Carolyn MacLeod explains how accessibility considerations in the HTML specification connect developers to ARIA rules and accessibility API mappings. Explore how HTML elements, roles, states, and properties are mapped to support accessible web development and assistive technology.
Development & Code
Explore practical guidance for developers and technology professionals building accessible websites, applications, and digital experiences. This series covers accessible HTML, CSS, JavaScript, ARIA, forms, interactive components, keyboard accessibility, semantic markup, and other development practices that support WCAG conformance and inclusive user experiences. Learn how to identify common accessibility issues and incorporate accessibility into the development process from the start.
Pixels vs. Relative Units in CSS: Why it’s Still a Big Deal
Kathleen McMahon explains why the choice between pixels and relative CSS units such as em and rem still matters for accessibility. Learn how CSS units affect text scaling, responsive design, and users’ ability to control their browsing experience.
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<select> Your Poison Part 2: Test All the Things
In “<select> Your Poison Part 2,” Sarah Higley tests native select, combobox, and multi-select patterns with people using assistive technologies. The study shows why native selects generally provide the best single-selection experience, while custom controls require careful design and real-user testing.
<select> Your Poison
Sarah Higley explores the challenges of building accessible custom select controls, comparing native <select> behavior across platforms with ARIA combobox and listbox patterns. The article examines semantics, keyboard interaction, multi-select, autocomplete, and the accessibility tradeoffs of custom UI.
The Future is Now, So What About Tomorrow?
Melanie Sumner explores the future of digital accessibility, focusing on the tools developers need to build accessible websites more easily. She examines gaps in accessibility testing, developer tooling, semantic HTML, ARIA, and assistive technology, and challenges the industry to create better solutions.
Game Accessibility and the Web
Matthew Atkinson explores game accessibility and the web, examining barriers faced by disabled gamers and how screen readers, HTML, WebAssembly, and browser accessibility APIs can make game interfaces more accessible. The article presents a practical approach to bridging games and assistive technology.
Building an Accessible Bingo Web App
Cordelia McGee-Tubb explains how she built an accessible bingo web app with React and Firebase, using ARIA grids, keyboard navigation, toggle states, live regions, responsive design, and user testing to create an inclusive experience for keyboard, touchscreen, and screen reader users.
POUR the Foundation First
Homer Gaines explains how the WCAG POUR principles, Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust, provide a foundation for digital accessibility. The article explores practical examples involving alternative text, keyboard access, clear forms, semantic HTML, and assistive technology compatibility.
The Intersection of Markup, Content and Context in Accessibility
David A. Kennedy explores how HTML markup, content, and context work together to create accessible web experiences. Learn why semantic HTML, meaningful labels, form structure, alternative text, and contextual controls matter for people using screen readers and other assistive technologies.
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8 Weird Tips Accessibility Specialists Don’t Want You to Know!
Erik Kroes exposes 8 misguided accessibility tips with humor, challenging common assumptions about WCAG, ARIA, automated testing, focus indicators, accessible alternatives, and inclusive design. Learn why meeting technical requirements is only part of creating truly accessible digital experiences.
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Taking Accessibility Beyond Compliance
Dennis Deacon explores why WCAG Level AA compliance should be a starting point, not the finish line. The article examines headings, link text, focus indicators, abbreviations, and other areas where going beyond minimum requirements can create more usable and accessible digital experiences.
Web Components and the Accessibility Object Model (AOM)
Léonie Watson explores the accessibility challenges of Web Components and how the Accessibility Object Model (AOM) could address them. Discover how AOM features such as default semantics, ARIA reflection, assistive technology events, and virtual accessibility nodes could make accessibility first-class.
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Tables and Beers
In the last article for the 2018 series, Steve Faulkner provides the results of one beer worth of screen reader testing of simple tables.
ARIA 1.1 – What’s New?
In today’s article, Birkir Gunnarsson tells us what’s new in ARIA 1.1, the new roles and properties that excite him, and the others that disappoint, due to their lack of support.
Benefits of a Single Text Field Versus Multiple Text Fields
In today’s article, Zoë Bijl explains how it’s easier for users to enter a phone number or a credit card number into a single field, but other scenarios may require properly labeled multiple fields.
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Web Components Still Need to be Accessible
In today’s article, Eric Bailey explains why developers need to consider accessibility when creating custom web components and use semantic HTML when it makes sense, as to not needlessly reinvent the wheel.
iOS Accessibility Properties: How They Relate to WCAG, and How to Correctly Use Them
In today’s article, Jennifer Dailey explains how the iOS Accessibility Properties relate to the WCAG 2.0 success criteria 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value, and how to properly use them.
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Accessibility and Inclusion with the World’s Most Popular Communication Tool: Email
In today’s article, Jason Rodriguez shares some best practices on creating more accessible and inclusive email campaigns, routinely ranked as one of the world’s most valuable marketing channels, yet very little work has been done to make it more accessible for under-represented groups.
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I Threw Away my Mouse
In today’s article, Manuel Matuzovic shares how he ditched his mouse, going keyboard-only. He shares the results of his research on 200 different pages and the issues that impact keyboard-only users.
Case Study – Podcast Becomes a WCAG 2.1 Implementation Site
In today’s article, Nicolas Steenhout shares the story of his podcast, A11Y Rules, how he made its website accessible through careful decisions about players and plugins, and the move to WCAG 2.1.
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Mobilizing Android Accessibility At Airbnb
Diane Ko and Julia Fu explain how Airbnb scaled Android accessibility by building accessibility expertise across engineering teams. They share lessons on TalkBack, custom views, reusable components, accessibility training, automated enforcement, page titles, and testing with blind users.
A New Day: Making a Better Calendar
Gerard Cohen explores how to build accessible and usable calendar widgets. He covers efficient date selection, keyboard navigation, semantic controls, accessible labels, screen reader feedback, and responsive design, offering practical guidance for creating better calendar experiences for everyone.
Accessible SVG Icons with Inline Sprites
Marco Hengstenberg explains how to create accessible SVG icons using inline SVG sprites. Learn when to label icons, hide decorative graphics, use ARIA attributes, and build reusable SVG symbols that provide meaningful information to screen reader users and other assistive technology.
The “D” in the DOM
Anthony Jeffery explores how thinking of web pages as documents can improve accessibility. He explains how meaningful page titles and well-structured headings help screen reader users navigate content, while logical HTML provides a solid foundation for accessible web experiences.
Congrats! You Just Received an Inaccessible Gift Card
Dennis Deacon examines how inaccessible gift card emails and redemption pages can exclude people with disabilities. He identifies common HTML and keyboard accessibility issues, including missing alt text, unassociated form labels, and inaccessible help content, then shows how simple fixes restore access.
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The Trials and Tribulations of the Title Attribute
Scott O’Hara explores the accessibility challenges of HTML’s title attribute, including inconsistent browser and screen reader support. He explains common misuses and identifies situations where title can still provide accessibility value.
React’s Accessibility Code Linter
Scott Vinkle explores how React developers can use eslint-plugin-jsx-a11y to identify accessibility issues in JSX. The article demonstrates configuring the linter for browser consoles, code editors, and CI workflows, helping teams catch accessibility problems earlier in development.
SVG, Icon Fonts, and Accessibility: A Case Study
Dennis Lembrée examines the accessibility of SVG icons, icon fonts, sprites, and images, comparing their strengths and limitations. Using Easy Chirp as a case study, he explores screen reader support, keyboard access, performance, styling, and the practical tradeoffs of each approach.