Using Cursor AI to Build Accessible Components: A Developer’s Guide

Getting Started with Accessible Development Using Cursor AI

Accessibility in development goes beyond compliance—it’s about creating a web that everyone can use and enjoy. While ensuring your components meet WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards can feel daunting, tools like Cursor AI make the process more streamlined and effective. In this guide, we’ll explore how developers can partner with Cursor AI to craft accessible React components with confidence.

Why Accessibility Matters

Accessibility is about inclusivity—ensuring your application is open to everyone, regardless of ability. While visual elements like color contrast often take center stage, true accessibility goes deeper. Keyboard navigation, screen reader support, and correctly implemented ARIA roles are all essential to providing a fully inclusive user experience. These thoughtful details aren’t just best practices—they’re what make the web work for everyone.

How Cursor AI Can Help

Cursor AI is like having an accessibility expert right in your development environment. It empowers developers by:

• Analyzing existing components for accessibility gaps.
• Suggesting and adding ARIA roles and attributes where needed.
• Implementing keyboard navigation and interaction support.
• Recommending best practices for screen reader compatibility.

Let’s walk through an example to see how Cursor AI can enhance a React component in real-time.

Step 1: Building the Component

We’ll start with a simple, accessible card component. (See the code example below for reference.)

import React from 'react';
import './AccessibleCard.css';

const AccessibleCard: React.FC<AccessibleCardProps> = ({
  title,
  description,
  imageUrl,
  imageAlt,
}) => {
  return (
    <article className="card" tabIndex={0} role="article">
      {imageUrl && <img src={imageUrl} alt={imageAlt} className="card-image" />}
      <div className="card-content">
        <h2 id="card-title" className="card-title">
          {title}
        </h2>
        <p className="card-description">{description}</p>
      </div>
    </article>
  );
};

export default AccessibleCard;

This component works and has a good foundation for accessibility, but there’s definitely room for improvement. For example, it could benefit from stronger keyboard support and better screen reader compatibility.

Step 2: Enhancing Accessibility with Cursor AI

After building the initial component, you can ask Cursor AI to enhance its accessibility. For example, you might use a prompt like: "Enhance the accessibility of this card component. Ensure it supports better screen reader interaction, adds meaningful ARIA roles, and handles focus states effectively."

Cursor AI can analyze the component and suggest improvements such as better keyboard handling, updated ARIA attributes, and fallback options for missing content. (See the enhanced component code example below for details.)

import React from 'react';
import './AccessibleCard.css';

const AccessibleCard: React.FC<AccessibleCardProps> = ({
  title,
  description,
  imageUrl,
  imageAlt,
  onClick,
}) => {
  return (
    <article
      className="card"
      tabIndex={0}
      role="button"
      aria-labelledby="card-title"
      aria-describedby="card-description"
      onClick={onClick}
      onKeyDown={(e) => {
        if (e.key === 'Enter' || e.key === ' ') {
          onClick?.();
        }
      }}
    >
      {imageUrl && <img src={imageUrl} alt={imageAlt || 'Card image'} className="card-image" />}
      <div className="card-content">
        <h2 id="card-title" className="card-title">
          {title}
        </h2>
        <p id="card-description" className="card-description">
          {description}
        </p>
      </div>
    </article>
  );
};

export default AccessibleCard;

Step 3: What Changed?

Here’s a quick rundown of how Cursor AI upgraded the component:

• Role Enhancements: The role="button" attribute was added so the card behaves like a button, improving accessibility for assistive technologies.
• Keyboard Support: Users can now activate the card with the Enter or Space keys, making it fully navigable via keyboard.
• Improved ARIA Attributes: An aria-describedby attribute was included to link the card description to the element for screen readers, providing more context.
• Fallback for Image Alt Text: A default alt value was added to ensure screen readers always have meaningful information.
• Optional Interactivity: The card now supports an onClick handler, making it adaptable for interactive use cases like navigation or triggering actions.

With Cursor AI, accessibility becomes less about trial and error and more about implementing best practices confidently and efficiently.

Step 4: Testing the Component

Once you’ve applied the accessibility enhancements, thorough testing is the key to ensuring everything works as intended. Here’s how to validate your component:

• Screen Reader Testing: Use tools like NVDA, JAWS, or VoiceOver to confirm that the card’s content is announced accurately and in a logical order.
• Keyboard Navigation: Navigate through the component using only a keyboard. Make sure it’s fully interactive, with intuitive focus states and proper key handling.
• Manual Inspection: Review the DOM to ensure ARIA roles, attributes, and other accessibility features are implemented correctly.

Closing Thoughts

Cursor AI revolutionizes the way we build accessible components. By analyzing and enhancing your code, it simplifies the process of meeting WCAG standards while minimizing the risk of errors.

With Cursor AI, accessibility becomes a seamless part of your development workflow rather than an overwhelming task. Start with a simple component, and let AI guide you in refining it for inclusivity.

Accessible development is no longer optional—it’s essential for creating high-quality software. Tools like Cursor AI empower you to meet accessibility standards efficiently and effectively. By embedding accessibility into your workflow, you’re not just building for today—you’re creating better experiences for all users.