Accessibility Chain

The concept that accessibility must be maintained throughout every link in a sequence of interactions, documents, or systems that a user must navigate to complete a task. If any single link in the chain is inaccessible, the entire process becomes inaccessible regardless of how well the other links perform. The accessibility chain applies to scenarios such as: completing a government form that requires alternating between accessible online portals and inaccessible PDF documents; workplace onboarding that spans multiple platforms with varying accessibility levels; or e-commerce checkout flows that move between accessible product pages and inaccessible payment forms. Identifying and remediating the weakest links in an accessibility chain is critical for ensuring people with disabilities can complete real-world tasks independently.