Why Accessibility Should Be at the Heart of Every Web Design Decision

Last week, I watched a colleague struggle to use a website whilst recovering from a wrist injury. Simple tasks like clicking buttons and navigating menus became frustratingly difficult. It was a stark reminder that accessibility isn't just about permanent disabilities—it's about designing for the full spectrum of human experience.

Too often, accessibility is treated as a box-ticking exercise, something to be retrofitted after the "real" design work is done. But this approach fundamentally misunderstands what accessibility is about. It's not about accommodation—it's about inclusion. And when we get it right, we don't just help people with disabilities; we create better experiences for everyone.

The Reality of Disability on the Web

According to the World Health Organisation, over 1 billion people worldwide live with some form of disability. That's roughly 15% of the global population. But when we talk about web accessibility, we're not just talking about permanent disabilities. We're talking about anyone who might be experiencing temporary or situational limitations.

Consider the mother trying to navigate a website whilst holding her baby. The commuter attempting to read content on a bright, sunny day. The person with a broken arm trying to use a mouse. The elderly user who finds small text difficult to read. These are all accessibility scenarios, and they represent a much larger portion of your user base than you might think.

Beyond the Statistics

But let's move beyond statistics for a moment. I've had the privilege of conducting user testing sessions with people who use various assistive technologies. Watching someone navigate the web using only a screen reader, or observing how someone with motor difficulties interacts with interface elements, is profoundly educational. It forces you to think about your designs in completely new ways.

One participant, Sarah, who uses a screen reader due to vision loss, described how poorly structured websites feel like "walking through a house where someone has randomly moved all the furniture." The metaphor stuck with me because it perfectly captures why semantic HTML and logical structure matter so much.

The Four Principles of Web Accessibility

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are built around four fundamental principles, often abbreviated as POUR. Understanding these principles is crucial for anyone involved in web design or development.

Perceivable

Information must be presentable in ways that users can perceive. This means providing text alternatives for images, captions for videos, and ensuring sufficient colour contrast. But it goes deeper than that. It's about recognising that people perceive information differently and designing accordingly.

I once worked on a project where the client insisted on using a particular shade of green for success messages. The colour looked great in isolation, but when placed against the website's background, it failed contrast requirements. Instead of simply adjusting the shade, we redesigned the entire messaging system to include icons and improved typography. The result was clearer for everyone, not just users with visual impairments.

Operable

User interface components must be operable by all users. This principle covers keyboard navigation, timing adjustments, and avoiding content that could trigger seizures. It's about ensuring that everyone can interact with your interface, regardless of how they input commands.

Keyboard navigation is often an afterthought, but it's used by far more people than you might expect. Power users often prefer keyboard shortcuts for efficiency. People with motor difficulties might rely entirely on keyboard navigation. Testing your site using only a keyboard should be standard practice for every developer.

Understandable

Information and UI operation must be understandable. This encompasses clear language, predictable functionality, and input assistance. It's about cognitive accessibility, which is often overlooked in discussions about web accessibility.

Clear, concise language benefits everyone, but it's essential for people with cognitive disabilities, dyslexia, or those for whom English is a second language. I've seen complex forms become dramatically more usable simply by improving the clarity of instructions and error messages.

Robust

Content must be robust enough to be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. This is fundamentally about writing semantic, valid HTML and ensuring compatibility with current and future assistive technologies.

Practical Implementation Strategies

Understanding the principles is one thing; implementing them consistently is another. Here's how I approach accessibility in real-world projects:

Start with Structure

Before considering visual design, establish a solid information architecture. Use proper heading hierarchies. Ensure that the page structure makes sense when navigated linearly. Create wireframes that work without colour, images, or complex layouts.

I always recommend the "text-only test." Strip away all CSS and see if your page still makes sense. If the content flows logically and the interactive elements are clearly identifiable, you've got a solid foundation.

Design with Constraints

Constraints often lead to better design. When you design with accessibility requirements in mind from the start, you're forced to be more thoughtful about every decision. Colour can't be the only way to convey information. Interactive elements need to be clearly identifiable. Text needs to be readable.

These constraints don't limit creativity—they focus it. Some of the most elegant designs I've seen have emerged from working within accessibility guidelines.

Test Early and Often

Accessibility testing shouldn't be left until the end of the development process. Use automated tools like axe or Lighthouse to catch obvious issues early. But remember that automated tools only catch about 30% of accessibility issues. Manual testing is essential.

Include people with disabilities in your user testing process whenever possible. Their insights are invaluable and often reveal issues that technical audits miss. If that's not possible, at least test with screen readers, keyboard navigation, and various browser zoom levels.

The Business Case for Accessibility

Whilst the moral imperative for accessibility should be compelling enough, there's also a strong business case. The purchasing power of people with disabilities is estimated at over $13 trillion annually. Legal requirements are becoming more stringent, with accessibility-related lawsuits increasing dramatically in recent years.

But beyond avoiding legal issues and accessing new markets, accessible design simply results in better products. When you design for the extremes, you improve the experience for everyone in between. Captions help people watching videos in noisy environments. High contrast benefits users with ageing eyesight. Clear navigation helps everyone find what they're looking for more quickly.

Building an Accessible Culture

Creating truly accessible products requires more than following guidelines—it requires building a culture where accessibility is valued and understood. This means educating stakeholders about why accessibility matters, training team members on accessibility best practices, and establishing processes that ensure accessibility considerations are part of every project from the start.

I've found that the most successful accessibility initiatives happen when the entire team understands their role. Designers need to consider accessibility in their mockups. Developers need to implement semantic HTML and ARIA labels correctly. Content creators need to write alt text and use clear language. Project managers need to allocate time for accessibility testing.

Looking Forward

The future of web accessibility looks promising. New technologies are emerging that make accessible design easier. AI can help generate alt text and captions. CSS has new features that improve responsive design and reduce the need for complex ARIA implementations. Browser support for accessibility features continues to improve.

But technology alone won't solve accessibility challenges. It requires a fundamental shift in how we think about design and development. It requires recognising that accessibility isn't a feature you add—it's a quality that permeates every aspect of good design.

When we truly embrace accessibility, we don't just make the web more usable for people with disabilities. We make it better for everyone. And that's a goal worth working towards.