How to Build Accessible Slideshows and Carousels

Slideshows and carousels can add style and organization to a website, but they often pose accessibility challenges. If not designed with care, they can be difficult for people with disabilities—especially those who use screen readers or rely on keyboard navigation—to interact with. The good news is that by following a few key practices, you can make sure your slideshows and carousels are accessible for everyone, enhancing user experience and making your site more inclusive. Let’s break it down step by step.

Why Accessibility Matters for Slideshows and Carousels

Before we dive into the “how,” let’s talk about the “why.” Making sure your slideshows are accessible isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s essential. Accessibility is about making sure everyone can use your website, and it helps you comply with important standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

If you skip over accessibility, you could end up frustrating visitors, losing potential customers, or even dealing with legal trouble. Plus, accessible content doesn’t just help those with disabilities—it actually improves the experience for all users and makes your site more welcoming.

Key Considerations for Accessible Slideshows

So, how do you make your slideshows and carousels accessible? Here are a few key things to keep in mind:

Keyboard Navigation

Not everyone uses a mouse to navigate a website—some people rely entirely on their keyboard. This means your slideshow should be easy to move through using just the keyboard without users getting stuck or confused.

Best Practices:

Tab Key Navigation (WCAG SC 2.1.1): Make sure users can use the Tab key to move forward through the slides and Shift + Tab to move backward.
Arrow Key Control (WCAG SC 2.1.2): Allow users to switch slides with the left and right arrow keys so they can navigate without getting lost.
Visible Focus(WCAG SC 2.4.7): Ensure that buttons and interactive elements like arrows have visible focus indicators so keyboard users can easily see what they’re interacting with.

Descriptive Labels and Alt Text

For people using screen readers, descriptive labels and alt text are super important. Without them, the screen reader can’t tell the user what a button or slide is for.

Best Practices:

Alt Text for Images (WCAG SC 1.1.1): Every image in your slideshow should have alt text that describes what’s in the image. For example, if one slide shows a chart about “Website Accessibility,” the alt text should explain the key points of the chart.
ARIA Labels: Use an aria-label attribute to give a text label to an object, such as a “Next” and “Previous” buttons. When a screen reader encounters an object, the aria-label text is read aloud to inform the user about what it is. So, instead of a generic label like “Button,” make it something like “Next slide: About Us” so users know exactly where they’re headed.

Pause/Play Buttons

Automatic slideshows that move on their own can be frustrating—especially for people with cognitive or motor disabilities. Always give users control over the slideshow with pause and play options.

Best Practices:

Pause/Play Button (WCAG SC 2.2.2): Make sure there’s a clearly labeled button to pause or play the slideshow and that it’s easy to use with both the mouse and keyboard.
Adjustable Timing (WCAG SC 2.2.1): For each slide transition, users should be able to turn off, adjust, or extend the time before the slide changes. This ensures that users have enough time to read and understand the content before the next slide appears.

Using ARIA Roles for Screen Reader Compatibility

ARIA roles help screen readers understand the structure and behavior of a slideshow. They provide extra information about how it’s organized and how users can interact with it.

Best Practices:

Role Assignment: Use ARIA roles like role= "region" to define different parts of the slideshow so that screen readers can identify them quickly.
Live Regions: Use aria-live= "polite" to let screen readers know when a new slide has appeared, keeping users in the loop without disrupting their experience.
Hide Inactive Slides: Only show one slide at a time to screen readers. You can do this by adding aria-hidden= "true" to the slides that aren’t currently visible.

Poor Color Contrast

Even with the best intentions, it’s easy to fall into some design traps that can hurt accessibility. If the text on your slides blends into the background, users with low vision will have a hard time reading it.

Best Practices:

High Contrast Text(WCAG SC 1.4.3): Make sure there’s plenty of contrast between the text and background. For example, white text on a dark background or black text on a light background works well. Aim for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for standard text and 3:1 for larger text, as recommended by WCAG. You can use color contrast checkers to make sure your text stands out against the background.

Testing for Accessibility

Once you’ve added accessibility features, testing is critical to making sure everything works as it should. There are a few easy ways to test your slideshows:

Ways to Test:

Use a Screen Reader: Try out your slideshow with popular screen readers like NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) or JAWS (Job Access With Speech) to see if everything is being read in the correct order and labeled correctly.
Keyboard Navigation: Go through your slideshow using only your keyboard to make sure you can interact with all the buttons and slides.
Automated Tools: Use tools like WAVE or the Google Lighthouse browser feature to check for common accessibility issues like missing alt text or incorrect ARIA roles.

Final Thoughts

Making your slideshows and carousels accessible might take a little extra effort, but it’s totally worth it. Not only will it make your site more inclusive, but it’ll also create a smoother experience for all your users. From ensuring easy keyboard navigation to adding meaningful labels and controlling autoplay features, each step brings you closer to a more accessible website.

So, the next time you’re adding a slideshow to your site, remember—accessibility isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have! With a bit of planning and regular testing, you can create slideshows that everyone can enjoy.

Are you ready to make sure your website is accessible? Then, schedule an ADA Strategy Briefing with the web accessibility experts at 216digital.