diff --git a/src/reporters/terminal.ts b/src/reporters/terminal.ts
index a82005a5..16a345ce 100644
--- a/src/reporters/terminal.ts
+++ b/src/reporters/terminal.ts
@@ -42,12 +42,12 @@ function renderNextActions(artifact: RunArtifact): string {
   lines.push("");
   lines.push(co(ANSI.bold, "Next Actions:"));
 
-  lines.push(`  → Auto-enforce: ${co(ANSI.bold, `npx @kryptosai/mcp-observatory enforce ${targetCmd}`)}`);
+  lines.push(`  ${sym("bullet")} Auto-enforce: ${co(ANSI.bold, `npx @kryptosai/mcp-observatory enforce ${targetCmd}`)}`);
 
   if (isSeatbeltAvailable()) {
-    lines.push(co(ANSI.dim, "  → This generates a policy AND starts the proxy — protecting you immediately"));
+    lines.push(co(ANSI.dim, `  ${sym("bullet")} This generates a policy AND starts the proxy — protecting you immediately`));
   } else {
-    lines.push(co(ANSI.dim, "  → Already know the risks? Enforce at runtime with mcp-seatbelt"));
+    lines.push(co(ANSI.dim, `  ${sym("bullet")} Already know the risks? Enforce at runtime with mcp-seatbelt`));
   }
 
   return lines.join("\n");
@@ -59,12 +59,12 @@ export { renderNextActions };
 
 function watchStatusIcon(status: CheckStatus): string {
   switch (status) {
-    case "pass": return co(ANSI.green, "✓");
-    case "fail": return co(ANSI.red, "✗");
+    case "pass": return co(ANSI.green, sym("pass"));
+    case "fail": return co(ANSI.red, sym("fail"));
     case "partial":
-    case "flaky": return co(ANSI.yellow, "⚠");
+    case "flaky": return co(ANSI.yellow, sym("warn"));
     case "unsupported":
-    case "skipped": return co(ANSI.dim, "–");
+    case "skipped": return co(ANSI.dim, sym("skip"));
   }
 }
 
@@ -123,9 +123,9 @@ export function renderWatchFirstRun(artifact: RunArtifact): string {
   return lines.join("\n");
 }
 
-/** No changes: header + ✓ */
+/** No changes: header + pass symbol */
 export function renderWatchNoChanges(artifact: RunArtifact): string {
-  return `${watchHeader(artifact)}\n${co(ANSI.green, "✓ No changes")}`;
+  return `${watchHeader(artifact)}\n${co(ANSI.green, `${sym("pass")} No changes`)}`;
 }
 
 /** Changes detected: header + only the changes */
@@ -135,24 +135,24 @@ export function renderWatchChanges(artifact: RunArtifact, diff: DiffArtifact): s
   if (diff.regressions.length > 0) {
     lines.push("");
     for (const e of diff.regressions) {
-      lines.push(co(ANSI.red, `  ✗ ${e.id}: ${e.fromStatus ?? "n/a"} → ${e.toStatus ?? "n/a"}  ${e.message}`));
+      lines.push(co(ANSI.red, `  ${sym("fail")} ${e.id}: ${e.fromStatus ?? "n/a"} → ${e.toStatus ?? "n/a"}  ${e.message}`));
     }
   }
   if (diff.recoveries.length > 0) {
     lines.push("");
     for (const e of diff.recoveries) {
-      lines.push(co(ANSI.green, `  ✓ ${e.id}: ${e.fromStatus ?? "n/a"} → ${e.toStatus ?? "n/a"}  ${e.message}`));
+      lines.push(co(ANSI.green, `  ${sym("pass")} ${e.id}: ${e.fromStatus ?? "n/a"} → ${e.toStatus ?? "n/a"}  ${e.message}`));
     }
   }
   if (diff.schemaDrift && diff.schemaDrift.length > 0) {
     lines.push("");
     for (const e of diff.schemaDrift) {
-      lines.push(co(ANSI.yellow, `  ⚠ ${e.name} (${e.capability}): ${e.changes.join(", ")}`));
+      lines.push(co(ANSI.yellow, `  ${sym("warn")} ${e.name} (${e.capability}): ${e.changes.join(", ")}`));
     }
   }
   if (diff.responseChanges && diff.responseChanges.length > 0) {
     for (const e of diff.responseChanges) {
-      lines.push(co(ANSI.yellow, `  ⚠ ${e.name} (${e.capability}): ${e.change}`));
+      lines.push(co(ANSI.yellow, `  ${sym("warn")} ${e.name} (${e.capability}): ${e.change}`));
     }
   }
 
