Understanding web accessibility: making the internet inclusive

Web accessibility (often shortened as a11y) is about making websites usable by everyone, including people with visual, auditory, motor or cognitive impairments.

Beyond the ethical dimension, accessibility has very concrete benefits for your brand, your conversions and even your SEO.

Why web accessibility matters

Globally, more than a billion people live with some form of disability.
Ignoring accessibility means excluding a large part of your potential audience.

Accessibility also:

• Reduces legal risk (especially for public institutions and certain companies)
• Improves SEO, since search engines favour clean, well‑structured content
• Enhances the experience for everyone, not only for people with disabilities

During my studies, I met directly with members of the MAHVU association — visually‑impaired people who shared their tools, their daily frustrations and what they actually need from a website. That shaped my view that accessibility is, above all, a matter of inclusion.

Different types of impairments to consider

Visual impairments

People who are blind or have low vision may use:

• Screen readers (VoiceOver, NVDA, JAWS…)
• Magnification tools to zoom into content
• High‑contrast modes

For them, it is crucial to provide:

• Descriptive alt text on images
• A logical heading structure (H1, H2, H3…)
• Sufficient colour contrast between text and background
• A website that can be navigated using the keyboard only

Auditory impairments

Deaf and hard‑of‑hearing users need:

• Captions on videos
• Transcripts for podcasts and other audio content
• Visual alternatives to audio alerts or notifications

Motor impairments

Some users cannot use a mouse and rely on:

• Keyboard navigation
• Switch devices
• Voice commands

Your site should therefore:

• Be fully operable with the keyboard
• Avoid tiny click targets
• Give users enough time to complete actions

Cognitive impairments

For users with ADHD, dyslexia or other cognitive disabilities, clarity is key:

• Use plain, straightforward language
• Avoid long, dense blocks of text
• Provide clear instructions and feedback
• Offer ways to personalise the display when possible

On this site, for example, I offer a dedicated accessibility mode with a dyslexia‑friendly font and improved contrast.

WCAG: the international standard

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define how to make the web more accessible.
They are built around four principles, often summarised as POUR:

• Perceivable: content must be presented so users can perceive it (text alternatives, captions, contrast…)
• Operable: interface elements must be usable by everyone (keyboard navigation, enough time, no seizure‑inducing flashing)
• Understandable: content and interface must be easy to understand (clear language, predictable behaviour, helpful error handling)
• Robust: content must work well with assistive technologies, now and in the future

How I integrate accessibility into my projects

Accessibility should not be an afterthought. In my client work, I include it from the very beginning:

• When I design a new website, I think about keyboard navigation, colour contrast and hierarchy of information from the wireframe stage.
• My personal portfolio includes an accessibility mode with specific adjustments for reading comfort.
• For MAHVU, I built a WordPress theme that is fully compatible with screen readers.

How to test the accessibility of your site

You can already do a lot with free tools:

• Lighthouse (built into Chrome) for automated audits
• WAVE for a visual overview of accessibility issues
• axe DevTools for more advanced analysis
• NVDA (Windows) or VoiceOver (macOS) to experience your site with a real screen reader

Also try this simple exercise: browse your site with the keyboard only using Tab, Enter and Escape. If you get stuck, your users will too.

Accessibility and SEO: a virtuous circle

Many accessibility best practices also improve SEO:

• Structured headings help both users and search engines understand your content
• Alt text improves image indexing
• Clear navigation and internal linking help crawlers explore your site
• Good performance is both an accessibility and ranking factor

In other words, making your site accessible is not only the right thing to do – it is also a smart business move.

If you want an accessible, high‑performance website, feel free to have a look at my background and projects.