Written by Jennifer Laskey, Melange Magazine, May 15, 2025
Las Vegas, NV (May 15, 2025) – In honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), the Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) Foundation announced today the launch of AI Model Accessibility Checker (AIMAC)—a new tool that evaluates and compares how well coding-focused Large Language Models (LLMs) generate accessible code—in collaboration with ServiceNow. AIMAC provides benchmarks for companies to test and demonstrate the accessibility of their models’ output. By encouraging accountability and improvement in AI-generated code, the project is helping the technology industry drive toward more inclusive standards that can lead to a more accessible world for the 1.3 billion people living with disabilities.
AIMAC works as an open-source, extensible evaluation framework that tests AI models by sending prompts and analyzing the accessibility of the returned HTML code. The framework features fully customizable prompts, making it adaptable to different use cases—from design and layout to semantic structure. The system generates a comparative score to help users identify which models excel at producing accessible code.
“Accessibility must be a foundational requirement as AI reshapes our digital future,” said Joe Devon, GAAD Co-founder. “With AI adoption accelerating, there’s a risk of the industry becoming a ‘winner takes all’ space dominated by a handful of companies. If accessibility isn’t prioritized, people with disabilities risk being systematically excluded from AI’s transformative potential. AIMAC helps address this risk by embedding accessibility as a baseline standard in AI innovation. I’m honored to launch this with my friend and longtime collaborator, Eamon McErlean, whose leadership at ServiceNow reflects a deep commitment to accessibility and aligns with GAAD’s mission of building a more accessible digital world.”
“Accessibility should never be an afterthought. It must be embedded into every phase of the product development lifecycle,” said Eamon McErlean, VP and Global Head of Accessibility at ServiceNow. “While the technology industry has made progress, accessibility was an afterthought for far too long. We can’t let history repeat itself with AI. That’s why I’m proud to launch AIMAC with Joe—a trusted advocate, expert, and ServiceNow collaborator—as we join forces to champion inclusive innovation and ensure AI experiences are equitable from the start.”
Devon and McErlean’s collaboration on accessibility initiatives spans several years. McErlean credits ServiceNow’s progress in accessibility to its strong executive support and critical cross-functional partnerships. Recognizing AI’s rapid evolution, Devon and McErlean saw an opportunity to ensure people with disabilities are included from the start. While many accessibility checkers exist, they identified a gap— a need for an open-source, LLM-agnostic conformance checker with the potential for widespread impact. The pair also co-hosts the Accessibility and Gen AI Podcast, spotlighting key voices in the AI accessibility conversation.
AIMAC is hosted by the GAAD Foundation on GitHub at https://github.com/GAAD-Foundation/AIMAC and receives support from ServiceNow.
About GAAD
Global Accessibility Awareness Day and the GAAD Foundation were established by Joe Devon and Jennison Asuncion to disrupt the culture of technology and digital product development to include accessibility as a core requirement. The nonprofit’s mission is to ensure accessibility is built into the product development lifecycle for technology and digital products.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Laski
jennifer@laskipr.com