@@ -168,6 +168,47 @@ const ANSI = {
   reset: "\x1b[0m",
 } as const;
 
+// ── Accessible status labels ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Screen readers either skip the Unicode status glyphs or announce them by
+// their character name ("check mark", "heavy multiplication x"), which carries
+// no status meaning. In accessible mode they are swapped for text labels.
+// Colour is orthogonal and stays on either way.
+
+const SYMBOLS = {
+  pass: "✓",
+  fail: "✗",
+  warn: "⚠",
+  skip: "–",
+  info: "ℹ",
+  bullet: "→",
+} as const;
+
+const ACCESSIBLE_SYMBOLS: Record<keyof typeof SYMBOLS, string> = {
+  pass: "[PASS]",
+  fail: "[FAIL]",
+  warn: "[WARN]",
+  skip: "[SKIP]",
+  info: "[INFO]",
+  bullet: ">",
+};
+
+let _accessibleMode = false;
+
+/** Swap Unicode status glyphs for screen-reader-friendly text labels. */
+export function setAccessibleMode(value: boolean): void {
+  _accessibleMode = value;
+}
+
+/** Whether accessible (text-label) status output is active. */
+export function isAccessibleMode(): boolean {
+  return _accessibleMode;
+}
+
+/** The glyph or text label for a status symbol, per the current mode. */
+function sym(name: keyof typeof SYMBOLS): string {
+  return _accessibleMode ? ACCESSIBLE_SYMBOLS[name] : SYMBOLS[name];
+}
+
 const _argvNoColor = process.argv.includes("--no-color");
 
