Access-what? why and how, A11Y for All - Nordic.js 2025

Even with the European Accessibility Act in place, accessibility should not be seen solely as a matter of compliance or legislation, but as a commitment to humanity and building tools for people. The need for a government directive to force accessible design highlights a deeper problem—one worse than simply lacking a well-crafted application. The aim should be to foster empathy, spark genuine interest, and inspire developers to integrate accessibility into their development cycle because they care, not because regulations demand it.

About the speaker:
Geisy Domiciano
I am a reptile mom and Frontend Leader & Developer with over 13 years of experience in building scalable, high-performance web applications using modern JavaScript frameworks such as Vue.js, JavaScript, and TypeScript. Have led and mentored teams, shaped frontend architecture decisions, and have a strong passion for accessibility.

Transcript

1. ACCESS-WHAT? Why and How A11Y* for all
2. Geisy “JZ” Domiciano o She / Her o Engineering manager @ Rebtel o Frontend developer for 13+ years o Hobby tourist (too many hobbies) o Mom of 2 lizards
4. What is accessibility? Definition The quality of being easily reached, entered, or used by people who have a disability. Numeronym A11Y is shorthand for accessibility. The total amount of letters between the ‘A’ and ‘Y’ is 11 (eleven).
5. What is web accessibility? Means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can “use” them. Perceive Understand Navigate Interact Contribute
6. Who needs accessibility? Visual Auditory Speech Cognitive Physical Neurological
7. And you… Hardware limitations Mobile Phones Smart watches Smart TVs Various input modes Temporary disabilities Broken arm Eye infection Situational limitations Sunlight Noisy environment Connectivity Slow internet connection Limited or expensive bandwidth Age Combination of several of those
8. European Accessibility Act (EAA) It standardizes regulations on the accessibility of products and services, to ensure that people with disabilities, as well as older people, can fully participate in society. Rules were applied from 28 June 2025, meaning products and services placed on the market after that date must comply.
9. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) WCAG 2.1 AA Versions 1.0 2.0 2.1 2.2 3.0 Guidelines by principles Perceivable Operable Understandable Robust Success criteria levels A AA AAA
10. Too much information!!!
11. HTML Semantics ✓ Understand the meaning of each HTML element tag ✓ Respect the content categories and limitations of each tag ✓ Review and implement semantic tags in your HTML
12. Free course: Intro to web accessibility Self-paced course from W3C WAI designed for technical and non-technical learners. Course is free with optional certificate.
13. The A11Y project - checklist ✓ Starting point for validating your A11Y work. ✓ Software, books, blogs, online tools, among other resources for A11Y. ✓ Up to date posts, tutorials and references related to A11Y.
14. ARC Toolkit extension testing tool Accessibility testing tool that gives you the power to quickly and efficiently evaluate screens for accessibility and uncover issues related to the WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA guidelines.
15. WAI ARIA design patterns WAI = Web Accessibility Initiative ARIA = Accessible Rich Internet Application
16. Axe-core npm package With axe-core, you can find on average 57% of WCAG issues automatically.
17. Challenge Enable the native screen reader on your preferred device and try to use your application(s) while blindfolded.
18. Thank you! Develop applications for everyone, including yourself <3