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Accessibility

This site is built to be usable by everyone.

That's not a disclaimer. It's a design constraint.

I'm a frontend engineer who specializes in accessibility. It would be embarrassing - and frankly inconsistent - if my own portfolio wasn't accessible. This page documents what I've done, what I'm still working on, and how to reach me if something isn't working for you.

Target standard

This site aims to conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Where it's practical and doesn't compromise design, I aim for AAA.

What's been done

  • Skip navigation: A skip link appears on focus, allowing keyboard users to bypass the header and jump to main content.
  • Semantic HTML: Pages use appropriate landmark regions (header, nav, main, footer), heading hierarchies, and article elements for content.
  • Keyboard navigation: All interactive elements are reachable and operable via keyboard. The mobile navigation menu traps focus while open and releases it on close.
  • Escape key support: The mobile menu closes on Escape, following established interaction patterns.
  • ARIA: Navigation landmarks are labelled, the mobile menu button uses aria-expanded and aria-controls, and menu state changes are announced via an aria-live region.
  • Reduced motion: All animations and transitions are suppressed for users who have requested reduced motion via their operating system preferences.
  • Colour contrast: All text and interactive elements meet or exceed WCAG AA contrast ratios against their backgrounds. Most meet AAA. And yes, I do prefer the british spelling of colour.
  • Decorative elements: Decorative icons and typographic characters (like arrows) are marked aria-hiddenso they're not announced by screen readers.

Known limitations

  • Content still in progress: Some pages are placeholders. As content is added, it will be held to the same accessibility standard.
  • No automated testing yet:I'm relying on manual testing and code review. Automated tooling (axe-core, Lighthouse) will be integrated before the site is considered complete.
  • Screen reader testing:I've tested with VoiceOver on macOS. NVDA and JAWS testing on Windows is planned.

Testing environment

This site has been tested with:

  • VoiceOver + Safari on macOS
  • Keyboard-only navigation in Chrome and Firefox
  • Chrome DevTools accessibility panel
  • Manual contrast ratio calculations against WCAG 2.1

Found something?

If you encounter an accessibility barrier on this site - something that doesn't work with your assistive technology, a contrast issue, anything - I want to know. Genuinely.

Email me at thewolff@jdwolff.com. I'll respond, and I'll fix it.

Last updated: March 2026