A very a11y 2026

Some possible ways we can make this year-in-journalism a little more accessible

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At the end of 2025, a few great journalism minds offered insights for the future of journalism. None touched on accessibility beyond a few passing references.

I’ve spent the last five years helping news organizations and journalists make their work more accessible to people with disabilities. When working with them, I draw upon my own experience in daily journalism. With that in mind, I want to offer some possibilities around the future of journalism and accessibility.

These are just some possibilities. In 2026 — and beyond — I look forward to helping journalists and news organizations make these possibilities a reality.

Possibility No. 1

The number of people advocating for accessibility in the journalism space continues to grow. Slack channels, Teams chats, and other spaces dedicated to accessibility will continue to pop up at news organizations. People getting exposed to accessibility find ways to share what they’re learning across teams, and begin chipping away at things they can fix.

Possibility No. 2

Accessibility awareness efforts make way for accessibility action efforts. Teams might not have all the details figured out, and they might have more questions than answers, but the number of journalists of who have never been exposed to web accessibility can continue to decrease.

Possibility No. 3

Recent graduates and early career journalists help pave the way. Each time I talk to journalism students, more and more of them have a sense of basic accessibility needs. As these students graduate and get into the workforce, they can help their colleagues in newsrooms.

Possibility No. 4

Journalism leaders will wonder if their AI efforts can somehow help them make their work more accessible. They will start brainstorming ideas, which can lead to…

Possibility No. 5

Journalism thought leaders, developers, and managers realizing that there is no way to achieve accessibility without any human involvement. The idea of having A.I. take care of accessibility while humans focus on other things will prove to be impossible.

Possibility No. 6

The very real limits of AI become a bragging point for humans in newsrooms. Those who run newsrooms can appreciate that AI can make transcribing and captioning faster, and at the same time, they will realize that there is no way to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines without humans calling the shots.

Instead of considering that a failure, journalists and newsroom managers can view that as a chance to highlight their value. AI might be used as a starting point on some things, but only as a tool, rather than as a replacement for humans.

Possibility No. 7

Journalists and journalism-related organizations can proudly move from talking about diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) or diversity, belonging, equity, and inclusion (DBEI) talking points to actions on DEIA and DBEI.

One such action is making conferences and webinars more accessible. Venues for conferences can be appraised on how well they meet accessibility needs. Conference organizers can look to non-journalism conferences like axeCon and Inclusive Design 24 to get ideas on how to make virtual journalism training events more accessible and inclusive. Sign language interpreters at journalism conferences become not just a possibility, but a new standard.

Patrick Garvin is a journalist by training. He spent 15 years in newsrooms, including the Florida Times-Union and the Boston Globe reporting and creating information graphics, data  visualizations, and alternative story formats. He also taught Multimedia Planning and Design at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is now a front-end developer focused on digital accessibility and UX.

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