Hello Tech, While writing this spec, keep in mind that kicad remains a GPL software package and so must comply with license requirements on linked libraries. Specifically, libraries must be GPL compatible in their license. Basically requires as a minimum at the source for the library is available.
Exceptions to this requirement include libraries that are distributed as part of the standard operating system. You may be required to create an interface layer that communicates over IPC. Depending on the license of the accessibility libraries that you intend to link.. Start small and be sure to list all third-party requirements before digging into implementation details. We can help you with the document once you have a rough draft. Seth Seth Hillbrand *Lead Developer* +1-530-302-5483 Long Beach, CA www.kipro-pcb.com [email protected] On Tue, Jun 16, 2026, 5:54 PM tech <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Seth, > > Great to hear that KiCad is open to the idea of making it accessible for > everyone. > > > That was my plan as well. I've already found a few areas where I think > accessibility could be improved, such as the main application dialog before > moving on to more complex parts of the interface. > > I plan to start small so I can get my feet wet before taking on larger > changes. > > > My initial idea is to expose information about the currently focused > component or any other relevant context to the screen reader while changing > as little of the existing workflow as possible. > > I imagine it as an additional accessibility layer that becomes active when > a screen reader is running. > > > I would also like to keep the implementation cross platform so it works > across all operating systems that KiCad supports. I've been looking at > libraries such as Prism, which provide a common API for applications to > communicate with screen readers. Of course, I'm still in the early stages > of researching the best approach. > > > Any help with drafting a proposal would be greatly appreciated. I'm very > new to this kind of design work, so I'm not entirely sure where to begin. > > > I started thinking along these lines after noticing that KiCad's keyboard > navigation is already quite similar to a mod called Factorio Access, which > aims to make the game Factorio accessible for blind users. > > > I've always liked the idea of making mainstream software work for everyone > instead of building separate accessibility tools whenever possible. I'd > love to help achieve that goal with KiCad so that no one is left out. > > > Regards, > > > Tech > On 6/17/2026 03:48, 'Seth Hillbrand' via KiCad Developers wrote: > > Hello! > > We're happy to receive direct feedback on the usability of KiCad with > accessibility devices. > > Our work to this point has focused on standardizing menus, dialogs and > other elements that exposed to screen readers by default. As well, we have > spent time improving the color contrast between on screen elements. > > You are welcome to propose any additional improvements. I would recommend > drafting a proposal first before coding so that we can ensure that the work > fits with the larger KiCad plans > > Seth > > > > > Seth Hillbrand > *Lead Developer* > +1-530-302-5483 > Long Beach, CA > www.kipro-pcb.com [email protected] > > On Tue, Jun 16, 2026, 3:18 AM Tech <[email protected]> wrote: > >> hi all, >> I am a blind student who is interested in embedded systems and >> electronics and one of the problems i have is designing a PCB. >> initially, I was planning to create A plugin for kicad but then thought >> why not make kicad itself accessible as much as possible before that >> without changing the current workflow. >> From what I have seen so far, KiCad already has many of the foundations >> needed for accessibility. Much of the workflow can already be performed >> using the keyboard, which is ideal. It appears that many remaining issues >> could be addressed by exposing the necessary information to screen readers >> through the accessibility APIs. >> >> I would like to contribute to this effort and help make KiCad more >> accessible for blind and visually impaired users. I would appreciate any >> guidance on where to start, areas that would benefit most from >> accessibility improvements, or any existing work related to accessibility >> that I should be aware of. >> >> If there are developers who have worked on the UI or accessibility >> infrastructure, I would be grateful for any advice or pointers. >> >> I look forward to contributing and working with the community to make >> this work as it would be a huge win for the visually impaired community. >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "KiCad Developers" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion visit >> https://groups.google.com/a/kicad.org/d/msgid/devlist/37ca7278-563e-434c-be2a-bc0f01af0d46n%40kicad.org >> <https://groups.google.com/a/kicad.org/d/msgid/devlist/37ca7278-563e-434c-be2a-bc0f01af0d46n%40kicad.org?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "KiCad Developers" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/a/kicad.org/d/msgid/devlist/CAFdeG-qDc%3D%2B7-X5kbLng0N12RQYytS3JcwTJUE%3D01O62iEMHNw%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/a/kicad.org/d/msgid/devlist/CAFdeG-qDc%3D%2B7-X5kbLng0N12RQYytS3JcwTJUE%3D01O62iEMHNw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "KiCad Developers" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/a/kicad.org/d/msgid/devlist/49f560c7-67b0-4a90-98e7-4a26618aa29c%40gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/a/kicad.org/d/msgid/devlist/49f560c7-67b0-4a90-98e7-4a26618aa29c%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "KiCad Developers" group. 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