Accessible websites serve more users and face lower legal risk. Not only are they the right thing to do morally, but they perform better by meeting people where they are and giving them what they need.
![[background image] image of downtown area with transit signage (for a public transportation company)](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6918b54552a805f1b50dfa00/69319cf1940a7bc78072988b_sigmund-4MoIpDcSlr4-unsplash.jpg)
![[background image] image of office setting (for a solar panel installer)](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6918b54552a805f1b50dfa00/69319c4709cb10eaa9e79a0d_hal-gatewood-tZc3vjPCk-Q-unsplash.jpg)
Build for everyone, exclude no one
Around 20% of the population has some form of disability. Inaccessible websites exclude these users entirely, losing both customers and talent.
Legal requirements are tightening across sectors. The risk of litigation is real and growing.
Beyond compliance, accessible websites are better websites. Clear structure helps everyone. Keyboard navigation aids power users. High contrast improves mobile usability. Solving for accessibility improves the experience universally.
Screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, colour contrast, focus management, semantic HTML structure, and alternative text for images. I test with assistive technologies and evaluate compliance against WCAG standards to identify barriers preventing access.
This isn't about ticking compliance boxes. It's about ensuring your website actually works for the full range of human ability and technology.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines - the international standard for web accessibility. Three conformance levels exist: A (basic), AA (standard target for most organisations), and AAA (highest level, often impractical for general websites).
Most legal requirements and best practice targets WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance. I audit against this standard and identify where you fall short.
Detailed accessibility audit identifying issues by WCAG conformance level and severity. Prioritised remediation plan with technical guidance for your development team. Support implementing fixes and verification testing to ensure problems are properly resolved.
Describe what's in images for screen reader users. Not "image123.jpg" or "photo", but what the image communicates. Decorative images get empty alt attributes so they're skipped entirely.
Every interactive element must be reachable and usable with just a keyboard. Tab order should follow logical reading flow. Focus indicators must be visible so users know where they are. No keyboard traps.
Text needs sufficient contrast against backgrounds - at least 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text. Don't rely on colour alone to convey meaning. Users with low vision, colour blindness, or bright sunlight all benefit.
Single-page applications, live regions, and interactive widgets require ARIA labels and live region announcements so screen readers understand what's changed. Get it wrong and users miss critical updates or hear confusing nonsense as content shifts
Tables with merged cells, multiple header rows, or nested information need proper scope attributes and associations. Screen reader users navigate cell by cell - they need to understand what each cell means in context.
Captions for deaf users. Transcripts for deaf-blind users. Audio description for blind users.
Captions need accurate synchronisation, speaker identification, and relevant sound descriptions. It's time-consuming and often expensive to do properly