Learning Resources

Accessibility is a skill that improves with practice. These resources are organized by experience level — start with the introductory material and work deeper as your team's knowledge grows.

Introductory

Start here if you are new to accessibility or need a refresher on the fundamentals.

• How People with Disabilities Use the Web (W3C) — Essential context. Understand who you are designing for and how they interact with the web.
• The Accessibility Project — Community-driven resource with practical tips, quick tests, and plain-language explanations.
• LinkedIn: UX Foundations — Accessibility — Video course covering accessibility principles for designers and product teams.

NYS-Available Training (SLMS)

These Deque University courses are available to New York State staff through the Statewide Learning Management System. Login required.

• Accessibility Awareness for Editors and Content Contributors — For content authors and editors who write, review, or publish web and document content.
• Accessibility Awareness for Front-End Developers — For developers building web interfaces.
• Accessibility Awareness for Quality Assurance Professionals — For QA teams testing accessibility compliance.

Technical Deep Dives

For developers and testers who need to understand WCAG criteria, ARIA patterns, and testing methodologies in detail.

• Google: Learn Accessibility — Structured course on web accessibility for developers, with code examples.
• WebAIM Articles — In-depth guides on specific accessibility topics: forms, images, ARIA, screen readers, and more.
• WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices Guide — Patterns and examples for building accessible interactive widgets.
• WCAG 2.2 Quick Reference — The filterable, practical version of the full guidelines. Use this for day-to-day reference.
• WCAG 2.2 Full Guidelines — The complete specification. Reference this when you need precise compliance language.

Checklists

Use these to assess and track compliance progress.

• Evaluating Web Accessibility Overview (W3C WAI) — W3C's framework for planning and conducting accessibility evaluations.
• A11Y Project Checklist — Practical checklist mapped to WCAG criteria. Good for development teams doing self-assessments.
• WUHCAG WCAG Checklists — Organized by WCAG level (A, AA, AAA) with plain-language explanations of each criterion.

Role-Specific Resources

Looking for guidance tailored to your role?

• Developers — See Accessibility for Developers for tools, testing techniques, and coding guidance.
• Content creators — See Accessibility for Content Creators for plain language, document accessibility, and multimedia guidance.
• Leadership and procurement — See Accessibility for Leadership for compliance deadlines, policy details, and RFP language.