Accessibility Canvas Apps

What is accessibility and why is it important in Power Apps

Introduction to accessibility

Accessibility (source: Wikipedia) is design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities, or different abilities (the way I like to call it). In this world and age, accessibility is key in almost every aspect of life. Like ranging from parking, entering a building, using mobile devices.

Attributes of accessibility in applications

There are several different attributes or pointers when it comes to accessibility.

  1. Color/contrast
  2. Font size
  3. Keyboard navigation
  4. Screen read accessibility

Accessibility in Power Apps

Power Apps is supposed to be inclusive in the sense that it enables both IT and business users to make apps. However, it is equally important that this kind of inclusivity is prevalent in its end users as well. Model-driven apps are more accessible by default. On the other hand, canvas apps need a little bit of effort from the maker/developer to make them accessible. I tried to find articles or blogs outlining some basic accessibility fundamentals for Power Apps, but other than a couple of YouTube videos, I didn't find anything.

In the subsequent posts, we will cover most of the Power Apps (canvas apps) controls and walk through how to make each control accessible and also review certain patterns that work better and some that do not.

Stay tuned!

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