Steven Aquino, iMore:

Most wireless accessories, earbuds or otherwise, require going to the Bluetooth menu in the operating system’s settings in order to pair and connect with one’s phone. More than being an annoyance, someone with, say, certain cognitive and/or fine-motor conditions may find this process extremely laborious. There is a great deal of cognitive load in terms of remembering not only that you need to pair from within the Bluetooth menu but also remembering the exact steps for getting to the menu in the first place. And certain fine-motor delays can make multiple taps to get to said menu that much more taxing. What’s inconvenient for a neurotypical person can quite literally be nigh impossible for someone with disabilities.

And:

This underscores the beauty of Apple’s model. There is nothing for the user to do when pairing AirPods except flip the lid and tap a button. The technological parts that make this work are cool, but the accessibility advantages are arguably even cooler. You need to pair the earbuds in order to use them, and it’s important to recognize the process is as accessible as the actual product itself.

Great point, great writeup.