Digital Accessibility Certification: Our Team Strengthens Its Skills with the RGAA

To better understand the value of this certification, we spoke with Rouaïda.

Q: To start, can you briefly introduce yourself?

I am a developer specializing in Drupal site integration at bluedrop.fr for 16 years, with a particular expertise in deliverable quality and integration methodology. I graduated in management IT in 2006 and completed a master’s degree in 2008. I have worked on the Elior Group and STEF websites, among others. Recently, I obtained a digital accessibility certification, which has allowed me to deepen my skills and further specialize in this field.

Q: Why did you choose to take this accessibility training? 

In the Drupal projects we carry out at the agency, we are increasingly asked to ensure that sites comply with accessibility standards. We quickly understood that proper training was necessary to do this seriously, deepen our skills, and enhance our legitimacy. Today, I can support our clients in a structured and proactive way, by ensuring that sites are not only compliant, but also enjoyable for everyone to use.

Q: What new skills have you acquired thanks to this training?

First, I strengthened my command of international accessibility standards, particularly the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). I learned to better identify and solve accessibility issues thanks to specialized tools and techniques. Next, I improved my integration skills, ensuring that every element of the site is designed to be fully accessible. This training also enabled me to share these best practices with the team, so we can work together more effectively to create ever more accessible sites.

Q: Has this training allowed you to rethink your approach to web development?

I would say it made me even more convinced of the need to integrate accessibility from the very start of projects, rather than treating it as a final step.

Q: What are the Drupal features that, in your opinion, facilitate or complicate the integration of accessibility?

Drupal definitely has strong assets: a solid HTML structure, modules like Skip to Content that make things easier… But you need to be careful with some contributed modules, which do not always comply with standards. The real challenge, in my view, remains ensuring consistency across all project components, from UX and UI design, right through to the front and back end.

Q: Can you tell us about the tools or frameworks you use daily to ensure a website’s accessibility?

I use several tools and techniques. Stylus lets me apply custom styles to test element visibility and adjust contrast or text size according to accessibility criteria. 

I also use JSON test files to check link accessibility on pages, validating their structure so they are properly interpreted by assistive technologies. 

I also use Heading Maps to analyze heading hierarchy and logic. This is essential for keyboard navigation and screen readers. 

And of course, I run tests with VoiceOver to make sure the user experience is optimal with assistive technologies. It’s essential to understand how people who rely on them perceive the site.

Q: What are the most common mistakes you notice regarding accessibility?

There are several:

• Menus: Very often poorly configured, they’re not accessible via keyboard. This creates a real barrier for users with motor impairments, who cannot navigate without using a mouse.
• Empty or poorly labeled links: It’s common for links to lack descriptive text or for ARIA attributes to be misconfigured. This makes navigation confusing and complicates the experience for users of assistive technologies.
• Heading hierarchy: A poorly organized or nonexistent heading hierarchy makes keyboard navigation more difficult and exploring a page tedious for everyone.
• Images containing information : Images that contain information are sometimes missing alternative text (alt tag). This makes their content invisible to screen reader users. Every informative image should always be accompanied by a clear and relevant description. For example, the image below illustrating the process of obtaining digital accessibility certification contains information. To have it described by a screen reader, the following alternative text should be provided: 

"Four-panel comic strip illustrating the steps to get an accessibility certificate. A person takes accessibility training, focused at their computer. They take a mock exam. They take the final exam. They celebrate their success, proudly holding their accessibility certificate."

Q: What advice would you give to someone leading a web project?

The best advice I could give is not to wait before thinking about accessibility. It's something to integrate from the start, not something you patch on at the end just to "do things right".

Then, choose the right tools: a good CMS and plugins that meet accessibility standards are fundamental. Drupal is clearly a very good choice. You can check out our projects as proof. JobToMove, for example, the job site we just redesigned for ANFA, achieved a 92% compliance score with the RGAA.

You also need to structure your content properly: a clear heading hierarchy, effective visual contrast, and don’t forget mobile compatibility. Everyone uses their phone nowadays, so it needs to work everywhere.

And finally, it’s a team effort. Everyone needs to be aware: designers, developers, writers…