⚠️ Reddit Accessibility Audit — The Heart of the Internet? Not If You’re Left Out.

Reddit claims to be accessible. They even say they’re “the heart of the internet.”

But here’s the sad truth: if you're someone with a disability, that heart doesn’t beat for you.

Despite their public commitment to accessibility, Reddit — like so many tech giants — fails where it matters most. Not just in code, but in people. In process. In priority.

Because no matter how many guidelines you read or tools you run, if you don’t include people with disabilities in your development cycle, you’ll never truly build accessible products.

And Reddit isn’t alone in this. Across the tech world, companies talk about inclusion, but few actually do it. Accessibility isn’t just a checkbox. It’s about lived experience. It’s about involving real users — not just assumptions.

🌐 What is Reddit?

Reddit is a massive online platform with over 52 million daily users and 100,000+ communities. From breaking news to the most obscure memes, it’s the place where the internet comes to talk.

But when it comes to accessibility, Reddit is still talking — not listening.

🔍 What I Audited

I tested key parts of Reddit’s user journey:

• Home Page
• Search Experience
• Community Browsing
• Post Interaction
• User Navigation Menus

Tools & Techniques Used:

✅ JAWS Screen Reader ✅ Keyboard-only Navigation ✅ WAVE & axe Accessibility Tools ✅ Manual Testing following WCAG 2.1 standards

This wasn’t just automated — it was human, hands-on testing, the way real users experience the web.

🚨 What I Found

Despite Reddit’s claims, here’s what I uncovered:

❌ Missing Alternative Text

127 images lacked descriptive alt text, excluding blind users from essential visual content.

❌ Broken Heading Structure

121 heading issues made navigation with screen readers inconsistent and frustrating.

❌ Non-Purposeful Links

6 links without clear meaning created confusion for users trying to navigate.

❌ Faulty Interactive Controls

11 buttons and controls were mis-coded, making them unusable with assistive technologies.

⚠️ Important Disclaimer

These issues may vary depending on the specific pages visited and the number of communities you’re subscribed to. Reddit’s dynamic nature means accessibility barriers can shift — but they’re always present.

🧠 The Bigger Problem: Where Are the Disabled Voices?

This isn’t just about Reddit. It’s about the entire industry.

Too many companies make products for people with disabilities — without ever involving them.

Where are the accessibility testers with disabilities on your team? Where are the voices of those who navigate the web differently, every single day?

Until companies start building with us, not just for us, accessibility will always fall short.

👥 A Message to Reddit (and Every Product Team)

You say you’re the heart of the internet? Then act like it.

Inclusion starts with who you hire. Who you listen to. Who you invite into your process. Accessibility isn’t a last-minute fix. It’s a foundation.

You can’t just scan for accessibility. You have to live it.

💼 Let’s Build Something Better — Together

If you’re serious about creating digital spaces that truly work for everyone, I’m here to help.

✅ Screen reader & keyboard testing ✅ Full WCAG 2.1 audits ✅ Real feedback from real users ✅ Practical, honest solutions

📧 Email: mughees042@gmail.com 🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mughees-ahmad-614302247

Let’s connect. Let’s collaborate. Let’s make the web accessible for all.

📄 Executive Summary

👉 A detailed breakdown of every issue — with severity levels and steps to fix them — is available at the link below: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W6wz7pW3T1pJXUmhhEfXWwMApQCXHL2C8HeiDJ95Ldg/edit?usp=sharing

🔜 Next Up: Quora.com

Another platform built on knowledge and conversation — but how accessible is it? Stay tuned for my upcoming audit on Quora, and find out if they’re getting it right, or missing the mark like so many others.

The web can be better. It should be better. Let’s make it happen — one audit at a time.

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