Accessibility Is a Requirement, Not a Feature

Web accessibility ensures that websites and applications are usable by people with disabilities — including visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments. Beyond the ethical imperative, accessibility is increasingly a legal requirement under laws like the ADA, Section 508, and the European Accessibility Act. At Nexis Limited, we build accessibility into our development process from the design phase.

WCAG 2.2 Overview

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 define three conformance levels:

  • Level A: Minimum accessibility requirements — basic keyboard navigation, text alternatives for images, video captions.
  • Level AA: The standard most organizations target — includes color contrast ratios, consistent navigation, and error identification.
  • Level AAA: Enhanced accessibility — sign language interpretation, extended audio descriptions, and more stringent requirements.

Key Accessibility Practices

Semantic HTML

Use HTML elements for their intended purpose. A navigation menu should use <nav>, headings should use <h1> through <h6> in proper hierarchy, and interactive elements should be <button> or <a> rather than <div> with click handlers. Semantic HTML provides accessibility for free — screen readers understand native HTML elements without ARIA attributes.

Keyboard Navigation

All interactive elements must be reachable and operable with a keyboard. Users who cannot use a mouse (due to motor impairments or screen reader usage) rely on keyboard navigation. Test by tabbing through your entire application without touching the mouse.

  • Ensure visible focus indicators on all interactive elements.
  • Use logical tab order that matches visual reading order.
  • Implement keyboard shortcuts for frequently used actions.
  • Ensure modal dialogs trap focus and return focus when closed.

Color and Contrast

Color contrast ratios must meet WCAG AA minimums:

  • Normal text: 4.5:1 contrast ratio against the background.
  • Large text (18px bold or 24px regular): 3:1 contrast ratio.
  • UI components and graphical objects: 3:1 contrast ratio.
  • Never use color as the only way to convey information — add icons, text, or patterns.

Screen Reader Support

  • Add alt text to all meaningful images. Decorative images should have empty alt attributes.
  • Use ARIA labels for interactive elements without visible text labels.
  • Announce dynamic content changes with ARIA live regions.
  • Test with screen readers (VoiceOver on Mac, NVDA on Windows, TalkBack on Android).

Accessible React Components

Component libraries like Radix UI, React Aria, and Headless UI provide unstyled, fully accessible components. Using these as a foundation ensures correct ARIA attributes, keyboard handling, and focus management without building from scratch.

Testing for Accessibility

  • Automated tools: axe-core, Lighthouse, and eslint-plugin-jsx-a11y catch approximately 30-40% of accessibility issues.
  • Manual testing: Keyboard navigation, screen reader testing, and zoom testing catch issues automated tools miss.
  • User testing: Testing with people who have disabilities provides the most valuable feedback.

Conclusion

Web accessibility benefits everyone — not just users with disabilities. Captions help users in noisy environments. Keyboard navigation benefits power users. Good color contrast improves readability in bright sunlight. Building accessible web applications is both the right thing to do and good engineering practice.

Need an accessibility audit? Our team can evaluate and improve your web application's accessibility.