spent the last week trying to standardize our button and form components across teams. seemed straightforward until accessibility requirements hit. everyone throws aria-labels and role attributes around but i can't tell if what i'm building actually works for screen readers or if i'm just cargo culting.

the disconnect: i can test keyboard nav and see focus states. but i can't experience what a screen reader user actually encounters. same with color contrast. wcag 2.1 aa feels like a checklist, not a principle.

real questions: when you build components meant for reuse, how do you verify they're accessible beyond automated tools. jest-axe catches obvious stuff but misses everything semantic. do teams actually hire accessibility consultants or get real user testing with assistive tech. or is there some mental model i'm missing that makes this click.

i get that aria isn't optional and keyboard support matters. but the gulf between "my button passes axe audit" and "my button works for everyone" feels massive. what am i not seeing here.