Making FOSS Accessible: Auditing and Enhancing Web Accessibility for Your Projects

Let’s make open source open to all.

This hands-on workshop empowers FOSS contributors to identify and fix accessibility issues in their own web projects. Participants will learn the basics of inclusive design, audit their own projects using open tools, and walk away with practical fixes that make a real difference.

Whether you're a student, developer, designer, or doc writer, this session will help you build products that work for everyone—including people with disabilities.

What You’ll Learn

• Why accessibility matters in FOSS and beyond

• Core principles (WCAG + POUR)

• How to audit a website for accessibility

• Hands-on tools: Lighthouse, axe, screen readers, keyboard testing

• Common fixes: color contrast, alt text, keyboard nav, ARIA basics

Workshop Agenda

• Introduction to Accessibility

  • Why accessibility matters

  • Overview of disabilities and barriers

  • Introduction to WCAG and global accessibility standards

• Principles of Accessible Design

  • Understanding POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust

  • Real-life use cases and accessibility gaps in FOSS projects

• Live Accessibility Audit Demo

  • Walkthrough using tools like:

    • Lighthouse (Chrome DevTools)

    • axe DevTools

    • NVDA (Windows screen reader) / VoiceOver (Mac)

  • Audit of a sample open-source project

• Bring Your Own Project (BYOP) – Accessibility Audit

  • Participants work in groups on their own websites/apps

  • Run accessibility audits

  • Mentors assist with interpreting results

• Fixing Common Accessibility Issues (30 mins)

  • Hands-on fixes for:

    • Missing alt text

    • Poor contrast

    • Missing labels

    • Keyboard navigation problems

    • ARIA misuse

• Discussion, Sharing & Resources

  • Showcase improvements from participants

  • Open discussion and Q&A

  • Share checklists, tools, and community resources

• Target Audience

  • FOSS developers, maintainers, and contributors

  • UI/UX designers

  • Project managers and documentation writers

  • Anyone interested in building inclusive technology

  Prerequisites: Basic familiarity with HTML/CSS/JavaScript or web development is helpful but not mandatory. All participants are expected to bring their laptops to enable live accessibility testing during the workshop.

  Bring your code, break the barriers

  Join us for a hands-on journey where your project meets inclusivity. Whether it’s a side hustle or a flagship FOSS tool, you’ll learn how to spot what’s missing, fix what matters, and make sure everyone can use what you build.

  Come curious. Leave with a project that speaks to all.
  

Key Takeaways

1. Understand Accessibility Fundamentals
   Grasp the principles of inclusive design (WCAG, POUR) and why accessibility matters—especially in FOSS.

2. Audit Like a Pro
   Learn how to evaluate your own web project using tools like Lighthouse, axe, and screen readers.

3. Fix Real Accessibility Issues
   Identify and resolve common problems like contrast errors, missing alt text, and keyboard traps.

4. Hands-On Accessibility Skills
   Walk through practical fixes you can apply immediately to your project—no theory-only talk!

5. Make Your FOSS Project Inclusive
   Leave with a more accessible version of your project, plus a checklist and tools to keep improving.