Building accessible projects

- Have you ever used the peeler with handles that were hard to use? Like this one right here. In 1990, OXO decided to redesign products so that they were easier for people with limited mobility use. They look more like this. Now these designs became best sellers because making something easier to use for these users had the side effect of making it easier to use for every user. One of the key skills web designers have to learn is to make things accessible not just because it's the right thing to do but also because it can effect the bottom line. Now people with disabilities use assisted technologies that help them navigate with their devices, and although these technologies can do a fair job by themselves, developers can effect how well these technologies actually work. In either a positive or negative way. In addition to the DOM the devices also create an accessibility trait Which provides additional information to these assistive tools. Including the state of the current application as well as the roles of different elements on your page. Now you can help these technologies first by learning to write HTML properly, and then by using ARIA or Accessible Rich Internet Application tags to further describe the roles of your elements. The Americans with Disabilities Act require that states and local governments provide equal access to all those who visit their sites. And failing to understand how best to serve everyone can have not just monetary but legal consequences in some instances. Making it easier to navigate a website through your keyboard makes it easier for everyone to navigate your site quicker. Giving focus on the right elements on the page for example, can help someone quickly navigate to search with their keyboard. And making sure fonts are easier to read by using a reasonable size plus having enough contrast and color makes it easier for people with less then perfect vision to get the right amount information. Have you ever been on a site where it's just hard to fill out a form because of the placement of form elements or the size of the links? Now people skip forms that aren't easy to work with and that can hurt your bottom line. Another thing to consider is how well your site works when using a mobile device, a phone verses a tablet, and a different orientations. There's lots of tools that you can use to improve accessibility on your sites. And one of my favorites its googles light house tool. Now this helps you identify potential accessibility as well as performance and gives you tips for best practices. Great companies and people who hire developers appreciate people that put time into creating accessible projects. Could make a difference between you and someone else getting the job you want.