Accessibility
A quality standard for digital experiences: people with disabilities should be able to perceive, understand, navigate, and complete tasks with comparable independence.
Overview
Accessibility is the practice of designing and evaluating digital experiences so disabled people can use them effectively in real contexts, not just pass a checklist.
Why It Matters
If accessibility is treated as a vague opinion, teams ship barriers and cannot defend quality claims. Shared definitions help teams make accountable decisions.
What to Look For
- Can people complete the primary task with a keyboard only?
- Is critical information still clear at 200% zoom and in high-contrast conditions?
- Are labels, instructions, and error messages explicit and persistent?
- Do findings cite a source of authority, not only intuition or AI output?
Standards & Guidance
- WCAG gives technical conformance criteria that can support evidence.
- Institutional and legal requirements determine accountability context.
- No single source answers every accessibility question; triangulate evidence.
Authoritative Resources
WCAG Overview
W3C
How to Meet WCAG 2: Quick Reference
W3C
WCAG 2.2
W3C
Understanding WCAG 2.2
W3C
Understanding Conformance
W3C
Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Government Entities
U.S. Department of Justice
Web Accessibility Guidance
ADA.gov
Section 504
Federal Source (verify)
Digital Accessibility Policy
UConn
UConnAccessibility Policy Procedures
UConn