The standard I aim for

I aim for the principles in WCAG 2.1 at the AA level: text that is readable, navigation that works without a mouse, contrast that doesn't strain the eyes, alternative text for images, and structure that makes sense to assistive technology. I'm not going to claim full conformance — that's a formal audit term and I haven't done one — but I work in that direction.

What's in place

  • Skip link at the top of every page so keyboard and screen-reader users can jump past the navigation.
  • Semantic HTML — real heading levels, real lists, real links. The recipe pages use headings in order so a screen reader can scan them.
  • Alt text on every image that conveys information. Decorative graphics get an empty alt attribute so screen readers don't announce them.
  • Keyboard navigation — the menu, the search box on the recipe archive, and the kitchen tools all work without a mouse. Focus styles are visible.
  • Readable contrast — the body text and links are above 4.5:1 against the background.
  • Mobile first — the layout reflows down to about 320px wide. The recipe card is reachable without horizontal scrolling.
  • No autoplay video, no popups over the recipe.
  • Print-friendly recipe cards. The print stylesheet hides the navigation, sidebar, and ads so the printed sheet is just the recipe.
  • Light JavaScript — recipes and guides read fine even if scripts are blocked. The kitchen tools require JavaScript to do the maths and have a clear note when JS is off.

Things I'm still improving

  • Some recipe pages need real photos to replace placeholder graphics. The placeholder graphics carry alt text so screen readers don't see a broken element, but real photos with descriptive alt text are coming.
  • The mobile menu animates open and closed. I don't reduce-motion that animation yet. If you have prefers-reduced-motion turned on at the OS level, the animation is already minimal.
  • I haven't yet added a colour-blind-safe alternate theme. The orange accent has been tested for AA contrast; if you find a combination that's hard to read, please tell me.

If something is hard to use

Email hello@chefmelissa.shop and tell me what didn't work. Useful details: the URL, the device, the assistive technology if any, and what you were trying to do. I treat accessibility issues as bugs, not feature requests, and I'll prioritise them.

Third-party content

Ads served by Google AdSense are produced by other parties and follow Google's accessibility guidelines, not mine. If you find a specific ad creative on this site that's inaccessible (autoplaying with sound, blocking the page, or unreadable to a screen reader), send me the URL and a screenshot if possible so I can flag it.