Start with accessibility
What is web accessibility?
Web accessibility refers to the inclusive practice of removing barriers that prevent access to websites by people with disabilities.
— Wikipedia
The Web is for everyone, not just those who see, hear and move well. Building your website for inclusion, rather than exclusion, increases access for people of all abilities; as well as for all types of browsers and search engines.
What does a11y mean?
Accessibility is often abbreviated as a11y; “a” is the first character of the word, and “y” the last , with 11 characters in between. (similar to i18n for “internationalization”). So when you tweet about accessibility, use the hashtags #a11y or #wpa11y.
Include everyone
By adopting the accessibility best practices you can ensure your website can be used by a large group of different people. Don’t create for perfect people only. More about this in They’re not my visitors.
Consider your business
The website you build is not for you, or even your client. It’s for the users. Increasing accessibility instantly gains you a larger potential user-base. Read about the business case in Accessibility for your business.
Consider your development process
For developers web accessibility means a way of thinking often called progressive enhancement:
- Let the HTML tell the content.
- Let the CSS present the content.
- Let the JavaScript interact with the content.
This division helps you create websites that are easier to maintain and update, and is considered to be a (c)lean approach to web development. Standards and best practice explains how to code with sematics and accessibility in mind.
In Summary
A11y includes everyone when building websites. Think of it as your ally in optimizing your website’s user-experience, for as many people as possible, while furthering your business or organizational goals.