Learn Accessibility
A free web.dev course on digital accessibility, from what it is and how it is measured to ARIA, focus, colour and contrast, forms, design systems and testing with assistive technology. Useful for designers and developers alike.
Course
Web Development
web.dev (Google)
Beginner
Free
What it is
Learn Accessibility is a free, self-paced course on web.dev, Google's site for web developers. It explains what digital accessibility is, why it matters and how to build and test accessible interfaces.
What it covers
As of 2026-09 the modules are:
- What digital accessibility is and why it matters
- How accessibility is measured (including WCAG)
- ARIA and HTML, content structure and the document
- Keyboard focus and JavaScript
- Images, colour and contrast, animation and motion, typography
- Video and audio, and forms
- Patterns, components and design systems
- Design and user experience
- Automated testing, manual testing and assistive technology testing
- A glossary
Who it is for
Both paths of the UI/UX roadmap. Designers get the modules on colour, typography, motion, design systems and user experience; developers get ARIA, focus, JavaScript and testing. Anyone who builds or designs interfaces benefits from the testing modules.
Time needed
Roughly 10 to 20 hours for the whole course, depending on how much you practise. The colour, focus and forms modules alone take an afternoon and pay off immediately.
Prerequisites
Basic HTML helps for the technical modules. Designers can read the design-focused modules without code.
Is it worth it?
Yes. It is free, practical and organised around real tasks rather than a list of WCAG criteria. It pairs well with the W3C's WCAG 2.2 quick reference for exact requirements and with tools such as WAVE and the WebAIM contrast checker for checking your work.
How to use it
Take one of your own designs or apps through the course: check its contrast, add visible focus, fix labels and headings, then run the manual and screen reader tests the last modules describe.
What you can do after
Explain the main accessibility principles, design and build components that work with a keyboard and screen reader, and run a basic accessibility check yourself.
Common questions
Does it replace WCAG? No. WCAG is the standard; this course teaches you how to meet it.
Is automated testing enough? No. The course covers why manual and assistive technology testing are needed as well.
Ready to start?
Opens on web.dev (Google) in a new tab.
Stuck on something specific?
Writing only gets you so far. If you want an answer to your situation rather than the general case, book a session and we will work through it together. Sessions are free for approved Sefism members, and a few slots open each week.
Follow along
New writing, resources and project ideas land here first.