-------| | Lighthouse | Chrome DevTools | Free | | axe DevTools | Browser extension | Freemium | | WAVE | Web tool | Free | | Pa11y | CLI tool | Free | | NVDA | Screen reader (Windows) | Free | | VoiceOver | Screen reader (Mac/iOS) | Built-in |

Quick Accessibility Checklist

• Can you navigate the entire page with Tab?
• Do images have meaningful alt text?
• Is color contrast sufficient?
• Are forms properly labeled?
• Is heading hierarchy correct?
• Are focus states visible?
• Are captions provided for video/audio?

Conclusion

Web accessibility isn't "nice to have" — it's mandatory. An accessible website reaches a wider audience, performs better for SEO, and avoids legal issues. The best website is one that everyone can use.

If you'd like to build accessible, WCAG-compliant websites, get in touch: info@cagribilgehan.com. Check out my projects: cagribilgehan.com