Ethical Web Development: Why Inclusive Hearts Choose Buttons over Styled Divs

 

Web accessibility should be considered early and often to ensure a proactive, inclusive approach to development. From the first implementation, semantic HTML should introduce elements with meaning. I remember wondering when first starting out, “Why do I have to worry about one H1 tag per page? Does it really matter if I choose H1 instead of H2 for all my headers? Why button elements when I can just style a div? Do they have to nitpick everything, so I can’t create anything?” As I’ve grown in my development journey, I’ve learned that while supporting developer flexibility and creativity serves a special purpose, an inclusive mindset requires consideration of the user experience with a screen reader from the onset of development to the very end. Accessibility opens the door to a world where everyone receives a chance to openly pursue knowledge. While HTML elements may seem negligible when first starting out, an inclusive heart pushes developers to take their code to a place that improves the lives of those around them. 


When considering styling guidelines, it’s easy to miss the message, but what if you neglect Guideline 2.3 and your website animation gives a user a seizure? What if your company provides healthcare, and you make a mistake that costs a user the ability to find adequate care? Enabling the accessibility tree in dev tools (control shift p) allows developers to view their web designs through the eyes of a screen reader. Lighthouse snapshots in dev tools provides accessibility scores that can be set to catch some accessibility mistakes, and in-browser Web Accessibility Checker extensions can be added to assess ADA standards and WCAG guidelines through the development process. Tabbing through a website or viewing it with the browser’s built-in screen reader can guide developers to integrate accessibility standards and improve navigation. While integrating accessibility proves a complex task, the WCAG quick reference provides a place to start advancing developer skills to include accessibility: https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref/?versions=2.1

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