Accessibility

ForgeUI treats accessibility as a baseline requirement, not an optional feature or a separate concern.

Accessibility is considered part of component structure, not something layered on later.
When accessibility is treated as an afterthought, it usually becomes inconsistent, fragile, or incomplete.

ForgeUI’s goal is to make accessible patterns the default path, not the exceptional one.

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What ForgeUI guarantees

ForgeUI components are built with a set of baseline accessibility guarantees.

These include:

• semantic HTML by default
• keyboard-navigable interactions
• sensible focus behavior
• contrast-safe defaults

These guarantees apply across components and layouts, providing a consistent foundation for accessible interfaces.

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Semantic structure by default

ForgeUI prioritizes semantic HTML elements wherever possible.

This improves:

• screen reader support
• keyboard navigation
• document structure understanding

By relying on native semantics, ForgeUI avoids reinventing accessibility behavior that browsers already handle well.

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Keyboard-first interaction

Interactive components are designed to be usable with a keyboard by default.

This includes:

• logical tab order
• visible focus states
• predictable interaction patterns

Keyboard accessibility is treated as a core interaction model, not an edge case.

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Sensible focus behavior

ForgeUI components aim to manage focus in a way that feels natural and predictable.

This includes:

• preserving focus across updates
• avoiding unexpected focus traps
• ensuring focus is visible at all times

Focus management is especially important in complex layouts and dynamic content, where context can be easily lost.

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Contrast-aware defaults

Default color choices are selected to maintain reasonable contrast in common contexts.

While ForgeUI does not enforce a specific theme or color system, it avoids combinations that are known to be problematic.

This provides a safer starting point while still allowing teams to apply their own visual identity.

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What ForgeUI does not do

ForgeUI is intentionally limited in scope when it comes to accessibility guarantees.

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No claim of full compliance

ForgeUI does not claim full WCAG compliance out of the box.

Accessibility requirements vary widely depending on:

• content
• interaction complexity
• regulatory context

Compliance is ultimately the responsibility of the product team, not the component system alone.

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No heavy abstraction layers

ForgeUI does not abstract accessibility behind complex APIs or helper layers.

While such abstractions can be useful, they often:

• hide important behavior
• make debugging harder
• encourage misuse through false confidence

Instead, ForgeUI favors explicit structure and native behavior that developers can understand and reason about directly.

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Responsibilities of the implementer

Using ForgeUI does not remove the need for accessibility awareness.

Teams are still responsible for:

• providing meaningful text and labels
• ensuring content hierarchy makes sense
• testing with real assistive technologies
• validating contrast and interaction patterns in context

ForgeUI provides a strong foundation, but accessibility is ultimately achieved through thoughtful implementation.

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Designing for inclusivity

Accessibility is not just about meeting requirements.

It is about designing interfaces that:

• work across devices and input methods
• remain usable under different constraints
• respect diverse user needs

By treating accessibility as a baseline, ForgeUI encourages teams to think inclusively from the start rather than retrofitting solutions later.

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Final note

Accessibility improves products for everyone.

ForgeUI’s approach focuses on:

• making accessible patterns easy to adopt
• avoiding shortcuts that lead to long-term issues
• encouraging responsibility without over-engineering