The ‘Quick List’ of Accessibility Acronyms
Accessibility is full of acronyms, and keeping track of them all can be overwhelming. Whether you’re new to digital accessibility or a seasoned professional, having a reference list can be incredibly helpful. Here’s a collection of accessibility related acronyms, from legal frameworks to assistive technologies.
Ideally where possible we should be avoiding over using acronyms as highlighted in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines under ‘Abbreviations’ success criteria 3.1.4.
General Accessibility & Inclusive Design
- A11Y: Accessibility (numeronym)
- AX: Accessibility Experience
- UCD: User-Centered Design
- UD: Universal Design
- DID: Disability, Inclusion, and Diversity
- E&I: Equity and Inclusion
- D&I: Diversity and Inclusion
Web & Digital Accessibility Standards
- WCAG: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
- WAI: Web Accessibility Initiative
- WAI-ARIA: Web Accessibility Initiative – Accessible Rich Internet Applications
- ATAG: Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines
- UAAG: User Agent Accessibility Guidelines
- EN 301 549: European Accessibility Standard for ICT
- EAA: European Accessibility Act
- COGA: Cognitive and Learning Disabilities Accessibility Task Force
- MATF: Mobile Accessibility Task Force
- RA: Reasonable Accommodation
Assistive Technology (AT) & User Interaction
- AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication
- ASL: American Sign Language
- BSL: British Sign Language
- CC: Closed Captions
- DHH: Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- SR: Screen Reader
- STS: Speech-to-Speech Relay Service
- TTS: Text-to-Speech
- VRS: Video Relay Service
Legal, Compliance & Policies
- ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act (US)
- AODA: Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (Canada)
- CAA: Communications Accessibility Act
- DDA: Disability Discrimination Act (UK, Australia)
- VPAT: Voluntary Product Accessibility Template
Accessibility Testing, Tools, and Development
- ACT: Accessibility Conformance Testing Rules
- APG: ARIA Authoring Practices Guide
- CSUN: California State University, Northridge (home of a major accessibility conference)
- FAT: Functional Accessibility Testing
- POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust (WCAG principles) – SC: Success Criterion (used in WCAG)