Software Accessibility Standards

📣 Accessibility Professionals, Bookmark This. My good friend Natalie MacLees from AAArdvark Accessibility just launched something the entire accessibility community has been asking for: 🔍 WCAG in Plain English https://lnkd.in/gYGUM8vR This site breaks down each WCAG success criterion into straightforward, human-readable language; designed specifically for accessibility professionals, content creators, designers, developers, and educators. No jargon. No gatekeeping. Just clarity, context, and community-forward accessibility. ✨ Why it matters: Helps bridge the gap between standards and implementation Makes WCAG digestible for teams outside of dev Encourages shared understanding and accountability Supports real-world conformance, not just checkbox compliance 🙌 Please support Natalie’s work by exploring, bookmarking, and sharing this essential resource. #Accessibility #WCAG #InclusiveDesign #A11y #DigitalInclusion #AccessibilityEducation #PlainLanguage #GracefulWebStudio #DesignWithGrace #AardvarkAccessibility #WCAGinPlainEnglish

💎 Accessibility For Designers Checklist (PDF: https://lnkd.in/e9Z2G2kF), a practical set of cards on WCAG accessibility guidelines, from accessible color, typography, animations, media, layout and development — to kick-off accessibility conversations early on. Kindly put together by Geri Reid. WCAG for Designers Checklist, by Geri Reid Article: https://lnkd.in/ef8-Yy9E PDF: https://lnkd.in/e9Z2G2kF WCAG 2.2 Guidelines: https://lnkd.in/eYmzrNh7 Accessibility isn’t about compliance. It’s not about ticking off checkboxes. And it’s not about plugging in accessibility overlays or AI engines either. It’s about *designing* with a wide range of people in mind — from the very start, independent of their skills and preferences. In my experience, the most impactful way to embed accessibility in your work is to bring a handful of people with different needs early into design process and usability testing. It’s making these test sessions accessible to the entire team, and showing real impact of design and code on real people using a real product. Teams usually don’t get time to work on features which don’t have a clear business case. But no manager really wants to be seen publicly ignoring their prospect customers. Visualize accessibility to everyone on the team and try to make an argument about potential reach and potential income. Don’t ask for big commitments: embed accessibility in your work by default. Account for accessibility needs in your estimates. Create accessibility tickets and flag accessibility issues. Don’t mistake smiling and nodding for support — establish timelines, roles, specifics, objectives. And most importantly: measure the impact of your work by repeatedly conducting accessibility testing with real people. Build a strong before/after case to show the change that the team has enabled and contributed to, and celebrate small and big accessibility wins. It might not sound like much, but it can start changing the culture faster than you think. Useful resources: Giving A Damn About Accessibility, by Sheri Byrne-Haber (disabled) https://lnkd.in/eCeFutuJ Accessibility For Designers: Where Do I Start?, by Stéphanie Walter https://lnkd.in/ecG5qASY Web Accessibility In Plain Language (Free Book), by Charlie Triplett https://lnkd.in/e2AMAwyt Building Accessibility Research Practices, by Maya Alvarado https://lnkd.in/eq_3zSPJ How To Build A Strong Case For Accessibility, ↳ https://lnkd.in/ehGivAdY, by 🦞 Todd Libby ↳ https://lnkd.in/eC4jehMX, by Yichan Wang #ux #accessibility

Stop reinventing the accessibility wheel. Standards, patterns, and guidance already exist. WCAG, ARIA, ISO, plus decades of lived experience from disabled people, have spec'ed out what works and what doesn’t. The problem isn’t the absence of accessible frameworks or design systems. The problem is that too many organizations treat accessibility like a novel experiment and an opportunity to do something splashy or unique rather than following the body of knowledge we already have. Sign language gloves, anyone? Don't waste time and money on one-off “innovations” and tool integrations that don't do what they claim Do focus on consistent implementation, testing with disabled users, maintaining internal accountability, and improving your accessibility maturity. That’s how you build products and services that are actually disability inclusive, instead of just trying to be disability inclusive. Where have you seen teams overcomplicate accessibility instead of applying what’s already proven? #Accessibility #Disability #WCAG #A11y

