Perceivable
Information is available in forms people can perceive through alternatives, adaptable structure, contrast, and readable presentation.
Web Accessibility
Designing and building websites that people with disabilities can perceive, operate, understand, and use with assistive technologies.
In plain language
Web accessibility removes barriers that prevent people from using a website. It considers different ways of seeing, hearing, moving, reading, understanding, and interacting—including keyboards, screen readers, zoom, voice control, and reduced motion.
Accessibility is a continuing quality practice, not a perfect score or a one-time compliance claim. Automated tools catch useful issues, but meaningful confidence also requires human judgment and testing with different input methods and assistive technologies.
The foundation
What matters in Accessibility
Operable and understandable
People can navigate with different inputs, find focus, avoid harmful motion, and understand controls, errors, and outcomes.
Robust
Semantic markup, accessible names, and standard behaviour work reliably across browsers and assistive technologies.
Applied by The Forge
How we put it into practice
We build accessibility into shared components, content decisions, and review instead of treating it as a repair phase after design and development.
Start with semantic structure
Native HTML, logical headings, landmarks, labels, and meaningful reading order provide a strong foundation.
Support different interactions
Keyboard access, visible focus, adequate targets, zoom, contrast, and reduced motion are designed into shared patterns.
Make content understandable
Clear language, instructions, errors, alternatives, and predictable controls reduce unnecessary cognitive effort.
Combine automated and human testing
Linting and audits catch recurring defects; keyboard, zoom, and assistive-technology review test the actual experience.
A useful boundary
What it is not
- It is not only for blind people or screen-reader users.
- A Lighthouse or automated audit score cannot prove that a website is accessible.
- Accessibility is not optional polish: barriers can prevent people from completing essential tasks.
A concrete example
An appointment form
Every field has a clear label and understandable error, the date picker works with a keyboard, focus moves predictably, status changes are announced, and the form remains usable when text is enlarged.
Further reading
Primary sources
These explanations are grounded in standards, primary research, and current platform guidance. The field will continue to evolve.
Related concept
Core Web Vitals: Core Web Vitals
Google's real-world page-experience metrics for loading speed, interaction responsiveness, and visual stability.