Accessibility
TL;DR: The accessibility quality bar every section must meet, explained in depth (not just a checklist) — built in from the start, not added later.
The Accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA) page has the compliance checklist: nine clear, testable rules Shopify’s review team checks. That page tells you the pass or fail bar. This section is different. It shows you the process for meeting that bar every time, for every section you build, not just once before you submit.
What’s on this page group
Section titled “What’s on this page group”- Accessibility Deep Dive: how to build accessibility into a section from the start, and how to keep it consistent across a whole theme project.
Color-specific accessibility (contrast ratios, per-scheme testing) lives alongside the rest of color: see Color Accessibility & Contrast. Font-specific accessibility lives alongside fonts: see Font Accessibility & Performance.
Why this is a process, not just a checklist
Section titled “Why this is a process, not just a checklist”The Accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA) page tells you exactly what Shopify checks, and the bar you need to clear. Think of it as a checklist you can scan quickly right before you submit. This section works differently: it helps you build the habit of making good accessibility decisions while you build each section, instead of scrambling to fix 40 sections in the last week before you submit.
Do / Don’t
Section titled “Do / Don’t”| ✅ Do | ❌ Don’t |
|---|---|
| Check every new section against the accessibility bar as you build it. A keyboard check only takes a few minutes per section. Fixing a whole theme right before submission takes days. | Treating accessibility as something to check only before submission, instead of a habit for every section. Fixing 40 sections at once is a much bigger job than fixing them one at a time as you go. |
| Read Accessibility Deep Dive all the way through before you build your first section. Once you understand the reasoning, most of it becomes second nature quickly. | Reading only the compliance checklist page and skipping the deep dive. The checklist tells you the bar. Accessibility Deep Dive tells you how to clear it every time, without redoing work later. |
| Before you submit, double-check the Accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA) checklist. This section helps you build good habits. That page confirms you actually meet the bar. | — |
Further reading
Section titled “Further reading”- Performance: the other quality bar every section must meet, covered in its own dedicated section
- Accessibility requirements (shopify.dev)
- Accessibility best practices (shopify.dev)