How do you use semantic HTML elements and CSS to create a consistent and coherent page layout for WCAG?

Always use the right HTML elements for their intended purpose. For interactive controls, for example, use a button element rather than divs'. Semantic HTML aids accessibility, built-in keyboard navigation, and improved search engine optimization (SEO).

By combining semantic HTML elements with thoughtful CSS styling, you can create a consistent and accessible page layout that adheres to WCAG guidelines, providing a positive user experience for all visitors, including those with disabilities. Regular testing and validation are crucial to maintaining and improving accessibility over time.

Semantic HTML elements should be used because they enhance accessibility by providing clear meaning to web content for assistive technologies. They also improve SEO by helping search engines understand and index content effectively. Additionally, they ensure a consistent user experience across different browsers and devices, and they make code more readable and maintainable for developers. For example, you can use the ˋdetailsˋ element for accordions or the ˋdialogˋ element for dialogs without having to write your own potentially inaccessible or erroneous implementation in JavaScript, as the user agents (i.e. browsers and assistive technologies) implement the components in such a way that they are accessible to their user.

Semantic elements are crucial for accessibility and web development best practices. They provide meaningful context to assistive technologies like screen readers, helping users with disabilities navigate web content more effectively. Using tags like <header>, <nav>, <main>, and <footer> instead of generic <div>s makes your HTML more understandable and accessible. Additionally, maintaining a logical semantic order in your HTML ensures that the content is presented consistently to all users, regardless of how it is styled with CSS. This approach enhances both the usability and search engine optimization (SEO) of your web pages, leading to a better overall user experience.

Use CSS techniques such as media queries, grid and flexbox to create responsive and accessible layouts that adjust to various user screen sizes.

Use media queries to create a responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes and devices. Test and ensure your layout is accessible on various devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones. - High Contrast and Readability - Focus Styles Avoid removing the default focus styles. - Navigation Provide visual cues for the current page or section. - Flexible Box Layout (Flexbox) or Grid Layout: Use Flexbox or Grid Layout to create responsive page structures. - Images and Multimedia Add descriptive alternative text to multimedia elements. - Forms and Validation Style forms and validation messages for clarity. - Animations and Transitions Ensure they aren't distracting and provide options to pause or disable them.

Minimizing or avoiding distracting animations is important for creating accessible web content, especially for users with attention-related disabilities like ADHD or cognitive impairments. Distracting animations can cause difficulties for these users in focusing on and comprehending the content.

CSS variables are a great way to achieve consistency within your style sheets and make updates much smoother. Don't bound content vertically, allow it to flow and take up the space it needs. Use appropriate units for different parts of the site: - px for padding & margins: you don't want these increasing on font changes - rem for font sizes: you want to respect users choices - % or vw for width controls And always test on multiple devices!

Don't forget to use ARIA tags when elements don't have an inherent purpose, or require extra context. Use appropriate tab ordering, and menubar style menus with arrow navigation (where appropriate). This is especially important in navigation menus which can often be nested and complex, and where the user may want to skip over the menu entirely but is forced to tab through or listen to the entire menu. Review and understand the WCAG/WAI/ARIA guidelines before starting, and look for (and test) existing packages that may have already done some of the legwork for you.

Testing and Validation! - Accessibility Testing Tools Use accessibility testing tools like WAVE, Axe, or browser extensions to identify and fix accessibility issues. Manually test your website with screen readers to ensure a positive user experience. - HTML and CSS Validation Validate your HTML and CSS code to ensure it follows best practices and standards.