Accessibility (a11y) is the practice of designing products usable by people with disabilities, governed by WCAG 2.x and legally required under the ADA and EAA. The 11 in a11y stands for the 11 letters between the "a" and the "y". The disability scope spans visual impairments (low vision, blindness, color blindness), auditory impairments (deaf, hard of hearing), motor impairments (limited mobility, tremors), and cognitive impairments (dyslexia, ADHD, autism). The European Accessibility Act became enforceable June 2025. It is one of the most-under-invested-in product disciplines despite affecting a meaningful share of every product's user base.
The WCAG 2.x standard (current version 2.2, published October 2023) organizes accessi...