Apps For All: Coding Accessible Web Applications

Accessibility is not just about addressing specific disabilities, but making sure as many people as possible have access to the same information. There’s rarely a good reason to lock people out when openness is a foundational principle of the web.

Web accessibility is quite a large topic — far too large to fit into a small book. So, what will this book cover? Though we shall encounter visual design challenges, deal with performance issues, and adopt progressive enhancement — all of which are accessibility concerns — the underlying theme of this book is about making the interactivity of web applications include keyboard and screen reader users.

Starting with defining simple button controls and moving on to create reusable, accessible widgets, this book is about making interactions possible and meaningful for those who suffer from cognitive and motor impairments, as well as users who experience a range of vision impairments. However, the lessons learned from addressing the specific requirements of those using assistive technologies or consuming information in unusual ways can be applied to enrich the web for everyone. We all win.

Written by Heydon Pickering and reviewed by Steve Faulkner.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: This Is For Everyone
Chapter 2: It’s All About Buttons
Chapter 3: The WAI Forward
Chapter 4: Getting Around
Chapter 5: Peekaboo
Chapter 6: It’s Alive!
Chapter 7: Welcome To The Community
Credits