Web accessibility: reaching WCAG AA compliance without breaking everything
Florent Dabernat
May 12, 2026
2 min read
In this article
A public administration site needs to be accessible to seniors and people with disabilities. WCAG 2.1 AA compliance isn't just a legal constraint: it's a methodical audit, not a full rebuild.
The four POUR principles
WCAG 2.1 is organized around four principles, summed up by the acronym POUR. Perceivable requires sufficient contrast and text alternatives for all non-text content. Operable requires keyboard navigation and clear feedback on every action. Understandable calls for explicit instructions and specific error messages, not a plain "invalid field." Robust guarantees compatibility with screen readers and assistive technologies, present and future.
Audits and tools
Tools like Lighthouse, axe DevTools and WAVE automatically catch a good share of problems, often in a few minutes. But they always need to be complemented by manual keyboard-only testing, no mouse, and direct verification with a screen reader, two steps no automated tool fully replaces.
A well-designed support form combines a 7:1 contrast ratio, persistent labels, visible focus, a logical tab order and the use of aria-live to announce errors to screen readers without a page reload.
A real audit: from 36 to 6 non-conformances
On a real audit, the first pass revealed 36 non-conformances. After targeted fixes, with no full rebuild, only 6 remained, all minor, with a final Lighthouse accessibility score of 98 out of 100.
The method to get there stays simple: pick a page, run an audit covering about twenty criteria, simulate keyboard-only navigation, then document every finding with a concrete, prioritized fix.
Frequently asked questions
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Do you need to rebuild an entire site to make it accessible?
- Rarely. Most non-conformances are fixed with targeted adjustments (contrast, labels, focus, semantic structure) without touching the site's overall architecture.
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Are automated tools like Lighthouse enough for a full audit?
- No, they catch roughly 30 to 40% of real accessibility issues. Manual keyboard and screen-reader testing remains essential to cover the rest.
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Is AA level legally sufficient in France?
- It's generally the level required by the RGAA (France's general accessibility framework), applicable to public services and increasingly expected even outside strict legal obligation.