What level of WCAG compliance should I target?

WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the standard target and legal requirement in most jurisdictions. Level AAA is aspirational for most applications.

Is accessibility legally required?

In many jurisdictions, yes. The ADA in the US, EN 301 549 in the EU, and similar laws globally require digital accessibility for public-facing services.

What automated tools should I use?

Use axe-core in CI/CD for automated checks, WAVE for manual analysis, and Lighthouse for overall accessibility scoring. Combine with manual testing.

Accessibility Audit Checklist

Ensure your application meets WCAG 2.1 AA standards with structured testing for keyboard navigation, screen readers, and visual design.

Checklist: Accessibility Audit (engineering)

Web accessibility ensures people with disabilities can use your application effectively. Beyond ethical responsibility, accessibility is legally required in many jurisdictions and improves usability for all users. This checklist covers the key WCAG 2.1 AA criteria.

Checklist Items

Test keyboard navigation on all interactive elements [critical]: Verify every button, link, form field, and modal can be reached and operated using only a keyboard.
Verify color contrast ratios [critical]: Ensure text meets 4.5:1 contrast ratio for normal text and 3:1 for large text against backgrounds.
Add alt text to all meaningful images [critical]: Every informative image needs descriptive alt text. Decorative images should have empty alt attributes.
Test with screen readers [important]: Navigate the entire application using VoiceOver, NVDA, or JAWS to verify content is announced correctly.
Implement ARIA labels for custom components [important]: Add appropriate ARIA roles, labels, and states to custom UI components that lack native semantics.
Verify form labels and error messages [important]: Every form input needs a visible label and programmatic association. Errors must be announced to screen readers.
Ensure focus indicators are visible [important]: Custom focus styles must be clearly visible. Never remove focus outlines without adding a visible alternative.
Test with zoom up to 200% [recommended]: Verify layout remains usable when browser zoom is set to 200% with no horizontal scrolling required.
Check skip navigation links [recommended]: Provide a skip-to-main-content link as the first focusable element so keyboard users bypass repetitive navigation.
Verify video captions and audio descriptions [recommended]: All video content needs synchronized captions. Audio-only content needs transcripts.

Common Mistakes

Relying only on automated testing: Automated tools catch about 30% of issues. Manual testing with keyboard and screen readers is essential.
Using color alone to convey information: Supplement color with icons, patterns, or text labels so color-blind users can distinguish states.
Hiding focus indicators for aesthetics: Use :focus-visible to show focus only on keyboard navigation, preserving both aesthetics and accessibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

What level of WCAG compliance should I target?: WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the standard target and legal requirement in most jurisdictions. Level AAA is aspirational for most applications.
Is accessibility legally required?: In many jurisdictions, yes. The ADA in the US, EN 301 549 in the EU, and similar laws globally require digital accessibility for public-facing services.
What automated tools should I use?: Use axe-core in CI/CD for automated checks, WAVE for manual analysis, and Lighthouse for overall accessibility scoring. Combine with manual testing.