By David Sloan and Sarah Horton — The idea of developing a “manifesto” as a rallying call and statement of intent for connecting accessibility with user experience was the theme of a workshop we held at the UXPA conference in London, UK, back in 2014. Following some intense and enthusiastic discussion amongst workshop attendees, we produced an early draft, which we refined at subsequent conference workshops and sessions, leading to the launch of the AccessibleUX.org community of practice website. The manifesto defines accessibility in terms of empowerment and opportunity, encouraging a creative, human‑centered approach, where accessibility and disability inclusion are fundamental and essential to professional practice.
We included the manifesto as the epigraph in our book, What Every Engineer Should Know About Digital Accessibility, and we are happy to share it here along with its foundational principles, as a resource on the Know About Accessibility website. We urge you to adopt the manifesto as core to your own beliefs and practices, and share it with peers and colleagues. We can achieve so much, together!
Manifesto for Accessible User Experience
When we examine accessibility through the lens of user experience, we see that accessibility is:
- A core value, not an item on a checklist.
- A shared concern, not a delegated task.
- A creative challenge, not a challenge to creativity.
- An intrinsic quality, not a bolted-on fix.
- About people, not technology.
Principles
The Manifesto for Accessible User Experience is an articulation of beliefs, derived from our understanding of the benefits of integrating efforts towards better accessibility and user experience, constraints we face in achieving these benefits, and actions we must take to address the constraints. The following sections articulate foundational principles that support the manifesto.
We believe…
- Access to digital resources is an individual and societal imperative and a fundamental human right.
- Digital resources can reduce social and economic exclusion; without deliberate attention, they will increase exclusion.
- Attention to accessibility can drive innovation; inattention fundamentally compromises quality and user experience.
- Therefore, we all reap benefits if we collectively commit to advancing accessibility.
- Truly advancing accessibility requires commitment and change, for people, processes, and technologies.
We recognize…
- People’s capabilities and preferences are unique and variable; environmental factors influence accessibility needs.
- Changing organisational processes can be complex and challenging.
- Therefore, universal accessibility must be a goal, not a target.
We will…
- Focus accessibility efforts on delivering quality user experiences.
- Foster a shared responsibility for accessibility on our teams.
- Learn from people with disabilities about their needs and preferences.
- Continuously build and share our accessibility knowledge and skills.
About the Manifesto
The Manifesto for Accessible User Experience was drafted in 2014 by UXPA London workshop attendees Chris Bailey, Graham Cook, Amber DeRosa, Dana Douglas, Yolanda González, Jack Holmes, Sarah Horton, Caroline Jarrett, David Sloan, Jennifer Sutton, Henny Swan, and Léonie Watson, and further refined with conference participants at WebVisions Chicago, A11yCamp Toronto, UX Lausanne, and UX Scotland in 2014–2015. You can learn more about the Manifesto for Accessible User Experience.
From AccessibleUX.org (2015). Manifesto for Accessible User Experience.
Know About Accessibility 