React · SPA · Design Systems
React Accessibility Checker
A practical accessibility checklist for React teams focused on form clarity, keyboard usability, focus management, and WCAG-compliant component patterns.
Focus Flow
Verify logical focus order and visible focus states across modals, drawers, and complex forms.
Form Clarity
Ensure every input has a label, hints are associated with fields, and validation is announced to assistive tech.
Automation
Combine component-level tests with automated audits for continuous accessibility regression coverage.
How to verify React component accessibility
Run a fast accessibility check on a React component or page before merging.
Render the component on a test route
Use Storybook or a sandbox route so the component renders without unrelated page chrome.
Audit the URL
Submit the test URL to VertaaUX. The audit reports keyboard, ARIA, and contrast issues with the failing element selector.
Tab through manually
Tab from the top to confirm focus order, visible focus rings, and that interactive elements respond to Enter/Space.
Re-audit after fixes
Re-run to confirm green and that you did not regress another rule. Save the audit URL on the PR for reviewers.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the most common React accessibility mistakes?
- Missing form labels, focus traps in modals, click-only handlers without keyboard equivalents, divs styled as buttons, and ARIA attributes that drift out of sync with state. A custom select that does not respond to arrow keys is a typical offender.
- How do I make a custom modal accessible in React?
- Move focus to the modal on open, trap focus inside while it is open, restore focus to the trigger on close, support Escape to close, set role="dialog" with aria-modal="true", and label the dialog with aria-labelledby pointing to its heading.
- Should I use a headless component library for accessibility?
- Often yes. Libraries like Radix, Headless UI, and React Aria implement keyboard and ARIA patterns correctly so you do not have to. Audit your usage even so — wiring up the wrong props or breaking the focus contract is still possible.
- How do I test screen-reader output without buying NVDA or JAWS?
- macOS ships VoiceOver (Cmd+F5) and iOS has it under Accessibility settings. Chrome includes ChromeVox for quick checks. None replace a real NVDA pass, but they catch the obvious problems for free.
Related Topics
Broken Focus Order
Tab navigation that jumps unpredictably through page elements confuses keyboard users and violates WCAG 2.4.3 focus order requirements.
Missing Form Labels
Form fields without accessible labels create confusion, reduce completion rates, and violate WCAG requirements for input identification.
Focus Visible Indicator
A visual indicator showing which interactive element currently has keyboard focus, required for WCAG 2.4.7 compliance and keyboard navigation.
Other Accessibility Checkers
Get a full accessibility audit
Run a VertaaUX audit for deeper accessibility and UX coverage beyond the quick check.
Start Audit