Architecting Accessibility - by Christopher Porter (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Architecting Accessibility shows you how to build web applications that work for everyone. Rather than treating accessibility as a checklist, this important book offers simple and practical design decisions to break down the real barriers that challenge users who experience difficulty with sight, hearing, or mobility.

Accessibility has become a baseline expectation, a legal requirement, and a marker of engineering quality. The European Accessibility Act (EAA) and Americans with Disability Act (ADA) are enforceable law. Beyond the legal implications of accessibility, there's a real economic impact. Over one in six people worldwide live with a disability, which means that well-implemented accessibility measures radically expand the reach of your sites and applications.

Architecting Accessibility is imminently practical. It's scenario-based approach centers on real-world user personas, Silvey, Jess, Sam, Sally, and Gill, who share what works for them--and what doesn't. Every technique and recommendation is anchored to real experiences and framed in the established W3C Accessibility Guidelines. You'll learn fundamental accessibility skills like semantic HTML and keyboard-first thinking that will last the long haul.

The book progresses from core fundamentals to more advanced scenarios, building your confidence without burying you under regulations, legal terminology, or conformance jargon. Across hands-on "Coffee and code" sessions, you'll refactor div-soup pages into semantic, screen-reader-friendly markup, inspect accessibility trees in your own projects, and experience your code through NVDA and VoiceOver. An accessible GitHub repo and ready-to-use AI prompts let you explore any aspect of accessible web dev, from design, development, to testing.

What's inside

- The societal, technical, and legal landscape of accessibility
- Semantic HTML and web-native techniques, and when ARIA helps or hurts
- Accessible security that protects users without creating barriers
- A shift-left culture that builds team skills and smarter procurement

About the reader

For developers, designers, product managers, and technology leaders familiar with modern web development.

About the author

Chris Porter is an Associate Professor of HCI at the University of Malta and a certified IAAP Web Accessibility Specialist. He has audited everything from startups to FTSE 100 corporations and trains public-sector teams on inclusive design.

About the Author