Accessibility made even easier: Introducing Nearform’s new modular, Expo-ready React Native AMA

Accessibility isn’t just a feature — it’s a responsibility. According to the World Health Organisation, over a billion people live with some form of disability. Apps that prioritise accessibility:

• Enhance user satisfaction: Design for inclusivity creates a better experience for all users (the curb cut effect).

• Expand their audience: Tap into the $200 billion spending power of Americans with disabilities, let alone other markets.

• Future-proof themselves: An accessible app is more adaptable to emerging technologies and devices, such as voice assistants, wearables, and other assistive technologies.

• Promote brand loyalty: Companies that prioritise accessibility are seen as socially responsible and inclusive, fostering trust and loyalty among users.

Finally, we should remember accessibility is for everyone and isn’t limited to people with permanent disabilities. Temporary or situational impairments — like holding your phone in one hand while carrying groceries — can impact usability. Accessibility ensures that apps work for as many users as possible, increasing usability, retention and inclusivity. With this in mind, we’re proud to introduce the latest from AMA.

What if building accessible mobile apps could not only be easier but also more adaptable to your workflow? In the latest iteration of AMA, we’ve taken the next big step to make accessibility-first development simpler and more powerful. AMA 1.0 is here, and it's now a modular, Expo-compatible version, with new features, updated documentation; guidelines and component checklists, all designed to help developers create accessible, user-friendly apps faster and more effectively than ever before. In the following sections, we dive into what’s new and why it matters.

We understand that accessibility can feel overwhelming to implement all at once, especially for apps with existing codebases. It is often left as an afterthought and we want to change that. This is why we’ve restructured AMA into a suite of modular packages. Now, you can integrate accessibility features gradually, based on your app's needs, without overhauling your entire codebase.

New AMA packages:

• @react-native-ama/core: The heart of AMA, providing the core context provider, hooks and utilities for accessibility management.

• @react-native-ama/react-native: Accessibility-first replacements for core React Native components.

• @react-native-ama/animations: Accessible animations with support for user motion preferences.

• @react-native-ama/forms: Components and utilities for accessible forms.

• @react-native-ama/lists: Tools to create fully accessible lists.

• @react-native-ama/extras: Compound components and hooks for advanced accessibility features.

By breaking AMA into focused modules, we’re making accessibility scalable, helping developers build towards full inclusivity step by step.

Start small with @react-native-ama/core and @react-native-ama/react-native and expand as your app grows.

Expo is now the default workflow for React Native developers — and for good reason. Its streamlined development process lowers barriers to entry, empowering developers at every level. We’re thrilled to announce that React Native AMA is now fully compatible with Expo. This means you can leverage AMA’s accessibility without leaving the Expo ecosystem, making accessibility a seamless part of your development process.

By making AMA fully compatible with Expo, we’re aligning with the trend to ensure that accessibility is as easy to implement as possible — regardless of your framework of choice.

As AMA grows we plan to make use of Expo modules to tackle and improve harder to develop features such as bottom sheets and list accessibility.

Accessibility isn’t just about components — it’s about understanding best practices. We’ve revamped our documentation site with improved guidelines and checklists as well as some updated examples to make it even easier to build accessible apps.

It’s important to note that our guidelines are based on the W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). They are intended for anyone building an accessible app with React Native and are not limited to being used with AMA.

We’ve further condensed our guidelines into a checklist. It explains the intended functionality of specific features or components, so you can easily reach for the checklist when you have implemented your own components such as BottomSheets, tab navigators, buttons etc to ensure they meet the necessary standards.

In addition to Expo compatibility, we’ve added some exciting new features to our 'extras' package to further enhance the library:

• Carousel: Build accessible, swipeable carousels that work beautifully with screen readers and motion preferences. Whether it’s for onboarding screens or image galleries, this component ensures a seamless, inclusive experience.

• Loading: A new component designed for clear, accessible feedback during loading states. Our Loading component and LoadingWrapper auto focuses announcing the loading state for easy drop-in replacement of current loaders.

• useKeyboard: A new hook to better determine the position of the keyboard when animating.

These additions address common UI patterns while ensuring they meet accessibility standards, so you can deliver polished, inclusive experiences.

While AMA provides built-in runtime checks and an accessibility inspector, on-device testing is irreplaceable. Use tools like VoiceOver on iOS and TalkBack on Android to ensure your app works as intended in real-world conditions.

As we’ve made clear, accessibility is a non-negotiable and that’s why we’ve made it easier than ever for you to start your journey to achieving it. Below are some powerful reasons to make AMA your go-to solution for successfully navigating your accessibility journey:

Legal and business impacts

Our guides and components simplify WCAG guidelines for mobile accessibility. With digital accessibility lawsuits on the rise and global accessibility standards tightening, as well as updates to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ensuring your app meets accessibility guidelines can help you avoid costly legal challenges. It also opens up your product to a broader audience, including a market segment with significant spending power.

Incremental adoption lowers the barriers

The reality is that building fully accessible apps takes time. By breaking AMA into modular packages, developers can make meaningful progress toward accessibility without overhauling their codebases all at once.

By adopting our modular, Expo-ready library developers can make meaningful progress to build accessible mobile apps, one component at a time.

React Native AMA provides the tools, guidelines, and components to make accessibility an integral part of your development workflow. Explore our updated React Native AMA documentation to learn more about the updates, and check out the latest version of AMA to build more inclusive apps today. Together, we can make accessible mobile apps a standard, not an exception.

Help shape the future of accessible development by contributing to AMA Open Source on GitHub. Let’s work together to create apps that everyone can use and enjoy.