Accessibility Checklist for Website Developers

An inclusive online experience requires websites to be accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities. Web accessibility for developers is essential in ensuring that every user, irrespective of their disabilities, can navigate and interact with a website effectively.

This checklist provides website developers with a comprehensive guide to improving accessibility. By following these guidelines, developers can create a more inclusive online experience for everyone.

How can you Use WCAG 2 A & AA Checklist?

This checklist summarizes Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 recommendations. While these recommendations are essential, not all will be relatable to every project. You won't need the motion guidelines if your product has no motion.

It is essential to involve users with various abilities during the research and testing stages of the design and development process to achieve steadfast accessibility. So it is important to follow WCAG recommendations through the checklist below.

Non-Textual Content (Level A)

Non-textual content such as images, complex graphics, charts, videos, and audio can be powerful tools to convey important information.

• Provide Text Alternatives: Non-textual content should have text alternatives (alt text) that convey the same information or functionality. It should be concise, descriptive, and equivalent to the non-textual content. They enable users with visual impairments or disabled images to understand the content.
• Use Descriptive File Names: Create brief, relevant file names, and avoid using generic terms or numbers. For example, instead of using a generic filename like "image001.jpg," use a descriptive filename like "blue-sky-over-mountains.jpg." It helps users who rely on assistive technologies to understand the content and navigate more efficiently.
• Provide Captions and Transcripts for Multimedia: Multimedia content, such as videos and audio files, should have captions or transcripts to ensure accessibility for users with hearing impairments. Captions should accurately represent spoken dialogue, sound effects, and relevant audio information. Transcripts provide a textual alternative to audio content, allowing users to read the content instead of listening.
• Use Alt Attributes: The alt attribute provides an alt text for images. The alt attribute should define the content and its purpose. It allows screen readers to read out the description to visually impaired users. For example, an image of a cat playing with a ball could have an alt attribute like "A cat playing with a ball."
• Ensure Color Contrast: Color is often used to convey information or highlight important elements on web pages. However, it is essential to ensure sufficient color contrast to make content accessible to visual impairment users. WCAG provides specific contrast ratios (at least 4.5:1.) under web accessibility for developers to follow up while choosing color combinations for text and background.

Bonus Read: Basics of Color Contrast in Web Accessibility

• Ensure Keyboard Accessibility: All non-textual content should be accessible using a keyboard alone. Users should be able to navigate, interact, and access all functionality without a mouse or other pointing device. Developers should ensure that focus indicators are visible and that keyboard focus is managed properly.
• Use accessible media players: When including videos or audio files, use accessible media players that support keyboard navigation and provide controls for adjusting volume and playback. It ensures that users with mobility issues or who rely on keyboard navigation can access and control the content.

Interesting Read: How to add an Audio Description to the Video?

Multiple Ways (Level AA)

Ensuring Multiple Ways (Level AA) website accessibility provides alternative options or multiple means for users to access and interact with content.

Provide Multiple Means of Navigation

• Use clear and consistent navigation menus throughout the website.
• Include skip navigation links to allow users to bypass repetitive content.
• Ensure all navigation elements are keyboard accessible.
• Use descriptive link text that can make sense out of context.

Offer Multiple Ways to Find Information

• Include a search functionality that allows individuals to search for specific content.
• Organize content using headings, subheadings, and lists for easy navigation.
• Provide a sitemap or site index that lists all the pages on the website.
• Use meaningful and descriptive page titles.

Provide Alternatives for Time-Based Media

• Offer captions or transcripts for videos and audio content.
• Include audio descriptions for visual content that conveys important information.
• Provide controls to pause, stop, or adjust the volume of time-based media.
• Ensure that time-based media does not autoplay or cause sudden changes in volume.

Make Content Readable and Understandable

• Use clear and concise language for all content.
• Provide definitions or explanations for any technical or complex terms.
• Use appropriate heading structure to organize content hierarchy.
• Ensure adequate color contrast between the background and text.

Offer Multiple Language Options

• Provide a language selection feature to switch between different languages.
• Use markup or attributes to identify the language of the content.
• Avoid the use of machine translation and ensure that translated content is accurate.
• Provide a mechanism to notify screen readers of language changes.

