For many, accessibility is an unknown unknown
Accessibility,
4 May 2020, 4 minute read
An unknown unknown is something you don’t know you don’t know. When you’re just starting out with web development there are many unknown unknowns. You don’t know enough about what’s possible to know what the right way to do things is. Accessibility is one of them.
This morning this image was shared on Twitter:
(source: https://webaim.org/projects/million/#frameworks)
The general consensus was “React and Vue developers should do better!” and while I don’t disagree, I don’t think that’s the story this table tells.
I don’t think the accessibility spectrum maps to which framework you use in any meaningful way (Or, to put it more eloquently: React didn’t use a <button>, you did.)
I think it maps much more significantly to your experience level as a web developer in general.
So we’ll move away from frameworks for the rest of this article but let me add one remark: I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that frameworks that make it easy for people to get started, will attract people that are just getting started.
The starting developer experience
When you start out it’s you, notepad and a browser against the world. You open up [...]