Designing accessible drag-and-drop interfaces is essential to ensure that everyone—including users with disabilities—can interact with your sortable lists and Kanban boards. You should focus on two main areas: keyboard navigation and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes. By following key guidelines, you will make your interfaces more inclusive and usable.

Start by ensuring keyboard accessibility:

• All interactive list items should be reachable and operable using the keyboard;
• Users should be able to navigate between items with the Tab key;
• Select an item with Enter or Space;
• Move items using arrow keys or other intuitive shortcuts;
• Providing clear focus indicators is crucial so users know which item is currently selected.

Next, apply ARIA roles and attributes:

• Use role="list" for the container and role="listitem" for each item to help assistive technologies understand the structure;
• Add aria-grabbed to indicate when an item is selected for dragging;
• Add aria-dropeffect to communicate possible drop targets;
• Always keep these attributes updated as the user interacts with the list.

Provide visual cues for accessibility, such as visible focus outlines and changes in background color when items are selected or being moved. These cues help users with low vision or cognitive disabilities understand what is happening on the page.

Combining keyboard support, ARIA roles, and visual cues will make your sortable lists and Kanban boards accessible to a wider audience. The following example demonstrates an accessible sortable list that incorporates these best practices.