Building without barriers: a11y for backend engineers

On Wednesday 20 May 2026, Leeds PHP Meetup returns to AutoProtect's offices on the Leeds Dock for an evening focused on accessibility from the backend engineer's perspective.

Andy Carter delivers two talks. The first, Building without barriers, makes the case that backend engineers are not off the hook when it comes to accessibility. The systems and APIs they build can introduce barriers for disabled users just as readily as a poorly designed UI. Carter walks through real backend scenarios where accessibility decisions matter and shows how to build more inclusive products in practice. The second talk, Toast-mortem, examines toast notifications specifically — how they perform across different assistive technologies, and whether backend engineers should take more ownership of the UX components their users depend on. It is a pointed question, and one the PHP community does not often sit with.

The format is familiar for Leeds PHP regulars: doors at 18:30 for networking and pizza, talks from 19:05, a short break between sessions, and a walk to The Adelphi afterwards for anyone who wants to carry on the conversation. The event is free and open to all — you do not need to be a PHP developer to get something from it. Backend engineers working in any language will find the accessibility discussion relevant.

Leeds PHP Meetup has been running regular evenings for the city's PHP and broader backend community for several years. Events are typically held in Leeds tech offices and sponsored by local and regional companies. This edition is sponsored by Estrato Cloud, with AutoProtect hosting at their South Bank offices at 6 The Dockside, LS10 1EG.

Why attend

Accessibility is a topic most backend engineers have quietly filed under "front-end problem". Andy Carter's talk makes a direct argument that this is wrong, with concrete examples rather than abstract principles. If you have ever shipped an API or a notification system without thinking about assistive technology, this is a useful two hours.

Beyond the talks, the post-event walk to The Adelphi is a genuine part of the evening. Leeds PHP draws a mix of backend engineers, PHP developers and web engineers from across the city. Pizza is provided from 18:30.

Agenda

• 18:30 — Arrive, networking and pizza
• 19:05 — Intro to Leeds PHP and sponsors
• 19:15 — Building without barriers (a11y for backend engineers) — Andy Carter
• 19:50 — Break
• 19:55 — Toast-mortem — Andy Carter
• 20:25 — Tidy up and walk to The Adelphi

Speakers

• Andy Carter — delivering both talks; covers backend accessibility scenarios and a deep-dive into toast notification UX across assistive technologies.