1. Accessibility Beyond the Screen Reader: Broader Context

• Cognitive Accessibility:
  • Simplify navigation and interactions (e.g., avoid complex multi-step processes).
  • Use plain language and minimize memory load (good for ADHD, Dyslexia, etc.).
• Motor Accessibility:
  • Full operability via alternative input devices like sip-and-puff systems, head pointers, or eye-tracking.
  • Avoid reliance on precise mouse movements (small clickable areas are a nightmare).
• Seizure Prevention (Photosensitive Epilepsy):
  • Avoid flashing content faster than 3 flashes per second (WCAG 2.3.1).
  • Videos and animations should provide a pause, stop, or hide option.

2. Deep Dive into Focus Management

• Programmatic Focus:
  • Use .focus() intelligently when modals, alerts, or dynamic components appear.
  • Do not shift focus unnecessarily — only shift it when user attention is required.
• Focus Traps:
  • Modal dialogs must trap focus within themselves while open.
  • Ensure users can still use Escape to dismiss modals and return focus to the triggering element.
• Roving Tabindex Strategy:
  • In composite widgets (e.g., custom menus, carousels, sliders), move tabindex="0" dynamically to only the currently active item.

// Example Roving Tabindex Logic
menuItems.forEach((item, index) => {
  item.tabIndex = index === currentActive ? 0 : -1;
});

3. Advanced ARIA Patterns and Their Pitfalls

• Avoid ARIA If Native Elements Exist:
  Native <button>, <details>, <summary>, <a> do most heavy lifting.
• ARIA Authoring Practices:
  Strictly follow the WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices for building accessible custom components.
• Live Regions:
  • aria-live="polite" for passive updates (notifications).
  • aria-live="assertive" for urgent updates (error messages).
• Misuse Dangers:
  Wrong ARIA usage often breaks accessibility rather than fixing it. (Ex: role="button" on a <div> without tabindex and key handlers = inaccessible.)

4. Accessibility Testing Stack (Expert Grade)

5. Common Advanced Mistakes to Avoid

• Over-reliance on ARIA:
  ARIA is not a magic fix. Use correct HTML structure first.
• Incorrect Landmarks:
  • Don’t nest <nav> inside another <nav>.
  • Don’t misuse <main> (should be only one per page).
• Broken Keyboard Paths:
  If Tab order is illogical, your site is a disaster for screen reader and keyboard-only users.
• Non-visible Focus:
  Styling focus outlines out of existence is a major accessibility violation.

/* NEVER do this */
:focus {
  outline: none;
}

Instead, customize it:

:focus {
  outline: 2px solid #4a90e2;
  outline-offset: 4px;
}

6. Accessibility and Modern JavaScript Frameworks

• React, Vue, Angular:
  • Handle focus after DOM updates (especially on route changes).
  • Ensure dynamic rendering doesn’t destroy accessible semantics.
  • Use portals carefully to manage focus.
• Framework-Specific Libraries:
  • react-aria for accessible React components.
  • Vue A11y for Vue.js specific accessibility best practices.

7. Accessibility in a Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) Pipeline

• Integrate automated a11y testing (axe-core, pa11y) in CI/CD:
  • Fail pull requests with critical accessibility errors.
  • Catch regressions early rather than reactively fixing them.

Example with axe-core + Jest:

import { configureAxe } from 'jest-axe';
const axe = configureAxe({});

test('should have no accessibility violations', async () => {
  const { container } = render(<Component />);
  const results = await axe(container);
  expect(results).toHaveNoViolations();
});

Summary: What Truly Makes You “Accessibility Expert”

✅ You think beyond screen readers (cognitive, motor, visual disabilities).
✅ You proactively build accessible features, not bolt it on later.
✅ You test manually and automatically — both.
✅ You care about real-world users, not just passing audits.

Accessibility is not a checklist. It’s part of your engineering mindset.