Re: progresive enhancement, and wcag guides?

Hi Karen,

WCAG is there to ensure anyone with any disability can have the same
usability as non-disabled users.

In lots of ways though, it's worth pointing out to naysayers that following
WCAG also makes the UX better for non-disabled users too.

Disabilities can be physical (unable to use the mouse), poor
sight/blindness, learning disabilities (ensuring the user knows their
position on the page and that things are clear) and many more. Mild
disabilities affect a significant number of computer users, WCAG isn't just
for a tiny few percentage of users!

As to progressive enhancement, there is one failure condition in the
guidelines that points to this, but it is highly contentious and I believe
it has been under discussion to be reworked/removed.

Many developers feel that supporting a CSS/JavaScript free website is not
tenable today and, in fact, to follow progressive enhancement would be
detrimental to providing the best experience for both disabled and
non-disabled users. (There are also old school devs who still believe in
it).

I would suggest to follow the guidelines and use all available modern
tooling to give your users the best UX.



On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, Karen Lewellen <klewellen@shellworld.net> wrote:
> Hi all,
> I am hoping that there is a link to well anything, guidance material for
example, that provides  wisdom around progressive enhancement design.
> how, as I understand it, working from this foundation  creates broader
access, can, in theory, get one closer to wcag compliance?
> I am encountering far too many folks who either believe that wcag only
applies to sight loss, or that it *mandates* certain tools must be used
legally...and some of that comes from the u. s. state department.
> Thanks,
> Karen
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