Beyond Compliance: A User-Autonomy Framework for Inclusive and Customizable Web Accessibility

TL;DR

This paper introduces a user-autonomy framework for web accessibility that emphasizes personalization and flexibility, moving beyond static compliance to support diverse user needs while maintaining brand identity.

Contribution

It presents a customizable Comfort Mode framework enabling user-driven interface adjustments, grounded in accessibility principles, with scalable implementation models for inclusive web design.

Findings

Supports personalization without sacrificing aesthetic integrity

Demonstrates adaptable, scalable implementation models

Enhances digital inclusivity through user autonomy

Abstract

This paper proposes a shift from compliance-centered web accessibility to a care-driven model that prioritizes user autonomy, using neurodivergent users as a catalyst case for broader personalization needs. While accessibility standards offer a flexible framework, they are often interpreted and implemented as static compliance checklists, our approach reframes it as a flexible, user-centered process. We introduce a customizable Comfort Mode framework that allows users to adapt interface settings, such as contrast, typography, motion, and scaling, according to their individual needs, while retaining the brand's core visual identity. Grounded in psychological and cognitive accessibility principles, our design supports personalization without sacrificing creative freedom. We present both minimal and advanced implementation models with mock-ups, demonstrating how inclusive design can be seamlessly integrated at minimal cost. This approach aims to broaden digital inclusivity by offering autonomy to those who require it, without imposing changes on those who do not. The proposed system is adaptable, scalable, and suitable for a wide range of users and brands, offering a new paradigm where user autonomy, aesthetic integrity, and accessibility converge not through compromise, but through choice.