Definitely not, but as the OP wrote, you don't start at the HTML5 spec if you want to learn to make web pages. Learning to use a screen reader and actually test

Definitely not, but as the OP wrote, you don't start at the HTML5 spec if you want to learn to make web pages. Learning to use a screen reader and actually testing sites with it is not only a very important skill to have, but it will give developers more insight and perspective into accessibility. Standards can fill in the gaps, but I believe you still need a 'wow' moment when you feel completely lost on a website.