freecodecamp-universe Web Accessibility During Development
Use this skill when building or reviewing UI. Universal rules are inline below.
Feature-specific patterns live in references/ files — read the matching file
when you encounter that feature.
For Every Component
These apply to everything you build, no exceptions.
Semantic HTML first (SC 1.3.1, 4.1.2)
Use the native element that matches the behavior. <button> for actions, <a href> for navigation, <input> for data entry, <select> for selection,
<dialog> for overlays. Never attach a click handler to a <div> or <span>
and call it interactive. If no native element fits, add role,
tabindex="0", and keyboard handlers (Enter, Space, arrow keys as appropriate).
Keyboard operability (SC 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.4.3)
Every interactive element must be reachable via Tab and operable via keyboard. Standard mappings: Enter/Space to activate buttons and links, arrow keys for composite widgets (radio groups, tab panels, menus, listboxes), Escape to close overlays. No keyboard traps outside intentional modals.
Tab order must follow visual/reading order. Never use tabindex values greater
than 0; only use tabindex="0" (add to tab order) or tabindex="-1"
(programmatically focusable, not in natural tab order).
Focus visibility (SC 2.4.7, 2.4.11, 1.4.11)
Every interactive element needs a visible :focus-visible indicator. Never
write outline: none without providing a replacement. The focus indicator
itself must meet 3:1 non-text contrast against adjacent colors (SC 1.4.11).
Color contrast (SC 1.4.1, 1.4.3, 1.4.11)
Text contrast must be ≥ 4.5:1 for normal text, ≥ 3:1 for large text (≥ 18pt / ≥ 14pt bold). Non-text UI elements (borders, icons, focus rings, form field boundaries) must meet 3:1.
Do not round the ratio. A computed ratio of 4.4999 fails the 4.5:1 threshold. Use the calculation and checking guidance in contrast-check.md to verify.
Color must never be the sole means of conveying information. Pair it with text, an icon, or a pattern.
Text alternatives (SC 1.1.1)
- Informative images: descriptive
altthat conveys meaning in context. - Decorative images:
alt="". - Icon-only controls:
aria-labelon the control,aria-hidden="true"on the icon/SVG. - Complex images (charts, diagrams): longer description via
aria-describedbyor adjacent text.
Accessible names (SC 4.1.2, 2.5.3)
Every interactive element must have a discoverable accessible name. For controls with visible text, the accessible name must contain that visible text (SC 2.5.3 Label in Name).
Visually hidden content (sr-only)
sr-only hides an element visually while keeping it in the accessibility tree.
Use your project's existing utility if one exists. If not:
.sr-only {
position: absolute;
width: 1px;
height: 1px;
padding: 0;
margin: -1px;
overflow: hidden;
clip-path: inset(50%);
white-space: nowrap;
border: 0;
}
Do not use display: none, visibility: hidden, or width: 0; height: 0 —
all three remove the element from the accessibility tree or document flow.
Apply sr-only when:
- A native input is replaced visually by a custom element (native input gets
sr-only; custom element getsaria-hidden="true"). - A prose description of a non-obvious interaction precedes the inputs.
- A visual representation (e.g., color-coded diff) needs a prose equivalent for screen reader users.
Page-Level Structure
Landmarks and headings (SC 1.3.1, 2.4.6)
- One
<main>per page. - Use
<nav>,<header>,<footer>for their landmark roles. When a landmark type repeats (e.g., two<nav>elements), give each a uniquearia-label. - One
<h1>per page. Headings form a logical outline with no skipped levels.
Page title (SC 2.4.2)
Every page (or route in an SPA) has a descriptive <title>. In SPAs, the title
updates on navigation. Different routes with different purposes use different
titles.
Language (SC 3.1.1, 3.1.2)
<html> declares its language with lang. Inline text in another language
carries its own lang attribute.
Skip link (SC 2.4.1)
A "Skip to main content" link is the first focusable element on the page. It
becomes visible on focus and moves focus to the <main> landmark.
Live Regions and Dynamic Content (SC 4.1.3)
Content that changes without a focus move must be announced to screen readers via
an aria-live region.
