Accessibility Audits (STQC, Axe, and Beyond)

🧠 “Performance is how fast your site feels; accessibility is how many people can use it.”

👨‍🔬 Why Accessibility (A11y) Audits Matter

Accessibility isn't just about screen readers and color contrast—it’s a legal and ethical obligation. Government and enterprise projects often undergo formal audits (like STQC or Sugamya Bharat) that test your UI across:

WCAG 2.1 guidelines
Screen readers (JAWS, NVDA)
Keyboard navigation
Semantic markup
Color contrast ratios
Assistive tech compatibility

As a frontend developer, it becomes your job to fix every issue flagged in those reports — often with minimal documentation and strict deadlines.

🛠️ How to Run a Developer-Focused Audit

Here's how I usually start accessibility debugging:

✅ Tools I Use:

Axe DevTools (Browser Extension)
Great for basic checks like ARIA roles, color contrast, and semantic structure.
WAVE Tool
Simple to validate alt text, labels, and heading structures.
Lighthouse Accessibility Audit
Gives a quick score and pinpoints violations like missing labels.
Manual Testing
- Tab through the site for keyboard navigation
- Use screen readers to navigate forms, modals, buttons
- Verify focus states visually

🧩 Common Accessibility Issues & Fixes

Here’s a breakdown of some frequent errors from audits I’ve fixed on real-world React/Next.js projects:

1. Missing Form Labels

Issue: Input fields without <label> or aria-label

Fix:

<label htmlFor="email">Email</label>
<input id="email" name="email" type="email" />

2. Improper Heading Structure

Issue: Skipping heading levels or using <div>s instead of semantic tags.

Fix:

<h1>Main Title</h1>
<h2>Section</h2>
<h3>Subsection</h3>

3. Non-Accessible Modals

Issue: Modals that trap focus or aren’t announced by screen readers.

Fix: Use a library like @reach/dialog or ensure the following:

aria-modal="true"
Focus is trapped inside modal
Escape key closes it
role="dialog" or alertdialog

4. Buttons Without Accessible Text

Issue: Icon buttons without text or aria-label

Fix:

<button aria-label="Close">
  <CloseIcon />
</button>

5. No Keyboard Navigation

Issue: Interactive elements not reachable by Tab

Fix:

Use native elements (<button>, <a>)
For custom components, ensure tabIndex="0" and handle onKeyDown

📈 My Checklist Before Any Accessibility Audit Submission

✅ Use semantic HTML (<main>, <nav>, <header>, <footer>)
✅ All form fields have associated labels
✅ Headings follow a logical structure
✅ Color contrast passes WCAG AA
✅ Keyboard navigation is smooth
✅ Screen readers announce dynamic content
✅ Error messages are accessible
✅ aria-live used for real-time status updates
✅ Modals trap focus
✅ Custom dropdowns & tabs are navigable via keyboard