JavaScript frameworks are increasingly used to build robust, quick, and adaptable websites. React is one of the most well-liked frameworks. Over the past few years, React’s popularity has grown at an astounding rate. React has numerous benefits that have no end, including the ability to build a virtual DOM, reusable components, and a large support community.
So, what exactly is React, and how popular is it?
Nearly 10.2 million websites use the popular frontend UI framework React globally. It was developed in 2011 and supported by Facebook. React has led the web development market for nine years and has several illustrious clientele.Â
The accessibility community has, however, come to associate React with the notion that web apps made using it are not accessible. They and those who use this framework believe that accessibility is a nearly impossible task. Some of the myths regarding React and its accessibility that are widely believed by many developers are like
- React makes websites difficult to access.Â
- It takes a lot of time for users to access apps and sites developed with React.Â
- React doesn’t support accessibility.Â
- Developers should use HTML instead of React which would make apps and websites more accessible.
- React is slowly ruining the Internet.
This arises because of a few issues that developers face with React. Among these problems, a few are as follows:
- One generic page title which is difficult to change.
- Focus management renders keyboard navigation of apps impossible.
- Additional usage of <div> and wrappers can cause semantic problems.
- Implementing semantic HTML is challenging.
The list goes on. The easiest way to address all these misconceptions is to raise awareness that React does have many web accessibility features built into the framework. It also has a strong community of accessible add-ons that may assist you in creating accessible components.Â
Let us understand what web accessibility actually means.
What is Web Accessibility?
The practice of planning and constructing websites and digital tools in such a way that users of various abilities can use them without difficulty is known as web accessibility.
To cope up with the evolving trends, the dynamic nature of online apps has given rise to a lot of accessibility issues as well as have also provided us with rich features. The words ’main’ and ’section’, among others, have been added to HTML along with many other useful features. Instead of focusing merely on presentation, semantic HTML offers meaning to the web page. As a result, it is simpler to understand for web browsers, search engines, screen readers, RSS readers, and, eventually, users.
You must comprehend the common HTML characteristics that assistive technologies use to parse web pages while thinking about web accessibility. Implementing Digital Accessibility removes barriers and ensures that users with and without impairments have equal access to the website’s and digital product’s functionality. People with momentary impairments, such as someone who has broken an arm, or situational limits like hearing impairments, are also impacted by web accessibility. To interpret web pages, assistive technology needs accessibility support.
How to Make a React Application Accessible?
The development of accessible websites, which often employ traditional HTML techniques, is fully supported by ReactJS. Thus, there are a lot of best React features that are accepted standards for HTML accessibility.
Here are some pointers and tricks to make your React application accessible and feasible.
a) Use Semantic HTML
Even though this one may be fairly obvious, there is still React content that does not employ semantic HTML to      generate the page’s essential elements. Use the <button> tags instead of building a button with <div> and <span>    since they have special meanings for assistive technology. It will be simpler even for the users of assistive technology, if you can incorporate more semantics into your application.
b) Take Advantage of Component Life Cycles
 When mounting and updating components, you can use a variety of features that can improve React accessibility.     For instance, you can use the componentDidMount() function and write JavaScript to direct the emphasis to a new    component when it has been mounted on your website.
The componentDidUpdate() function also allows you to switch between ARIA states for your component. Make your   material more accessible with these and many other situations by utilizing the lifecycle.
c) Use Fragments Where Appropriate
One aspect of React that is frequently ignored is to include an additional container to enclose your content. The truth  is, this might seem a solid practice. However, if you use many elements in the same render() method, you run the risk of creating semantic accessibility issues. This mainly happens if you introduce a component into another semantic HTML tag.
Using React Fragments is the best technique to ensure your HTML is rendered correctly in the DOM. HTML elements can be grouped using fragments without introducing any additional DOM nodes.
d) Check Your Add-ons for Accessibility
 A developer may find Node and yarn packages very useful. But, a lot of these packages are currently inaccessible. You  are accountable for any content in the package that contains inaccessible HTML markup if you decide to utilize it. It is very simple to assess a package’s accessibility. If necessary, you can easily make the required changes that would make it accessible or locate another package.
e) Take Advantage of Title Package and Services
Make sure the headline changes every time your view changes, i.e., switches to a new page. Although this is perceived as challenging, React makes it simple by offering a variety of packages like React Document Title, that enable you to modify the title whenever the view changes.
f) Use Automation to Test Your Components
This one is important. When you are employing unit testing for component test cases, try to automate as much as you can to look for accessibility problems. Up to 50% of accessibility problems can be discovered by integrating a tool like axe-core into your unit test cases. Of course, your content will be more accessible as you conduct more tests.
g) Tab Right to the Important Parts
Giving users the option to use only their keyboard to navigate your app is a great way to increase accessibility. Making use of the tab index attribute is one approach to achieve this. Tabbing outside of the normal sequence enables the developer to modify the order of the components focused. So?
Conclusion
There is no limit to how accessible the JS frameworks can get if we continue to raise awareness of the problems that arise with React. The ways mentioned above can help developers on resolving these accessibility problems that arise with React.
With the proper training and expertise, React will surely prove a user-friendly application framework. It is just untrue to say that the framework is not accessible. The fact is, React offers some of the best built-in accessibility features available and a sizable community of advocates. This provides good accessibility to those producing materials that can be easily used in your application.
About the Author:
Harikrishna Kundariya is a multi-talented professional with expertise in marketing, development, IoT, ChatBot, and Blockchain technologies. As a co-founder and Director of eSparkBiz Technologies, he brings over 12 years of experience to the table. His deep understanding of these domains allows him to provide innovative digital solutions, particularly for new startups focusing on IoT and SaaS applications.
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