If you're building websites for government agencies in the US, we need to talk about April 2026. Title II of the ADA requires state and local governments to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards for all digital content - websites, mobile apps, PDFs, and anything provided through vendors or contractors. The deadlines are clear: • April 24, 2026 - Public entities serving 50,000+ people • April 26, 2027 - Smaller entities and special district governments I've heard some chatter about whether this regulation will be enforced under the current administration. Here's what I need you to know: the regulation itself remains in effect, and the real legal risk comes from private lawsuits, not federal enforcement. The Department of Justice guidance makes this clear - individuals don't need to file complaints with any federal agency before taking non-compliant organizations to court. Your government clients could face lawsuits directly from citizens and advocacy organizations if they miss these deadlines. What happens when agencies don't comply? • Private lawsuits and court-ordered fixes • Costly settlements with strict timelines • Potential loss of federal funding • Ongoing third-party oversight and monitoring Your government clients are counting on you to guide them through this. They may not know what WCAG 2.1 AA means. They may not realize that compliance isn't a one-time checkbox - it requires ongoing audits, fixes, and documented progress. If you work with cities, counties, school districts, transit agencies, public libraries, or state departments, now is the time to start these conversations. Build accessibility into every project from the start. April 2026 sounds far away. It's not. Note: I'm not a lawyer, and this isn't legal advice - but the regulatory landscape is clear enough that your government clients need to take action now. What questions are you hearing from government clients about this? #Accessibility #ADA #WebDevelopment #WCAG

Accessibility is not a choice, it's our responsibility. New accessibility requirements in the US are making it even more urgent for teams to educate themselves about what they can do to meet the needs of people with disabilities. → WCAG Guidelines should be familiar to modern product teams, so what's new about these requirements? → Accessibility audits on older sites might reveal an iceberg of issues. When do teams need to be ready to meet the updated guidelines? → The internet is a big place. Do these new requirements apply to everyone or are they focused on specific websites and services? 📚 I spent some time digging around ADA.gov to learn what these new requirements mean for designers and product teams. Take the deep dive yourself when you have a chance: https://lnkd.in/gxCuvX6V 1️⃣ What: ADA Title II states that all state and local government websites need to meet the WCAG 2.1 Level A or AA accessibility guidelines. The new law will make sure that all public services are accessible to people with disabilities, including all programs, and activities offered online and through mobile apps. 2️⃣ When: It turns out the timeline for implementation is flexible based on the size of the local populations served. Jurisdictions with populations over 50K have two years while those with less than 50K have three years, with everyone needing to be compliant by 2027. 3️⃣ Who: It turns out that within state and local government, this includes not only municipal bodies such as state and local city departments but also entities like public schools, museums, and libraries. The last big note is that third-party software vendors and contractors who serve these entities are also on the hook (that probably means you too!) 💎 As much as that might sound daunting, there are things you can start doing right now to get prepared: → Run an accessibility audit. You don’t know how much work you have to do until you take a look and see what’s really going on. A simple tool you can use to get a quick sense of things is the WAVE tool from WebAIM. This tool allows you to get a page-by-page snapshot of common accessibility issues. https://wave.webaim.org/ → Educate yourself and your team. The contents of an accessibility audit won’t make much sense until you level up your team to be able to process the severity of the issues you have and allow your team to think strategically about what to prioritize. A simple class that I encourage for newcomers is a free class from Google on Udacity. https://lnkd.in/gdCFJ2-C → Get expert advice from a consultant. Exygy has spent years developing our thoughtful process toward accessibility, which includes bringing in people with lived experience to provide their insights and expertise. We balance these partnerships with technical expertise to help you create a strategic roadmap. Get in touch and let’s get to work! https://lnkd.in/gvUwmWVr #accessibility #a11y

Great eLearning platforms don't just happen... they're designed inclusively. Most people overlook accessibility in online learning. It's not just about ticking boxes. It's about empowering ALL learners. Here's how to make eLearning truly inclusive: 1️⃣ Embrace Accessibility Standards ✔️ Follow WCAG 2.1 and Section 508 guidelines. ✔️ Regular audits catch compliance gaps fast. 2️⃣ Design for Every Device ✔️ Responsive design isn't optional anymore. ✔️ Content must work on desktops, tablets, phones. 3️⃣ Leverage Assistive Tech ✔️ Integrate screen readers and text-to-speech. ✔️ Enable voice commands for navigation. 4️⃣ Boost Multimedia Accessibility ✔️ Captions and transcripts for all audio/video. ✔️ Descriptive alt text makes visuals accessible. 5️⃣ Train Your Team ✔️ Accessibility isn't just for developers. ✔️ Everyone needs to understand inclusive design. Inclusive design isn't a nice-to-have. It's essential for impactful eLearning. What's your biggest accessibility challenge?

