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Accessibility guidelines.mdx

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import { Meta } from '@storybook/blocks';

import { AboutHeader } from '~styleguide/blocks';

export const parameters = { title: "Accessibility guidelines", subtitle: 'In order for content to be accessible, it must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.', status: 'static', };

<AboutHeader {...parameters} />

The 4 principles of accessibility

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is the Internet's main international standards organization. W3C maintains a set of guidelines for web accessibility. The most up-to-date version of W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines is WCAG 2.2.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines contain 4 principles for creating accessible content. Understanding these 4 principles is key to understanding how to write accessible content.

1. Perceivable

Information on-screen must be perceivable to blind, deaf, low-vision, or color-blind learners.

  • Include meaningful and unique alt text for all non-decorative images or icons
  • Don't rely on visuals for words to make sense
  • If text is meant to be read, include it as text and not an image
  • Include captions for video and audio content

2. Operable

Content should be easy for users to navigate and find what they're looking for. Touch and click targets should be easy to hit and content should be accessible with a screen reader.

  • Make hyperlink text long enough that it's easy to hover over and click
  • Use meaningful, unique, and descriptive CTAs
  • Avoid ambiguous link text like "Click here" or "Read more"
  • If more than one label contains the same text, clarify with screen-reader-only text
  • Write so that labels, tooltips, and input fields appear in a logical order
  • Avoid directional language like "above" or "below"
  • Ensure users have enough time to read text

3. Understandable

Content should be easy to understand. Plus, it should appear and operate in predictable ways.

  • Use H1, H2, H3 headings correctly and consistently (Learn more about headings)
  • Check to ensure copy is at a 7th-grade reading level or below
  • Use short, clear sentences and paragraphs
  • Avoid jargon, slang, and idioms
  • Expand acronyms on first use
  • Use list formatting when appropriate

4. Robust

  • Write in a way that's platform-agnostic (i.e. select or choose vs. tap or click)

Bonus: Meaningful

You'll find the word "meaningful" used a lot in guidance for writing for accessibility. So we're taking the opportunity to throw in a quick definition of what we mean when we use it.

Meaningful text is useful text. It provides the full context a user needs to understand a situation.

Meaningful alt text describes what's important about an image a user can't see. Meaningful button text clearly where a link will go. It avoids ambiguous standalone phrases like "click here" or "read more."

Accessible content checklist

Alt text

  • Is alt text included for all non-decorative images on the page?
  • Does your alt text provide all the information a user needs to understand what the image is being used to convey?

Buttons

  • Is CTA text meaningful? Is it clear where clicking will take the user?
  • If there is more than one button on the page, is the text for each button unique?
  • If each button is not unique, have you provided screen-reader-only text to clarify?

Headings

  • Does your page include a single, unique H1 title?
  • Are H2 and H3 headings used correctly and consistently?

Hyperlinks

  • Is link text meaningful? Is it clear where clicking will take the user?
  • Are hyperlinks long enough (2-3 words) to be easy to click on?
  • If there is more than one hyperlink on the page, is the text for each link unique?
  • If each hyperlink is not unique, have you provided screen-reader-only text to clarify?

Imagery

  • Do all non-decorative images or icons containalt text?
  • Does the alt text provide all the information a user needs to understand what the image is being used to
  • Are all words understandable without reliance on imagery?

Readability

  • Do users have enough time to read the text?
  • Is your copy at a reading level of grade 7 or below? Test with Hemingway App.
  • Are sentences and paragraphs short and clear?
  • Is your content free of jargon, slang, and idioms?
  • Have you used list formatting when appropriate?
  • Do users have enough time to read the text?

Screenreader compatibility

  • Does text appear in chronological order?
  • Are headings used correctly and appropriately?
  • Have you avoided directional language (i.e. "the form on the right" or "in the section below")?
  • Is the language platform-agnostic?
  • Have you passed the buttons, headings, hyperlinks, imagery, and readability checklists?

Video and audio content

  • Are captions included for all audio and video content?
  • For video, do the captions match what's happening on-screen?
  • For audio, are transcripts available?