What is Web Accessibility (A11y)?

Web Accessibility (abbreviated as A11y) ensures that web applications are usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. This includes users with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments. Frontend Accelerator emphasizes accessibility best practices throughout the boilerplate.

Accessibility implementation:

• Semantic HTML: Use proper heading hierarchy, nav, main, article elements
• ARIA attributes: aria-label, aria-describedby, aria-live for dynamic content
• Keyboard navigation: Ensure all interactive elements are keyboard accessible
• Color contrast: Meet WCAG AA standards (4.5:1 for normal text)
• Focus management: Visible focus indicators and proper tab order

Example accessible component:

<button
  aria-label="Close dialog"
  onClick={handleClose}
  className="focus:ring-2 focus:ring-blue-500"
>
  <XIcon aria-hidden="true" />
</button>

<nav aria-label="Main navigation">
  <ul role="list">
    <li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

Key principles:

• Perceivable: Information presented in ways all users can perceive
• Operable: All functionality available via keyboard and other input methods
• Understandable: Content and operation are clear and predictable
• Robust: Works with current and future assistive technologies

AI-friendly: Accessibility follows well-documented standards like WCAG. AI tools can analyze components for accessibility issues, suggest proper ARIA attributes, recommend semantic HTML improvements, and generate accessible component patterns. The rules-based nature makes it ideal for AI-assisted development.