Here's how you can master web accessibility standards and apply them effectively.

Familiarize with WCAG: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the primary standards for web accessibility. WCAG 2.1 is the latest version and is organized into four principles: Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive. Operable: User interface components and navigation must be operable. Understandable: Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable. Robust: Content must be robust enough to be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.

The main standard for web content accessibility is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). WCAG provides a comprehensive framework for making web content more accessible.

In my years leading web development teams, I've found that truly grasping the basics of accessibility means understanding its impact on real users. At TinyTap, we started inviting people with various disabilities to our office for user testing sessions. I'll never forget when a blind user navigated our educational platform with ease, thanks to our proper semantic HTML and ARIA attributes. It was a powerful reminder of why we do this work. These experiences helped our team internalize the POUR principles in a way that reading guidelines never could. If you can't bring in users, I highly recommend watching videos of people with disabilities using websites - it's eye-opening and motivating.

Implementing accessibility changes can seem daunting, especially for large, existing projects. At TinyTap, We started by integrating accessibility checks into our CI/CD pipeline, flagging issues before they made it to production. Then, we tackled our backlog of accessibility issues by priority, addressing critical barriers first. One strategy that worked well was our "Accessibility Friday" initiative, where developers spent a few hours each week solely on improving accessibility. This gradual approach allowed us to make significant strides without overwhelming the team or disrupting our regular development cycle. Remember, perfect is the enemy of good - any improvement in accessibility is a step in the right direction.

At TinyTap, we learned the hard way that automated testing isn't enough. We once released an update that passed all our automated accessibility checks, only to receive complaints from users with motor disabilities who couldn't navigate our new menu system. Now, we incorporate a diverse group of beta testers, including individuals with various disabilities, into our development process. Their insights have been invaluable, often catching issues our team had overlooked. Remember, no automated tool can fully replicate the human experience – real user testing is crucial for true accessibility.

Staying updated on accessibility standards is crucial, but it's equally important to stay connected with the assistive technology landscape. We try to maintain a "library" with various screen readers, switch controls, and other assistive devices. Our developers regularly rotate through using these technologies to browse both our site and competitors'. This hands-on experience has been invaluable in understanding how our accessibility efforts translate to real-world usability. It's also led to some innovative features - for instance, we developed a unique navigation system for switch users after one of our devs spent a day using switch control exclusively. Don't just read about assistive tech - experience it firsthand whenever possible.

One aspect often overlooked is the intersection of accessibility and localization. At TinyTap, we create educational content for a global audience, and we've found that accessibility needs can vary significantly across cultures and languages. For instance, color symbolism differs worldwide, affecting how we design for color blindness. We've also had to consider how screen readers handle different languages, especially those with non-Latin scripts. This cultural dimension of accessibility has pushed us to think beyond standard guidelines and truly embrace a global, inclusive design philosophy.

Familiarize with WCAG: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the primary standards for web accessibility.Need to be more flexible on latest releases. Needs to be more hands on with all the assistive tools. Need to be pro at least with one Assistive tool.Need to understand HTML semantics and Aria.