Accessibility

You might say

I heard some people browse without a mouse, using a screen reader—check whether they can use this page properly.

Accessibility means more people can use your page in more situations—not only with a mouse, not only with perfect vision, and even read aloud by a screen reader.You test with a mouse and good eyes, but visitors may use a keyboard, a screen reader, or squint at a phone in sunlight. Accessibility extends "works for me" to those situations: text alternatives on images, buttons reachable by Tab, sufficient text contrast. When an AI reply mentions a11y, it is the shorthand for this word (a plus 11 letters plus y).

Know first

Contrast Focus

a11y

One person, three situations

Three high-frequency checks

Images have text alternatives: Every informative image carries alt text that steps in when the image fails or a reader reads aloud. Purely decorative icons can go without it—just do not skip images with content.

Keyboard can reach: Unplug the mouse and Tab through: every button reachable, focus visible (the focus ring), order sensible. Menus and dialogs take focus in and return it on close.

Contrast suffices: Body versus background at least 4.5:1. This one also helps everyone squinting at a phone in the sun—good accessibility benefits ordinary users too.

Quick checkChoose the best answer

The AI delivered the page and you want to verify the accessibility floor. Which combination covers the most common problems?

Images have text alternatives, buttons reachable by Tab, text contrast sufficientContrast is checked, so the page should be fineJust click through it in Chrome on your own computer

You can say this to an AI Agent

Run an accessibility self-check before delivery: every image has alt text, all buttons and links are reachable by Tab in order, and body contrast is at least 4.5:1. Fix what fails and list the fixes.

Learn next

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