a11y

A11y is a numeronym for accessibility, representing the word accessibility with the 11 letters between the first and last letters replaced by the digits 11. In technology and product design, a11y refers to practices and standards that make digital content and services usable by people with a wide range of abilities, including those with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments.

The term originates from shorthand used in developer and design communities and is now widely used to describe efforts to improve usability for all users, not only those with disabilities.

Key standards include the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) published by the World Wide Web Consortium. WCAG defines success criteria across levels A, AA, and AAA and covers aspects such as perceivable content, operable interfaces, and understandable text. Assistive technologies rely on accessible markup and, where appropriate, ARIA attributes to describe dynamic content. Legal frameworks in some regions, such as the US Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508, and the EU EN 301 549, encourage or require accessible digital services.

Practical accessibility work focuses on semantic HTML, meaningful alt text for images, proper form labeling, visible focus indicators, logical heading order, and keyboard navigability. It also includes sufficient color contrast, resizable text without layout breakage, and providing captions and transcripts for multimedia. Testing combines manual methods (keyboard-only navigation, screen reader usage) with automated tools (Lighthouse, WAVE) to identify issues, though human evaluation remains essential to catch remaining barriers.

A11y is an ongoing effort that benefits from inclusive design, early planning, regular audits, and collaboration across product, design, engineering, and content teams. By integrating accessibility into development workflows, organizations can improve usability for everyone and comply with applicable standards and regulations.