Info and Relationships (Level A)

This standard ensures that structure, information, and relationships communicated through presentation can be programmatically determined or available in text.

• Use Semantic HTML: Structure your web content using appropriate HTML elements such as headings (h1-h6), paragraphs (p), lists (ul, ol), and tables (table) to convey information and relationships accurately.
• Provide Meaningful Page Titles: Each web page should have a descriptive and concise title that accurately reflects its content. A good page title helps users understand the purpose and context of the page.
• Use Descriptive Link Text: Ensure that link text provides meaningful and concise information about the destination or purpose of the link. Avoid generic link text like "click here" or "read more."
• Use Headings and Subheadings: Organize the content of your web pages using hierarchical headings (h1-h6). Headings help users navigate through your content and understand its structure.
• Use labels for form controls: Associate labels with form controls (input, select, textarea) to provide clear instructions and context for users filling out forms. Labels should be descriptive and easily understandable.
• Ensure accessible data tables: Ensure data tables are properly marked up using the table element and associated table headers (th) to define column and row headers. It allows screen readers to interpret and present tabular data accurately.
• Provide clear and descriptive error messages: For instance, in e-commerce accessibility, when users encounter errors while filling out forms or interacting with your website, provide clear and descriptive error messages. These messages should explain the problem and suggest solutions.
• Ensure focus indicators are visible: Focus indicators, such as outlines or high-contrast colors, are visible and distinguishable. It allows users who navigate your website using the keyboard to understand where their focus is.

Orientation (AA)

• Implement landmark regions: Utilize HTML5 landmark regions such as header, nav, main, aside, and footer to divide your web page into meaningful sections. It allows users to jump directly to different sections and easily understand the page's overall structure.
• Implement landmark regions: Utilize HTML5 landmark regions such as header, nav, main, aside, and footer to divide your web page into meaningful sections. It allows users to jump directly to different sections and easily understand the page's overall structure.
• Provide skip links: Include skip links at the beginning of each web page to allow users to bypass repetitive content and jump directly to the main content. It benefits users who use keyboard navigation or screen readers to navigate your website.
• Test with screen readers: Regularly test your website using screen readers to ensure that the content is properly interpreted and presented to users who rely on assistive technologies. Identify and address any issues that may hinder accessibility.
• Provide orientation cues: Include clear and consistent navigation menus, breadcrumbs, and site maps to help users understand where they are within your website. These orientation cues assist users in easily navigating between different sections and pages.

Content on Hover or Focus (AA)

Provide Mechanisms to Control Content on Hover or Focus

• Ensure that the user can dismiss content that appears on hover or focus.
• Provide a clear indication of how to dismiss the content.
• Avoid hovering or focusing as the only way to activate or dismiss content.

Avoid Hover-Only Interactions

• Avoid using hover as the sole way to trigger functionality or reveal content.
• Provide alternative methods to access the same functionality or content for users who cannot use hover interactions.
• Ensure that hover-triggered content remains accessible when the user moves away from the triggering element.

Provide Sufficient Time for Users to Interact

• Ensure that content appearing on hover or focus remains visible for a sufficient time, allowing users to interact.
• Provide options for users to adjust the duration of hover or focus-triggered content if it involves time limits.

Test for Accessibility

• Conduct regular accessibility testing to ensure that content on hover or focus meets WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
• Use automated testing tools, manual testing, and assistive technologies to evaluate the accessibility of the website.
• Involve differently abled users in the testing process to gather feedback and insights.

Read Also: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0)

Final Words

Ensuring accessibility for developers while developing an accessible website is a must. By following these guidelines and involving users with disabilities in the testing process, developers can gather valuable feedback and insights to improve the accessibility of their websites. It helps meet WCAG standards and ensures a more inclusive and user-friendly experience for all visitors.

You can also take advantage of our e-learning accessibility and remediation services. Our expert team of professionals can offer guidance and support in making your web content accessible to all, including those with disabilities. Contact us today to learn how we can help you create an accessible and engaging e-learning experience for all users.