I used to approach web accessibility by memorising WCAG guidelines and ticking boxes during audits.
This gave me a quick way to spot obvious problems. It's still a valid approach, one that I suspect many still rely on today. And it's better than nothing.
The standards don't change that often, so you might think, what the heck. But tech changes constantly. Browsers add new features, designs get updated and user needs evolve.
Your memorised checklist becomes outdated fast.
When you rely on memorising information through repetition without really understanding what it means or why it works, you miss the bigger picture.
You might fix a missing alt text and create a navigation structure that confuses screen reader users. You could add proper headings and ignore colour contrast issues that affect people with visual impairments.
Understanding the principles behind accessibility guidelines changes everything.
When I realised this, I started thinking about how real people actually use websites. Someone navigating with a keyboard. Someone who can't see colour differences. Someone using voice commands.
This deeper knowledge still helps me make better decisions during audits. Instead of just checking whether forms have labels, I consider whether those labels actually make sense. Instead of counting heading levels, I think about whether the content flows logically.
And when new accessibility requirements emerge or technology shifts, I won't be scrambling to learn new rules. I'll already understand why these guidelines exist and how to apply that thinking to whatever comes next.
The fundamentals don't change, even when the specifics do.