Website Accessibility Checklist
Perceivable
- Text Alternatives: Every image, icon, and form element has a meaningful alt text.
- Subtitles and Transcripts: Videos have subtitles, and audio content includes transcripts.
- Clear Structure: Content is well-organized with properly labeled headings (h1–h6).
- Good Color Contrast: Text stands out clearly against the background (at least 4.5:1 contrast, or 3:1 for large text).
- Resizable Text: Content stays readable and functional even when zoomed in to 200%.
- More Than Just Color: Important information isn’t only shown through color (e.g., errors are also marked with symbols or text).
Operable
- Keyboard Friendly: Everything works without a mouse.
- Clear Focus Navigation: The focus is always visible and moves in a logical order.
- No Strict Time Limits: Users can extend or disable session timeouts.
- No Flashing Content: No blinking or flickering elements that could trigger seizures (no more than 3 flashes per second).
- Consistent Navigation: Menus and navigation elements appear in the same order across all pages.
- Skip Links: Users can jump straight to the main content.
Understandable
- Plain and Simple Language: Text is clear and avoids complicated terms.
- Explanations for Technical Terms: Abbreviations and difficult words are explained when needed.
- Predictable Behavior: No unexpected actions when users type or move around (e.g., no forms submitting automatically).
- Easy-to-Use Forms: Labels and instructions are clear, and error messages explain exactly what’s wrong.
- Readable Fonts: No fancy, hard-to-read fonts that make text difficult to understand.
Robust
- Works with Screen Readers: The site’s HTML structure supports assistive technologies.
- Valid Code & ARIA Attributes: No broken ARIA roles or missing labels.
- Flexible Layout: Content adjusts to different screen sizes and input methods.
- Helpful Error Handling: Forms allow mistakes and provide clear instructions for fixing them.
Extra Best Practices
- Accessible Files: PDFs, documents, and interactive content are easy to read and navigate.
- Responsive Design: The site works well on different devices and screen sizes.
- Correct Language Setting: The site’s main language is properly defined in the HTML code.
- Accessible Captchas: If captchas are used, there’s an alternative (like an audio captcha).
This checklist helps ensure a website is usable for people with disabilities while also improving the experience for everyone.
What Are Conformance Levels?
Conformance levels show how accessible a website or application is. They define the requirements that must be met so that people with disabilities can use content without any issues.
There are three levels. Level A ensures basic accessibility. It meets the minimum requirements to make the most important content accessible. Level AA builds on that and improves accessibility by removing common barriers. This allows more people to use the content without restrictions. Level AAA is the highest level and provides maximum accessibility. It meets the strictest standards to ensure the best possible experience for everyone.
The higher the level, the better the accessibility. However, full AAA compliance is often not realistic—it is more of a goal for highly accessible content.
Level A: Basic Accessibility
- Text Alternatives: Images, icons, and interactive elements have alt text for screen readers.
- Subtitles: Videos include captions for spoken content and important sounds.
- Keyboard Accessibility: Everything can be used without a mouse, so people with motor impairments can navigate easily.
Level AA: Improved Accessibility
- Live Subtitles: Real-time captions for live audio content help deaf and hard-of-hearing users.
- Higher Contrast: A minimum contrast ratio of 7:1 for text ensures better readability, even for users with visual impairments.
- Better Navigation: Users can find content more easily using search features, breadcrumbs, or alternative navigation paths.
Level AAA: Maximum Accessibility
- Sign Language Videos: All audio content is also available in sign language, making it fully inclusive.
- Best Readability: Text uses the highest contrast levels for maximum clarity, even for users with severe vision issues.
- Simplified Language: Complex information is rewritten in an easy-to-understand way or supplemented with explanations.
Higher levels mean better accessibility, but Level AAA is difficult to achieve and usually reserved for highly inclusive content.
