The fastest way to lose trust in a design system is to ship inaccessible primitives. Teams usually bolt audits onto the end of a sprint, but sustained accessibility emerges when it becomes part of the component lifecycle.
Begin with semantic scaffolding
Foundational components should default to semantic HTML—<button>, <nav>, <header>—with escape hatches for rare scenarios. Avoid div soup by codifying lint rules that disallow interactive roles on non-interactive elements.
Encode expectations as tests
Pair Storybook stories with axe-core or jest-axe. Each component gain should include an accessibility snapshot so regressions surface during CI rather than usability testing.
Teach through documentation patterns
Accessibility thrives when the system demonstrates best practice. Provide copy-ready aria patterns, keyboard interaction tables, and screen reader transcripts in your docs. The design system becomes the facilitator, not the gatekeeper.
Accessibility is an ongoing investment. Embedding it within the design system’s guardrails keeps momentum high while protecting users who rely on assistive technology every day.