Accessibility glossary

Short for accessibility: the letter a, then 11 letters, then y. Designers and developers use it in hashtags, code and tool names. It means exactly the same as the full word.

Also called: digital accessibility, web accessibility

Making a website, app or store usable by people with disabilities, including people who are blind, deaf, have low vision, limited movement or cognitive disabilities. On the web it is usually called digital or web accessibility, and it is measured against WCAG. Good accessibility also makes a store easier for everyone else.

Start with what WCAG is and how it is organized.

A structured review of a site against a standard, usually WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 level AA. A useful audit mixes automated scans with manual testing by keyboard and screen reader. It ends with a list of issues, each tied to a WCAG success criterion and a page.

See how an accessibility audit of a Shopify store works.

A document that says how a product meets an accessibility standard, criterion by criterion. It is usually written on the VPAT template: once the VPAT is filled in with test results, it is called an ACR. Shopify publishes ACRs for some of its own products, such as checkout and the Dawn theme.

Read what Shopify's own accessibility reports cover.

Also called: accessibility widget

A script, often shown as a floating button, that tries to fix accessibility problems by changing a page in the shopper's browser. Many disabled users and accessibility experts say overlays do not fix the underlying code and can get in the way of their own tools. In April 2025 the FTC approved a final order requiring overlay vendor accessiBe to pay $1 million over claims that its widget could make any website meet WCAG.

Read why we do not sell an overlay widget.

A public page that says what standard a site aims to meet, which problems are known, and how people can report a barrier or get help another way. Some laws, including the European Accessibility Act, ask businesses to publish information like this. An honest statement describes work in progress, not a promise.

Write one with the free accessibility statement generator.

WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.3.8 (level AA). Logging in must not depend on a memory or puzzle test unless there is another way or some help. In practice: let password managers fill in fields, allow paste, and do not make shoppers retype a code from memory.

Also called: ACA

A federal Canadian law from 2019 (S.C. 2019, c. 10) that aims for a Canada without barriers on or before January 1, 2040. It covers the federal government and federally regulated businesses, such as banks, airlines and telecom companies. An ordinary online store usually falls under provincial rules instead.

See Canadian accessibility laws for online stores.

The name a screen reader announces for a link, button or form field. It comes from the visible text, the alt text of an image inside it, a form label or an aria-label. A cart icon button with no accessible name is read as just button.

Also called: ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act

A US civil rights law passed in 1990. Title III covers businesses open to the public, and the US Justice Department says this includes their websites. The ADA names no technical standard for private business websites, so courts and settlements usually point to WCAG.

Read what the ADA means for online stores.

Also called: alternative text, alt attribute

A short written description of an image, stored in its alt attribute. Screen readers read it aloud, and browsers show it when the image fails to load. It covers WCAG 1.1.1, Non-text content. Purely decorative images get empty alt text (alt="") so screen readers skip them.

See alt text examples for product images.

Also called: Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. Under its Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation, private and non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees in Ontario must make their public websites meet WCAG 2.0 level AA, except 1.2.4 (live captions) and 1.2.5 (audio description for recorded video).

Read what the AODA asks of Ontario online stores.

Also called: WAI-ARIA, Accessible Rich Internet Applications

Accessible Rich Internet Applications, a W3C standard of HTML attributes that tell assistive technology what a custom control is and what state it is in, such as a menu that is open. The W3C's first rule of ARIA is to use a native HTML element instead whenever one exists. Wrong ARIA can make a page harder to use than no ARIA at all.

An attribute that hides an element from screen readers while it stays on screen. Use it on decorative icons. Never put it on something a shopper can tab to or tap, or keyboard users will land on an element that screen readers say nothing about.

An attribute that gives an element an accessible name that is not shown on screen, such as Search on a magnifying glass button. Visible text is usually better. When a control has both, the aria-label should contain the visible words, so voice control users can say what they see (WCAG 2.5.3, Label in name).

Marks an area of the page whose changes screen readers should announce without moving focus, such as Added to cart or an updated cart total. The value polite waits until the user pauses. The value assertive interrupts, so save it for urgent messages.

Also called: AT

Hardware or software that people with disabilities use to work a computer or phone. Examples are screen readers, screen magnifiers, braille displays, switch devices and voice control. A store works with assistive technology when it uses real text, proper HTML and labels.

Narration that describes important visual information in a video for people who cannot see it, such as text on screen or what a product looks like in use. WCAG 1.2.5 (level AA) asks for it on prerecorded video, unless the soundtrack already says everything that matters.

See captions and audio description for product videos.

Software that checks pages against accessibility rules, such as the open source axe-core engine. It is fast and repeatable, but it finds only part of the problems. In Deque's study, automated tests found about 57% of issues by volume. Keyboard, screen reader and content checks still need a person.

Read what automated and manual testing each find.

A test meant to tell people from bots, such as picking traffic lights in a grid. Image puzzles block blind shoppers, audio puzzles block deaf shoppers, and many puzzles are hard for people with cognitive disabilities. The W3C describes other ways to stop bots, such as checks that run in the background. WCAG asks for a second form, using a different sense, when a CAPTCHA is used.

