Accessibility is often treated as a nice-to-have or a compliance checkbox, but what if it’s also a security issue? In this talk, I will make the case that inaccessible design creates more than just friction: it opens up hidden risks. From CAPTCHA barriers that lock out legitimate users to error handling that excludes screen reader users, poor accessibility can result in unsafe workarounds, shadow behaviours, and system misuse.

Drawing from real-world experience building inclusive fintech platforms and contributing to open source, I will illustrate how exclusion can create an attack surface and how accessible design can genuinely enhance your app’s resilience. This is not a traditional accessibility talk; it reframes inclusion as an overlooked security practice.

Key Takeaways

Accessibility gaps create security risks — inaccessible flows often push users toward unsafe workarounds and shadow practices.

Inclusive design strengthens resilience — accessible systems are more usable and harder to misuse or exploit.

Common pitfalls to watch for — CAPTCHA, error handling, and authentication flows often exclude users and inadvertently open vulnerabilities.

Accessibility is more than compliance — it should be seen as a proactive security strategy that reduces attack surface.

Actionable frameworks — learn practical design patterns and audit methods that align accessibility with both usability and security.

Attendees will walk away with strategies to identify accessibility-driven risks in their own products, design patterns that simultaneously improve usability and security, and practical examples they can implement to build systems that are secure, scalable, and truly built for everyone.