1. Introduction

The goal of this tutorial is to guide you through the process of creating accessible web pages. By the end of the tutorial, you will be able to use various techniques to make your website user-friendly for people of all abilities and disabilities. This involves using semantic HTML, accessible forms, keyboard-friendly navigation, and much more.

To get the most out of this tutorial, you should have a basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

2. Step-by-Step Guide

What is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them.

Using Semantic HTML

Semantic HTML elements are those which clearly describe their meaning in a human- and machine-readable way. Elements such as <header>, <footer>, <article>, and <section> are all considered semantic because they accurately describe the purpose of the element and the type of content that is inside them.

Example:

<article>
    <h2>Article Heading</h2>
    <p>This is some text.</p>
</article>

Accessible Forms

When creating forms, make sure every input has a label associated with it. This can be achieved with the use of <label> tag.

Example:

<label for="name">Name:</label>
<input type="text" id="name" name="name">

Keyboard-Friendly Navigation

Make sure every interactive element on your page can be accessed using only the keyboard. This can be tested by tabbing through your site.

3. Code Examples

Example 1: Using alt attributes for images:

<img src="image.jpg" alt="Description of image">

The alt attribute provides a text alternative for the image, which can be read by screen readers.

Example 2: Using ARIA roles:

<nav aria-label="Main navigation">
    <ul>
        <li><a href="#">Home</a></li>
        <li><a href="#">About</a></li>
    </ul>
</nav>

ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles provide more context to assistive technologies about the role of an element. In this case, the aria-label attribute is used to describe the purpose of the navigation element.

4. Summary

In this tutorial, we learned about web accessibility and its importance. We covered semantic HTML, accessible forms, and keyboard-friendly navigation. The next step would be to learn about other aspects of accessibility such as color contrast and font size. You can find more resources on the Web Accessibility Initiative website.

5. Practice Exercises

1. Create a form with at least three different types of inputs. Make sure each input field has an associated label.
2. Create a navigation bar that can be navigated using only the keyboard.
3. Add alt text to any 5 images on a webpage.

Remember, practice is key to mastering any concept. Keep practicing and experimenting with different scenarios to strengthen your understanding.