Also called: closed captions, subtitles

Text on screen that shows the dialogue and important sounds in a video. Closed captions can be turned on and off. Open captions are burned into the video. WCAG 1.2.2 (level A) asks for captions on prerecorded video with sound. A transcript is a text version of the whole thing, and podcasts and other audio-only content need one under WCAG 1.2.1.

See how to caption product videos on Shopify.

A disability that affects things like memory, attention, reading, problem solving or understanding language. It covers a wide range of people, from those with learning disabilities to people after a brain injury. Plain words, clear layout, no time pressure and forms that remember what was typed help.

Also called: color blindness, colour vision deficiency

Difficulty telling some colours apart, most often red and green. WCAG 1.4.1 (level A) says colour must not be the only way to show information. An out of stock size shown only in red, or a required field marked only by a red border, fails.

Meeting every WCAG success criterion at a level, on a full page. It is all or nothing: a page that meets every AA criterion but one does not conform at AA. Conformance is the word WCAG uses. Compliance is a legal word about meeting a law, and no tool can promise it.

Also called: color contrast, colour contrast

A number for the difference in brightness between two colours, from 1:1 (none) to 21:1 (black on white). WCAG 1.4.3 (level AA) asks for 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. WCAG 1.4.11 asks for 3:1 for buttons, input borders and icons that carry meaning.

Test your colours with the free colour contrast checker.

Deaf with a capital D usually refers to people who see themselves as part of Deaf culture and often use a sign language, such as ASL or LSQ in Canada. Lowercase deaf describes hearing loss. When writing about a person, follow how they describe themselves.

A letter from a lawyer saying a website is not accessible and asking for money, changes or both, often before or instead of a lawsuit. Do not ignore one, and do not install a widget and hope. Speak with a lawyer and start fixing the barriers it names.

Read what to do if you get an ADA demand letter.

The European standard for the accessibility of digital products and services. Its chapter on web content uses WCAG 2.1 level AA. It is the main technical reference for the European Accessibility Act, and Canada has adopted it as CAN/ASC-EN 301 549.

See how EN 301 549 fits into the European Accessibility Act.

Also called: EAA, Directive (EU) 2019/882

An EU directive (Directive (EU) 2019/882) that has set accessibility rules for e-commerce services sold to EU consumers since June 28, 2025. It looks at who you sell to, not where you are based. Microenterprises are exempt from the rules for services.

Read what the European Accessibility Act means for Shopify stores.

Also called: focus visible, focus ring

The visible outline that shows which link, button or field has keyboard focus. WCAG 2.4.7 (level AA) asks that it is always visible. WCAG 2.4.11 (level AA, new in 2.2) adds that a sticky header, cookie banner or chat button must not cover the focused item completely. Removing outlines with outline: none is a common theme mistake.

Also called: heading structure

Using headings (H1 to H6) in a logical order, like an outline. A product page usually has one H1 with the product name, then H2s for sections like Description and Reviews. Screen reader users jump from heading to heading, so a heading picked only for its size breaks their map of the page.

Also called: Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation, O. Reg. 191/11

The Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (Ontario Regulation 191/11) under the AODA. It holds the rules on information and communications, customer service and employment. Section 14 is the website rule that asks larger organizations for WCAG 2.0 level AA.

See the AODA website rule explained.

Also called: universal design

Designing for the widest range of people from the start, including different abilities, ages, languages and devices. Universal design is a close idea from architecture: one design that works for everyone without changes. Accessibility is part of both, with testable rules behind it.

Also called: Job Access With Speech

Job Access With Speech, a paid screen reader for Windows made by Freedom Scientific. It is common at work and in schools. It reads the page aloud or sends it to a braille display, and its users move around with the keyboard.

See how to test your store with a screen reader.

Everything on the page works with a keyboard alone: Tab and Shift+Tab to move, Enter and Space to activate, arrow keys inside menus. WCAG 2.1.1 (level A) asks for it. Screen reader users and many people with limited movement do not use a mouse.

Also called: focus trap

A spot where keyboard focus gets in and cannot get out, such as a pop-up with no way to close it from the keyboard. WCAG 2.1.2 (level A) forbids it. An open dialog should keep focus inside on purpose, but Escape or a close button must always let the shopper out.

Sight loss that glasses or contact lenses do not fully correct. Many people with low vision zoom the page, use a screen magnifier, change colours or set bigger text. Pages need to work at 200% zoom and at narrow widths without losing content.

See accessible fonts, sizes and spacing.

Under the European Accessibility Act, a business with fewer than 10 staff and either an annual turnover or an annual balance sheet total of no more than €2 million. It must meet the staff limit and one of the money limits. Microenterprises that provide services are exempt from the Act's service rules.

See the EAA small business exemption.

Also called: NonVisual Desktop Access

NonVisual Desktop Access, a free, open source screen reader for Windows made by the non-profit NV Access. It is a good way for a store owner on Windows to hear their own store the way blind shoppers do.

