Accessible A11Y

What is A11Y?

A11y is an abbreviation for “accessibility” that is more compact for the character limits on social media. The “11” in the middle stems from conventions in software engineering and Information and Communication Technology that shortens long words by substituting middle letters with the number of middle letters instead. There are 11 letters between the “a” and the “y,” so accessibility becomes a11y.

For more on the term a11y, see The A11y Project's quick tip on numeronyms.

Why Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility is the dedication to making the information available on the web available to all people. Web designers, developers, content writers, and more people play a role in making websites accessible. Many people assume accessibility is focused on people with disabilities, but really an accessible website benefits all users. For example, ensuring proper contrast not only makes text readable for people with visual impairments, but also fully sighted users reading on a screen in glaring sunlight.

Getting Started

It may be overwhelming to get started with making your websites accessible, but even small changes can make a big difference. For some simple starting points, check out The A11y Project's Quick Tips, and W3C's Design and Develop Overview for web accessibility.