An example is only useful with the failure beside it, because the point is not the correct markup but what a user could not do without it. This page pairs each example with the failure, the WCAG criterion it sits under, and a rough cost from the checklist sheet, so the list can be turned into a schedule rather than admired. On the worked example the same list totals 401 issues, 167 hours and $15,872 across a 240-page site.
Alt text: the failure is silence
Without alt text a screen reader announces image, or the file name, or nothing. With it the user gets what the picture contributes. Decorative images take empty alt so they are skipped. It is the single largest line on the worked example at 180 issues and the cheapest per fix, which is why it belongs on the content pass rather than the template one.
Focus indicator: the failure is not knowing where you are
A keyboard user without a visible focus style is navigating blind. The fix is one CSS rule in the design system and it reaches every page at once, which is why it is on the template pass: 126 of the worked example's issues live in nine templates, and this is one of them.
Error identification: the failure is a form you cannot complete
An error shown only by turning the border red is invisible to a screen reader and to anyone who cannot distinguish the colour. The fix is text next to the field and a summary at the top with focus moved to it. Six forms at two issues each is a small count with the largest consequence on the list.
Questions people ask about accessibility examples
Which examples matter most?
The ones on the paths customers use: navigation, search, forms, checkout.
Do accessibility features help everyone?
Captions, structure and clear errors help far more people than they were written for, which is the usual argument and it is true.
How do we record these?
As issues against the template and the criterion, so the retest can close the same list the audit opened.