Overview
Web accessibility (often shortened to a11y) ensures that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the web. It covers a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological.
Key Principles (POUR)
- Perceivable: Information and UI components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
- Operable: UI components and navigation must be operable.
- Understandable: Information and the operation of the UI must be understandable.
- Robust: Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.
Importance
Accessibility is a fundamental human right and is often a legal requirement. It also improves the experience for all users, including those on mobile devices or with slow connections.