Accessibility
Be an a11y.
a11y is short for accessibility.
There are 11 letters between the a and y.
What is accessibility?
Accessibility is a subset of inclusivity. It asks a specific question: can people with disabilities access, understand, interact with, and benefit from this product?
When New York State builds a digital service, it reaches 20 million residents. Some navigate by keyboard. Some use screen readers. Some process information differently. Accessibility means designing so none of those differences become barriers.
What is WCAG?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is a set of technical standards for making web content accessible to people with disabilities. WCAG is organized around four core principles, often remembered by the acronym POUR:
Can all users perceive the content?
Test for: text alternatives, captions, sufficient contrast.
Can all users operate the interface?
Test for: keyboard access, enough time, no seizure triggers.
Can all users understand the content and interface behavior?
Test for: readable text, predictable navigation, input assistance.
Does the content work with current and future assistive technologies?
Test for: valid markup, proper ARIA usage.
How the design system helps
The NYSDS team embeds accessibility into every component. When you build with the design system, you start with a foundation that has already been tested for common accessibility requirements.
Here's what is already handled for you:
All components are fully operable without a mouse. Tab, Enter, Space all work.
Every interactive element has a visible focus indicator where users expect it.
Works correctly at 200% browser zoom with no loss of content.
Tested with NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver across desktop and mobile devices.
Supports Voice Access on Windows and Voice Control on macOS out of the box.
Every component meets New York State's digital accessibility standards.
Using NYSDS components does not guarantee your site is accessible — it gives you a strong starting point. You are still responsible for proper heading structure, meaningful content, correct page-level landmarks, and testing your assembled pages.
Resources by role
Below is a list of responsibilities of resources for each person in the accessibility ecosystem. For even more resources to expand your accessibility knowledge, see our Learning Resources for courses, references, and checklists.
Compliance dates
Don't get lost in the deadline math. Our standard is WCAG 2.2 AA. That's what New York requires, that's our accessibility team tests against, and that's what teams should be building to. For full policy details, compliance requirements, and planning guidance, see our Leadership Guidance.
- January 2027 — NYS Technology Law (STL Section 103-d) requires all State Entity websites conform to WCAG 2.2 Level AA.
- April 2027 — DOJ Rule requires all web content and mobile applications conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
NYS internal resources
The following guidance, tools, and courses are available to New York State staff:
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Last updated: May 28, 2026