Building Accessible Buttons

For developers creating websites in today’s online landscape, it is essential to address web accessibility. Web accessibility refers to online tools, resources, and technologies being accessible to all users, including users with disabilities or impairments. One of the primary components of webpages with an accessible environment is accessible buttons. This is because buttons play a pivotal role in a website’s overall usability and accessibility. Dynamic components are continually becoming more common for websites, so it is necessary to ensure these elements are accessible.

Focusing on the design, functionality, perception, and accessibility of your website’s buttons is guaranteed to boost user satisfaction and interaction. Not only will boosting the accessibility of your buttons improve user satisfaction but it is also required by law. Failure to provide sufficiently accessible buttons and other user interface components could result in a violation of ADA or WCAG guidelines.    

Why Do Buttons Need To Be ADA Accessible

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was created to ensure Americans living with disabilities have equal opportunities. This includes services provided by businesses open to the public and their websites. Web accessibility has become an area of focus for the Department of Justice when monitoring the Americans with Disabilities Act because services are continually moving online. 

Web content must be accessible to people with disabilities in order to be ADA-compliant, and this includes features such as buttons. If a business’ website is determined to be noncompliant with ADA guidelines, it could face lawsuits and fines of up to $110,000. This is why it is essential for developers to create and provide accessible buttons for their users. Doing so not only improves the quality of the website, but failure to do so can lead to catastrophic legal and financial consequences. 

As more functions of everyday life continue to move online, developers must make an effort to create inclusive accommodations. Many businesses are failing to create accessible content, and facing legal ramifications because of it. In order to give yourself a competitive edge and protect yourself from legal and financial consequences, it is essential to become familiar with button accessibility guidelines. 

<button style="background-color: red; color: white; font-weight: bold;" onclick="alert('Button clicked!')">
  Click me!
</button>

What Is ARIA

ARIA stands for Accessible Rich Internet Applications and was created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). ARIA is a set of technical guidelines that describe how to increase the accessibility of web pages. The World Wide Web Consortium has published extensive guidelines for improving web accessibility. However, ARIA is explicitly focused on user interface components and dynamic elements of web pages. 

ARIA is a set of guidelines for web developers that can assist them in effectively using technologies such as JavaScript to improve user accessibility. Developers must understand ARIA roles in order to better create accessible online environments. ARIA roles provide meaning to content and support interaction for users. ARIA roles are extensive and comprehensive, so learning and understanding them can significantly enhance the user experience developers provide. 

<button role="button" aria-label="Submit" aria-disabled="false" aria-pressed="false"> Click me! </button>

/* This button has the aria-label attribute set to "Submit" to indicate the button's purpose, the aria-disabled attribute set to "false" to indicate that the button is not disabled, and the aria-pressed attribute set to "false" to indicate that the button is not currently pressed.
Note that the use of ARIA attributes is optional, but they can provide valuable information to assistive technologies and improve the accessibility of your web content. It is recommended to use the Accessibly library, which automatically adds the appropriate ARIA attributes to components such as the <Button> component.*/

Building Accessible Buttons

Building accessible buttons are an essential part of developing websites with quality web accessibility. Navigating the web can be unpredictable, especially for users living with disabilities or impairments. This is why inclusive accommodations, such as accessible buttons, are becoming increasingly important to present to users. For developers, it may seem like a challenging task to create buttons that are sufficiently accessible. However, with ARIA guidelines, developers have a multitude of ways they can provide robust and accessible dynamic content on their websites.