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Audit against the four WCAG principles: check color contrast ratios (4.5:1 for text), keyboard operability of all interactive elements, visible focus indicators, touch targets of at least 24x24 CSS pixels, and semantic HTML structure. Combine automated scans with manual keyboard and screen reader testing.

Automated tools like axe, Lighthouse, and WAVE catch roughly 30% of issues, mostly programmatic ones like missing alt text or low contrast. The remaining 70% — illogical reading order, confusing interaction patterns, poor focus management — require manual testing with real assistive technology.

Use VoiceOver on Mac/iOS (Cmd+F5), NVDA on Windows (free), or TalkBack on Android. Listen for logical reading order, announced roles and states on interactive elements, form labels, live region updates, and meaningful heading and landmark structure.

WCAG 2.2 requires a minimum of 24x24 CSS pixels for touch targets, with 44x44px recommended for primary actions and at least 8px spacing between adjacent targets. Measure the tappable area including padding, not just the visible element.

Yes, WCAG conformance is legally mandated in many jurisdictions: the ADA in the US, the European Accessibility Act in the EU, Section 508 for US government, and AODA in Ontario, Canada. Web accessibility lawsuits have increased every year for a decade.

ARIA should only supplement HTML when no native element exists for the pattern. The first rule of ARIA is to prefer native elements like button and nav; incorrect ARIA, such as role="button" without keyboard handlers, is worse than no ARIA at all.