See a step-by-step screen reader test for your store.

Also called: identity-first language

Wording that puts the person first, such as a person with a disability. Identity-first wording, such as disabled person or autistic person, is preferred by many disabled people and communities. Neither is always right. Follow how people describe themselves.

The four principles WCAG is built on: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Shoppers must be able to perceive content, operate the controls, understand the information and use the site with their own technology. Every success criterion sits under one of the four.

Read WCAG explained for store owners.

Also called: reduced motion

A CSS setting that tells a site the shopper has turned on reduce motion on their device. The site should then stop or tone down animation, parallax and zooming effects, which can cause dizziness for some people. Separately, WCAG 2.2.2 (level A) asks for a way to pause anything that moves on its own for more than five seconds, such as a slideshow.

WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.3.7 (level A). Information a shopper already typed in the same process is filled in for them or offered to pick, unless re-entering it is essential. A Billing address same as shipping box is the classic example.

WCAG 1.4.10 (level AA). Content must work at a width of 320 CSS pixels, which is the same as zooming to 400% on a 1280 pixel wide screen, without scrolling sideways to read. Data tables, maps and similar content are allowed to scroll.

See how text size and zoom affect your theme.

Also called: accessibility remediation

Fixing the accessibility problems an audit or scan found. Good remediation changes the source: the theme code, the content or the settings. Then it is tested again and recorded. Hiding problems with a script in the browser is not the same thing.

Software that reads what is on screen aloud, or sends it to a braille display. Blind people and many people with low vision use one. Common ones are JAWS and NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on Apple devices, TalkBack on Android and Narrator on Windows.

See screen reader testing for Shopify stores.

Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act. It requires federal agencies to make the technology they buy, build and use accessible. The revised 508 standards, issued in January 2017, use WCAG 2.0 level A and AA for web content. It applies to federal agencies, not to private online stores, although companies that sell technology to the US government are often asked to show how they meet it.

Using HTML elements for what they mean: button for buttons, a for links, h2 for headings, label for form labels, ul for lists. Assistive technology gets the structure for free. A div made to look like a button is not a button to a keyboard or screen reader.

Also called: skip navigation, skip to content

A link at the very top of a page, often hidden until it gets focus, that jumps past the header and menu to the main content. It meets WCAG 2.4.1, Bypass blocks (level A). Most Shopify themes include one. Press Tab once on your home page to see it.

Also called: success criteria

One testable requirement in WCAG, such as 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum). Each has a number, a name and a level: A, AA or AAA. Laws and contracts usually ask for all level A and AA criteria.

See every WCAG 2.2 AA criterion in plain words.

The screen reader built into Android phones and tablets, made by Google. Users move by swiping and double tapping. Testing a product page and cart with TalkBack shows how your store works for blind Android shoppers.

Also called: tap target, touch target

How big a button or link is to tap or click. WCAG 2.5.8 (level AA, new in 2.2) asks for at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, or enough space around smaller targets. The stricter 2.5.5 (level AAA) asks for 44 by 44. Tiny slideshow dots and close buttons are common failures.

WCAG 1.4.12 (level AA). Nothing may be lost when a shopper sets line height to 1.5 times the font size, paragraph spacing to 2 times, letter spacing to 0.12 times and word spacing to 0.16 times. Buttons and badges with a fixed height are where Shopify themes usually break.

Test it with our guide to accessible fonts and text spacing.

Also called: Unruh Civil Rights Act

California's Unruh Civil Rights Act. A violation of the ADA is also a violation of Unruh, and the law sets minimum damages of $4,000 for each violation.

Read the Unruh Act and online stores.

Also called: voice access, speech recognition

Using a device by speaking, with tools such as Voice Control on Apple devices and Voice Access on Android. People say the name of a button to press it, such as Click Add to cart. That only works when the button's accessible name matches its visible text.

The screen reader built into every Mac, iPhone and iPad, made by Apple. On a Mac, Command and F5 turns it on. On an iPhone it is in Settings, Accessibility. It is the quickest way for most store owners to hear their own store.

See how to test a Shopify store with VoiceOver.

Also called: Voluntary Product Accessibility Template

The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, a free template from the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) for reporting how a product meets accessibility standards. It comes in four editions: Section 508, EU (EN 301 549), WCAG and International. A completed VPAT is called an Accessibility Conformance Report.

Also called: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, made by the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). It is the international standard for web accessibility, and most laws point to it. Its success criteria sit at three levels: A, AA and AAA. Level AA is the usual target.

Read what WCAG is, in plain words.

The current version of WCAG, published on October 5, 2023 and updated in December 2024. It added 9 success criteria, including target size, focus not obscured and accessible authentication, and made 4.1.1 Parsing obsolete. Content that meets WCAG 2.2 also meets 2.1 and 2.0.

See WCAG 2.2 AA explained for store owners.

A new version of WCAG that the W3C is still writing. It is a working draft and will change. The W3C says it is not expected to become a standard for a few more years, and WCAG 2 will not be deprecated for several years after that. Meet WCAG 2.2 now.