Accessibility pre-launch checklist
The accessibility pass every launch needs: keyboard-only navigation, focus visibility, contrast AA, form labels, alt policy, heading order, touch targets, buyer-level WCAG.
15 checks · copy it, print it, argue with it.
Accessibility failures are legal exposure that lands on site owners, and the fixes cost an afternoon before launch versus a rebuild after a complaint. This is the buyer-level pass, not a full WCAG conformance audit (that is a specialist engagement), but the checks that catch the 80%.
Keyboard
- Every interactive element reachable by Tab alone, in a sensible order
- Focus visible on every element (never removed without replacement)
- Menus, accordions and modals operable and closable by keyboard; focus trapped in modals
- No keyboard traps inside embeds or widgets
Contrast and text
- Body text contrast ≥ 4.5:1, large text ≥ 3:1, on every background including images
- Text not justified, line lengths readable, no tiny font floors
- Information never conveyed by color alone
Structure and semantics
- One h1 per page; heading levels do not skip
- Form fields have real labels; errors announced and described
- Meaningful images have alt text; decorative ones have empty alt
- Page lang set; document title unique per page
Interaction
- Touch targets ≥ 44px with spacing
- No content flashing rapidly; no motion without a reduced-motion path
- Autoplaying media absent or controllable
- Tested with a screen reader on one critical flow (checkout or contact)The 20-minute check that finds the most
Run this before every launch and the site stays out of the complaint pile. Full WCAG conformance audits and remediation are a specialist engagement, the accessibility page covers the service; the brief books the pass.
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