# Scott Vinkle

> Scott Vinkle is a Toronto-based Accessibility Specialist at Shopify with over 12 years of experience making digital products usable for everyone. Holding the IAAP CPWA certification - one of the highest credentials in web accessibility - he co-leads Shopify's accessibility guild, contributes to W3C ARIA standards, speaks at international conferences, and publishes practical accessibility guidance through his newsletter, blog, and Medium. He's the rare specialist who bridges the gap between compliance checkbox and genuine inclusive design.

- **Role:** Accessibility Specialist at Shopify
- **Organizations:** Shopify, W3C ARIA Working Group, The A11Y Project, IAAP
- **Nationality:** Canadian
- **Education:** Diploma in Computer Programming, St. Lawrence College
- **Known for:** IAAP CPWA (Certified Professional in Web Accessibility) - one of the highest professional accessibility credentials, 12+ years leading accessibility initiatives at Shopify, Co-leads Shopify's internal accessibility guild

## Career timeline

- **2012** — Joined Shopify as Accessibility Specialist (12+ years tenure)
- **2017** — Contributed to freeCodeCamp Guide accessibility improvements during Hacktoberfest; featured on AMI-audio's The Pulse
- **2018** — Spoke at A11yTalks: 'Creating Accessible React Apps'
- **2019** — Spoke at Pixel Pioneers (Bristol, UK) on web accessibility for developers; published overlay critique on scottvinkle.com
- **2021** — Published 'Creating Accessible React Native Apps' - widely cited in the React Native community
- **2022** — Spoke at axe-con (Deque) and Inclusive Design 24 (#id24); appeared on Shopify UX Podcast
- **2023** — Published 'Accessibility Advice for Entrepreneurs' on Medium
- **2024** — Published Shopify Checkout accessibility article (March); appeared on Liquid Weekly Podcast Episode 030 (December); published '3 Product Detail Page Accessibility Issues to Fix Right Now'

## Achievements

- IAAP CPWA (Certified Professional in Web Accessibility) - one of the highest professional accessibility credentials
- 12+ years leading accessibility initiatives at Shopify
- Co-leads Shopify's internal accessibility guild
- W3C ARIA Working Group participant - contributing to international web standards
- International conference speaker: axe-con, Pixel Pioneers, FITC Toronto, Inclusive Design 24, A11yTalks, GitNation
- Open source contributor to The A11Y Project and freeCodeCamp
- React Native accessibility article widely cited and referenced alongside official React Native documentation
- Author of accessibility guidance in English and French

## Latest updates

- **2024-12** — Appeared on Liquid Weekly Podcast Episode 030 discussing accessibility at Shopify
- **2024-11** — Published '3 Product Detail Page Accessibility Issues to Fix Right Now' on Shopify Partners blog
- **2024-03** — Published 'How Shopify Checkout's Built-in Accessibility Can Increase Conversion' on Shopify blog

## Links

- Website: https://scottvinkle.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/svinkle/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/svinkle
- GitHub: https://github.com/svinkle
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/scottvinkle

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/scott-vinkle
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-25