Accessibility-first design means building a product so people with different abilities can use it from the start, rather than adding fixes later. That includes keyboard navigation, screen-reader support, readable contrast, clear labels, error handling, and workflows that do not depend on one way of interacting. In cyber security, this matters because security controls only work when real users can use them correctly and consistently.
Poor accessibility can create security gaps: employees may bypass login steps, copy data into unofficial tools, or ask others to handle sensitive tasks for them. Attackers can also exploit confusing or inaccessible interfaces to increase phishing success or hide malicious prompts in AI-assisted workflows. Defensively, accessibility-first design improves adoption of MFA, alerting, incident-response tools, and secure AI features, reducing the chance that usability problems become a risk issue.