Monday Accessibility Tip 💡 Use WCAG as your baseline and then aim higher. Title II of the ADA requires that state and local governments, including public schools, community colleges, and universities, ensure their web and mobile content is accessible to people with disabilities. The technical standard to meet this requirement is WCAG 2.1 AA. Digital learning content is a “service, program, or activity” under Title II. This includes digital learning materials. Any and all digital content for learning or training purposes. It also includes digital tools used to deliver instruction. This includes inaccessible content such as videos without captions, PDFs without tagging, or apps that don’t work with screen readers. Although WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the required technical standard; you should aim higher. WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the legal standard, but it’s not the end goal. What can you do? Hire an accessibility consultant. We can help with auditing your current content and platforms for accessibility gaps. We guide you in aligning with WCAG 2.1 AA, and help you reach higher standards. We train your team to integrate accessibility into every stage of content development. What’s one step your team can take this month to raise the bar on accessibility? ❓ Curious where your content stands? Let's schedule an audit and training. Image description: “Accessibility Tip” showing a clipboard with accessibility-related icons: a check mark next to an eye symbol (visual access), a "CC" symbol (closed captions), a speaker icon (audio), and additional check marks. The bottom left includes a logo for L'Etoile (The Star) Education. Icon credit is noted as Noun Project

🚫 WCAG Levels Are Not a Grading Scale There’s a common misconception in digital accessibility: that WCAG levels A, AA, and AAA represent a “good, better, best” system. They don’t. ✅ WCAG levels are not about quality—they're about scope. • Level A addresses critical blockers for access. • Level AA covers common barriers that impact many users. • Level AAA includes enhanced requirements aimed at specific user needs—not a gold star for perfection. 🔍 Not every AAA criterion is feasible or appropriate for every website or document. That’s by design. AAA is not “better,” it’s more specific. If you got caught up in this misconception, I hope this brought some clarity. 💡 True accessibility is about meeting user needs, not chasing a letter grade. #DigitalAccessibility #WCAG #InclusiveDesign #AccessibilityEducation #A11y #UX #DocumentAccessibility #Chax

Why does it seem like accessibility is often treated as an afterthought? 🕒 In my experience, companies wait until audits or legal pressures force them to act, but this reactive approach costs time, money, and damages user trust. Why let it come to that? I’ve seen forward-thinking organizations start to shift accessibility left—embedding it directly into every stage of development. 🌍 From the requirement phase to testing, accessibility checks can now be automated, flagging and resolving issues in real-time. This isn’t just about ticking boxes for compliance; it’s about creating a seamless, inclusive experience for every user from the start. Today’s AI-driven accessibility tools don’t just identify issues—they help solve them. With checks happening within the developer’s IDE, real-time feedback ensures accessibility is built into the code before it even reaches production. 🛠️ This approach saves on manual work, lowers costs, and empowers developers to meet standards like WCAG and ADA efficiently. By making accessibility part of the core development platform, we’re not just avoiding fines—we’re building a brand that prioritizes inclusion and usability for everyone. It’s time to make accessibility a key business principle, not just a checkbox. 🔍💡

Accessibility isn’t a feature. It’s a mindset—one that belongs in every phase of development. Too many teams wait until the end to “add accessibility.” By then, it’s too late. Expensive. Frustrating. Exclusionary. Here’s the truth: Accessibility must be integrated at every stage of the Software Development Lifecycle: • Planning: Include accessibility goals from the beginning. • Analysis: Define inclusive user stories and edge cases. • Design: Use accessible colors, layouts, and UX patterns. • Implementation: Write semantic code and follow best practices. • Testing & Integration: Test with screen readers, keyboard-only users, and real disabled users. • Maintenance: Ensure updates never break accessibility. This is how we build products that work for everyone. Not just some. Let’s stop treating accessibility like a bolt-on. Let’s make it a built-in. Because accessibility isn’t just good practice. It’s the right thing to do. [Image Description: A man pushes a large block labeled “ACCESSIBILITY” into the center of a software lifecycle diagram, symbolizing the need to embed accessibility throughout.] #Accessibility #InclusiveDesign #A11y #SDLC #SoftwareDevelopment #UXDesign #DigitalInclusion #TechForAll #DisabilityInclusion #BuildAccessible Image Description: A cartoon-style illustration shows a man pushing a large yellow block labeled “ACCESSIBILITY” into the center of a circular software development lifecycle diagram. The cycle includes six colored boxes connected by arrows: Planning (red), Analysis (blue), Design (purple), Implementation (green), Testing & Integration (lavender), and Maintenance (orange). The man is wearing a light blue shirt and dark pants, pushing the accessibility block determinedly between the Analysis and Design stages.