This year at UXDX in New York City, accessiBe had one clear mission: bring accessibility to the main stage.
Just days before Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), the accessiBe team headed to New York City for the UXDX USA conference, an event focused on product design, UX design, engineering, and development. It was a powerful opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and learn from one another.
On May 12, accessiBe’s VP Design & Experience Haim Azoulay and Senior Web Accessibility Consultant Rina Volovich, a Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA), led a hands-on workshop to guide teams on how to embed accessibility across the entire product lifecycle. Then, on May 14, they took the main stage to share proven processes for scaling accessibility across fast-moving teams.
The timing couldn’t have been better. GAAD is all about raising awareness for digital inclusion, and this event brought together hundreds of professionals to learn about creating better user experiences for everyone.
From main stage to mainstream
One of the team’s biggest takeaways from UXDX was the noticeable shift in awareness of web accessibility, and accessibility in general.
Teams are no longer asking if accessibility matters. They’re asking how to do it well. The conversations focused on how to integrate accessibility into sprints, design systems, dev handoffs, and scaling growth.
“We were fortunate to have a full room of engaged, thoughtful participants who showed genuine curiosity and enthusiasm for building more inclusive digital experiences - the level of interest in operationalizing accessibility across the product lifecycle was truly encouraging!”
- Rina Volovich, Senior Web Accessibility Consultant and CPWA.
Over the course of three days, participants from global companies including Microsoft, Spotify, Squarespace, and Uber shared how they are prioritizing accessibility across disciplines and departments to ensure a better customer experience. There was deep curiosity around how accessibility impacts product quality, user trust, and long-term business sustainability. And that’s a conversation we’re eager to keep having.
As Haim shared during his talk:
“Accessibility isn’t a feature. It’s a responsibility, and an opportunity to build better products for everyone.”
What businesses are starting to understand
For too long, accessibility has been viewed through a compliance lens. But at UXDX, we saw what happens when that narrative expands to include accessibility as a matter of social responsibility. The businesses that understand this are the ones setting themselves apart.
When teams embed accessibility early, during research, wireframes, design reviews, and QA, it results in cleaner code, better UX, and broader reach. In other words, it improves the experience at every stage of the product lifecycle, and ultimately creates a better product for the users too.
More digital agencies, creative studios, and SaaS companies are asking the same question: How can we embed accessibility into our culture, not just treat it as a legal requirement?
Why we attended UXDX
Being at UXDX during the same week as GAAD was intentional.
Global Accessibility Awareness Day is a time to elevate the conversation around digital access, but real change requires more than a single day of awareness. Our goal at UXDX was to engage the design and product community in a real, practical way so they leave not just inspired by the benefits of accessibility, but equipped to implement the first steps.
The truth is, if designers and developers don’t understand accessibility, they unintentionally exclude people with disabilities, and the web can’t evolve unless it’s inclusive.
That’s why we’ll keep showing up, sharing our expertise, and helping teams operationalize accessibility across every stage of the product lifecycle—from ideation to launch.
Creating stunning and accessible designs
We’re keeping the momentum. To continue the conversation from UXDX and to drive customer value for GAAD, our VP of Design & Experience, Haim Azoulay, co-hosted a live webinar with accessiBe’s Community Relations Manager, Josh Basile.
The webinar, titled “How to create stunning and accessible designs made for everyone”, broke down real-world strategies for building accessible digital experiences without sacrificing aesthetics, creativity, or innovation.
Whether you're a designer, developer, or marketer, this webinar is a powerful next step for teams looking to operationalize accessibility across their product workflows.
