The Accessibility Tree: What Screen Readers Hear
How the browser builds a parallel tree from your DOM.
A Parallel Tree
The browser turns your DOM into a second structure called the accessibility tree. It is the version assistive tech actually reads.
Built From Your DOM
The accessibility tree is built straight from your HTML. Good semantics in, a rich tree out; div soup in, an empty, useless tree out.
All lessons in this course
- Tags Have Meaning: Why div Soup Fails
- Text Elements: Paragraphs, Lists, and Emphasis
- The Accessibility Tree: What Screen Readers Hear
- Native vs Custom: When to Reach for a Real Element