The Web Accessibility is often described as the great equaliser, a place where anyone can learn, shop, and connect. Yet, for over one billion people living with disabilities worldwide, the web is frequently a landscape of barriers. From unlabelled buttons to low-contrast text that strains the eyes, poor design choices can make digital spaces impossible to navigate for a significant portion of the population.
Web accessibility is the practice of removing these barriers. It ensures that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them. But the benefits extend far beyond compliance or altruism. Accessible websites tend to load faster, have better SEO rankings, and offer a superior user experience for everyone—including mobile users or those browsing in bright sunlight.
If you are a designer, developer, or business owner, understanding accessibility is no longer optional. It is a fundamental aspect of the modern web. This guide walks you through the essential standards and practical steps needed to build a more inclusive digital environment.
What is WCAG?
To create a consistent standard for accessibility, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) developed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, commonly known as WCAG. These guidelines provide a technical standard for web content accessibility that is recognised globally.
WCAG is not a static set of rules; it evolves alongside technology. The current standard generally referenced is WCAG 2.1, with WCAG 2.2 recently finalised. These documents explain how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities.
The Three Levels of Compliance
WCAG is organised into three levels of conformance, allowing organisations to improve their sites progressively:
- Level A (Essential): This is the minimum level. If a site doesn’t meet these requirements, it is likely impossible for many people with disabilities to use it.
- Level AA (Standard): This is the target for most businesses and public sector bodies. It addresses the most common and problematic barriers for disabled users.
- Level AAA (Optimal): This is the highest and most rigorous level of accessibility. While ideal, it is not always possible to satisfy all Level AAA success criteria for some content.
The POUR Principles
The WCAG guidelines are extensive and can be technically dense. To make them easier to understand and apply, they are categorised under four distinct principles known by the acronym POUR. If your website meets these four pillars, it is on the right track.
1. Perceivable
Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive. This means the content cannot be invisible to all of their senses.
- Visuals: Provide text alternatives for non-text content (like images) so that it can be changed into other forms people need, such as large print, braille, speech, symbols, or simpler language.
- Audio/Video: Provide captions and other alternatives for multimedia.
- Adaptability: Create content that can be presented in different ways (for example more straightforward layout) without losing information or structure.
2. Operable
User interface components and navigation must be operable. The interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform.
- Keyboard Accessibility: Make all functionality available from a keyboard. This is crucial for users who cannot use a mouse.
- Time: Provide users enough time to read and use content. Avoid timed sessions that expire too quickly.
- Seizures: Do not design content in a way that is known to cause seizures (avoiding rapid flashing).
- Navigable: Provide ways to help users navigate, find content, and determine where they are.
3. Understandable
Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable. Users must be able to comprehend both the information as well as the operation of the user interface.
- Readable: Make text content readable and understandable. Avoid jargon and allow users to adjust the language.
- Predictable: Make Web pages appear and operate in predictable ways. Navigation should be consistent across the site.
- Input Assistance: Help users avoid and correct mistakes. If an error is automatically detected, the item that is in error is identified, and the error is described to the user in text.
4. Robust
Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.
- Compatibility: Maximise compatibility with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies. This primarily relies on writing clean, semantic HTML code that browsers can parse correctly.
Practical Steps for Accessible Design
Implementing WCAG standards might seem daunting, but you can make a significant impact by focusing on a few key areas during your design and development process.
Master the Art of Alt Text
Alternative text (alt text) is a description of an image that is read aloud by screen readers. Good alt text provides context. If you have an image of a chart, don’t just write “chart.” Describe the data trends shown. However, if an image is purely decorative, it should have an empty alt attribute so screen readers skip it entirely.
Mind Your Colour Contrast
Text must stand out against its background. WCAG Level AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for standard text and 3:1 for large text. This ensures that users with low vision or colour blindness can read your content. Avoid using colour as the only means of conveying information (e.g., “click the green button”).
Use Semantic HTML
Screen readers rely on the underlying code to understand the structure of a page. Use proper heading tags (H1, H2, H3) to create a logical hierarchy. Use <button> tags for buttons and <a> tags for links. Using a <div> that looks like a button but isn’t coded as one creates a barrier for keyboard users and screen readers.
Design Focus States
When you tab through a webpage using a keyboard, there should be a visible outline around the element you are currently focused on. This is called a focus state. Many designers remove this for aesthetic reasons, but doing so makes the site unusable for keyboard-only navigators. Customise the focus state to match your brand, but never remove it.
Label Your Forms
Every form field needs a label. Placeholders (the grey text inside a box that disappears when you type) are not replacements for labels. They vanish when the user starts typing, which can be confusing for those with cognitive disabilities, and they often have poor colour contrast.
Tools for Accessibility Testing
Web accessibility is not a checklist to be completed and forgotten; it is an ongoing commitment to inclusivity. By adhering to WCAG standards and embracing the POUR principles, you ensure that your digital presence welcomes everyone, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities. Start small if you must. Fix your contrast ratios today. Add alt text tomorrow. Every improvement you make opens your door a little wider, creating a web that truly lives up to its potential as a universal resource. Building a Better Web for Everyone
