A Journey Through Web Accessibility

If you want to create a button from scratch, you must first create the universe

Based on Hacker News Discussion

July 2026

02

The Accessibility Challenge

Why building inclusive interfaces requires a fundamental shift in thinking

What Makes Accessibility Hard?

01

Diverse User Needs Users navigate differently: keyboard, mouse, voice, screen readers — each requiring unique considerations
02

Hidden Complexity A 'simple' button involves focus states, ARIA labels, keyboard interactions, and more
03

Design Assumptions We often design for 'average' users, unintentionally excluding millions
04

Retrofitting Costs Adding accessibility later is far harder than building it in from the start

15%

of the world's population lives with a disability

That's 1 billion people who rely on accessible design

05

Creating from Scratch

When you understand the universe, you can build anything

The Journey to an Accessible Button

1

Understand the Problem

Who needs this button? How will they interact with it?

→

2

Define the Semantics

What is this element? A button, link, or toggle? Use proper HTML.

→

3

Implement Interactions

Click, keyboard (Enter/Space), touch, and voice navigation

→

4

Add Visual Feedback

Focus rings, hover states, pressed states, and active indicators

→

5

Test with Real Users

Screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, and voice control

Core Accessibility Principles

The WCAG guidelines for inclusive design

visibility

Perceivable

Information must be presentable in ways users can perceive — text alternatives, captions, adaptable content

touch_app

Operable

Users must be able to navigate and interact — keyboard access, sufficient time, seizure-safe design

psychology

Understandable

Information and UI operation must be comprehensible — readable, predictable, helpful

verified

Robust

Content must work with current and future assistive technologies — compatible, valid code

Thank You

Accessibility isn't a feature — it's the foundation of good design

Source: madcampos.dev/blog/2026/07/accessibility-from-scratch/