This includes: validation results, success/error messages, loading states, save confirmations, filter result counts, score updates, toasts, async operation results.
The live region container must exist in the DOM before content is injected. Creating the container and populating it in the same operation does not get announced. Render an empty container, then inject content into it.
Two semantic roles cover most cases:
<!-- Non-urgent: status updates, save confirmations, filter counts, loading state -->
<!-- role="status" implies aria-live="polite" and aria-atomic="true" -->
<div role="status"></div>
<!-- Urgent: errors that block the user, session timeouts -->
<!-- role="alert" implies aria-live="assertive" and aria-atomic="true" -->
<div role="alert"></div>
Do not add explicit aria-live or aria-atomic to a role="status" or
role="alert" element — the role already sets them.
When you do need a bare aria-live region (e.g., a custom log widget):
aria-live="polite"— waits for the user to finish their current interaction.aria-live="assertive"— interrupts immediately. Reserve for genuinely urgent errors; overuse trains users to ignore announcements.aria-atomic="true"— re-reads the entire region on any change. Use for self-contained messages (a toast, a status line) where partial re-reads make no sense.aria-atomic="false"(the default) — announces only the changed node. Use for appending content (a chat log, an error list) where only new entries should be read.
Loading, empty, and error states need text, not just a spinner or blank screen.
Use role="status" for loading indicators.
Animation and Motion (SC 2.2.2, 2.3.1, 2.3.3)
Respect prefers-reduced-motion. The preferred pattern is motion-opt-in:
/* No motion by default */
.element {
opacity: 1;
}
/* Motion only when the user hasn't opted out */
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: no-preference) {
.element {
transition: opacity 200ms ease-in-out;
}
}
Nothing flashes more than three times per second. Any auto-playing or looping animation longer than 5 seconds can be paused or stopped.
Disabled Controls (SC 4.1.2, 1.4.3)
Prefer keeping controls enabled, validating on activation, and showing recoverable error messages.
If a control must appear unavailable, use aria-disabled="true" — not the HTML
disabled attribute.
When using aria-disabled:
- Block the action in JS for both pointer and keyboard events.
- Style the unavailable state via
[aria-disabled="true"]in CSS. - The element must still meet contrast requirements.
Target Size and Touch (SC 2.5.1, 2.5.8)
Interactive targets must be at least 24×24 CSS pixels (SC 2.5.8, AA). If a target is smaller, it passes only when a 24px-diameter circle centered on it does not overlap the circle of any adjacent target.
Aim for 44×44 CSS px for comfortable touch use, especially on controls that are primary interaction points.
Any path-based or multi-point gesture (swipe, drag, pinch) must also work with a single pointer (tap/click). A keyboard-only alternative is not sufficient for this criterion; mouse/touch users need a mouse/touch-based non-drag option.
Responsive and Reflow (SC 1.4.4, 1.4.10, 1.4.12)
Content must reflow without horizontal scrolling at 320 CSS px viewport width (SC 1.4.10). Text must be resizable to 200% without clipping or overlap (SC 1.4.4). Avoid fixed-height containers that clip text when the user overrides text spacing (SC 1.4.12).
Keyboard Shortcuts (SC 2.1.4)
If the app binds a single printable character as a shortcut (a letter, number,
or punctuation without Ctrl/Alt/Cmd), it must be disableable, remappable to
include a modifier, or active only while the relevant component has focus. At
minimum, suppress single-character shortcuts when focus is in an <input>,
<textarea>, or contenteditable.
Feature-Specific Patterns
The sections above are universal. When you encounter a specific feature, read
the matching reference file in this skill's references/ directory:
| Feature type | Read |
|---|---|
| Form, input, validation, fieldset | forms.md |
| Dialog, modal, drawer, sidebar | overlays.md |
| Dropdown menu, disclosure, menu button | menus.md |
| Audio, video, media controls | media.md |
| Tabs, tree view, data grid, combobox, drag-and-drop, accordion, carousel, toolbar, listbox | complex-patterns.md |
If the component does not match any reference above, check the WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices Guide pattern index. If no documented pattern exists, state what you would do and ask the user to confirm before implementing.