Accessibility and internationalization

The web is inherently global in nature, and applications written for it need to support all its users. Text needs to be presented in a user’s chosen language and script, and values such as dates, times, numbers and currency need to be formatted accordingly given the user’s locale setting.

Dojo allows for easy use of message bundles to separate text messages from application logic, and can optionally make use of relevant portions of Unicode CLDR data to support more advanced value formatting where required.

Developing for the web requires applications that are inclusive of users regardless of their accessibility needs. W3C’s accessibility initiative has helped standardize many such requirements, including extra consideration for Accessible Rich Internet Applications.

Developing applications using Dojo’s widget suite provides WAI-ARIA attributes out-of-the-box. While Dojo helps in this regard, it can only do so much - application authors have extra responsibility to validate the level of accessibility that their application provides. It is recommended that an explicit accessibility testing step be included in the application’s delivery lifecycle.

See the Dojo Internationalization reference guide for more information on how to develop Dojo applications for a global audience.