Accessibility is not a switch you flip. Framer gives you real tools to build inclusive sites, but the platform does not make a site compliant on its own. The honest picture: Framer handles a lot of the structure, and you are responsible for using it well. Here is what each side covers.

What Framer gives you out of the box

Framer includes an accessibility panel with several practical controls: alt text for images, semantic tag assignment, custom tab order and a reduced motion setting. Used together, these cover a meaningful share of the groundwork that assistive technology relies on. The key is that they are tools you apply deliberately, not automatic guarantees.

Alt text and images

You can add alternative text to image frames through the accessibility panel. Good alt text describes the content and purpose of an image rather than its appearance, so "team celebrating a product launch" is more useful to a screen reader than "people in an office." Purely decorative images can be left without alt text so they are skipped.

Semantic tags and headings

When you create text styles in Framer, they are assigned semantic tags such as h1, h2, h3 or p, and you can override the tag in the accessibility panel. Framer also offers semantic frame tags like Article, Header, Footer, Nav and Section to structure a page. Keep one h1 per page and let headings descend in a logical order, since that outline is how many users navigate.

Tab order, ARIA and reduced motion

Framer lets you set a custom tab order, which is useful for guiding keyboard users to primary actions in a sensible sequence. You can add ARIA labels to give elements a clear accessible name when visible text or alt text is not enough, for example an icon-only button. The reduced motion setting disables parallax, transform and layout animations for visitors who prefer less motion, which is an easy win if your design leans on movement.

What Framer does not do for you

This is the part worth being clear about. Framer supports accessibility, but it does not guarantee WCAG compliance by itself. You still need meaningful link text, correct form labels, sufficient colour contrast, sensible alt text and a logical keyboard path. Contrast in particular is a design decision you have to check yourself, for example with a tool like Lighthouse in Chrome. Treat the platform as a strong foundation and test with a keyboard and a screen reader before you call it done.

If accessibility is a requirement rather than a nice to have, it pays to build it in from the first layout rather than retrofit it. Book a discovery call and we can review your site or plan an accessible build from the start.