 function shouldColor(): boolean {
@@ -259,7 +300,7 @@ function renderRunTerminal(artifact: RunArtifact): string {
     lines.push("");
     lines.push(co(ANSI.bold, "What Was Not Tested:"));
     for (const entry of notObserved) {
-      const icon = entry.severity === "warning" ? co(ANSI.yellow, "⚠") : co(ANSI.dim, "ℹ");
+      const icon = entry.severity === "warning" ? co(ANSI.yellow, sym("warn")) : co(ANSI.dim, sym("info"));
       lines.push(`  ${icon} ${entry.category}: ${entry.detail}`);
     }
   }
@@ -272,7 +313,7 @@ function renderRunTerminal(artifact: RunArtifact): string {
       lines.push("");
       lines.push(co(ANSI.red, "  Security:"));
       for (const d of diagnostics.slice(0, 3)) {
-        lines.push(`    ${co(ANSI.dim, "→")} ${d}`);
+        lines.push(`    ${co(ANSI.dim, sym("bullet"))} ${d}`);
       }
       if (diagnostics.length > 3) {
         lines.push(`    ${co(ANSI.dim, `  ...and ${diagnostics.length - 3} more (run with --security for full scan)`)}`);
diff --git a/tests/reporters-accessible.test.ts b/tests/reporters-accessible.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5c7684ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/reporters-accessible.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,167 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+import {
+  isAccessibleMode,
+  renderTerminal,
+  renderWatchChanges,
+  renderWatchFirstRun,
+  renderWatchNoChanges,
+  setAccessibleMode,
+} from "../src/reporters/terminal.js";
+import type { DiffArtifact, RunArtifact } from "../src/types.js";
+import { makeArtifact } from "./fixtures/test-helpers.js";
+
+/** The status glyphs accessible mode is responsible for replacing.
+ *
+ * The `→` in a status transition ("pass → fail") is deliberately not here: it
+ * is prose inside a message, not a status symbol, and reads correctly. Only
+ * the leading bullet arrow is swapped — asserted separately below.
+ */
+const GLYPHS = ["✓", "✗", "⚠", "–", "ℹ"] as const;
+
+function check(
+  id: RunArtifact["checks"][number]["id"],
+  status: RunArtifact["checks"][number]["status"],
+): RunArtifact["checks"][number] {
+  return {
+    id,
+    capability: id,
+    status,
+    durationMs: 1,
+    message: `${status} message`,
+    evidence: [
+      {
+        endpoint: `${id}/endpoint`,
+        advertised: true,
+        responded: true,
+        minimalShapePresent: true,
+        itemCount: 1,
+        identifiers: ["alpha"],
+        diagnostics: ["a diagnostic"],
+        schemas: {},
+      },
+    ],
+  };
+}
+
+function artifact(): RunArtifact {
+  const a = makeArtifact([
+    check("tools", "pass"),
+    check("security-lite", "fail"),
+    check("prompts", "partial"),
+    check("resources", "skipped"),
+  ]);
+  a.gate = "fail";
+  return a;
+}
+
+function diff(): DiffArtifact {
+  return {
+    artifactType: "diff",
+    schemaVersion: "1.0.0",
+    gate: "fail",
+    baseRunId: "base-run",
+    headRunId: "head-run",
+    createdAt: "2026-07-02T00:00:00Z",
+    summary: {
+      regressions: 1,
+      recoveries: 1,
+      unchanged: 0,
+      added: 0,
+      removed: 0,
+      schemaDriftCount: 1,
+      responseChangeCount: 1,
+      gate: "fail",
+    },
+    regressions: [
+      { id: "tools", capability: "tools", fromStatus: "pass", toStatus: "fail", message: "Tool broke" },
+    ],
+    recoveries: [
+      { id: "prompts", capability: "prompts", fromStatus: "fail", toStatus: "pass", message: "Prompt recovered" },
+    ],
+    unchanged: [],
+    added: [],
+    removed: [],
+    schemaDrift: [
+      { capability: "tools", name: "create_issue", severity: "high", changes: ["added required property type"] },
+    ],
+    responseChanges: [{ capability: "tools", name: "create_issue", change: "response shape changed" }],
+  } as DiffArtifact;
+}
+
+/** Every terminal surface that renders status symbols. */
+function renderAll(): string {
+  return [
+    renderTerminal(artifact()),
+    renderWatchFirstRun(artifact()),
+    renderWatchNoChanges(artifact()),
+    renderWatchChanges(artifact(), diff()),
+  ].join("\n");
+}
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  setAccessibleMode(false);
+});
+
+describe("accessible mode", () => {
+  it("defaults to off", () => {
+    expect(isAccessibleMode()).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("keeps the Unicode glyphs when off", () => {
+    const output = renderAll();
+
+    expect(output).toContain("✓");
+    expect(output).toContain("✗");
+    expect(output).toContain("⚠");
+    expect(output).not.toContain("[PASS]");
+    expect(output).not.toContain("[FAIL]");
+  });
+
+  it("replaces every status glyph with a text label when on", () => {
+    setAccessibleMode(true);
+
+    const output = renderAll();
+
+    for (const glyph of GLYPHS) {
+      expect(output, `expected no "${glyph}" in accessible output`).not.toContain(glyph);
+    }
+    expect(output).toContain("[PASS]");
+    expect(output).toContain("[FAIL]");
+    expect(output).toContain("[WARN]");
+  });
+
+  it("labels skipped and unsupported checks as [SKIP]", () => {
+    setAccessibleMode(true);
+
+    expect(renderWatchFirstRun(artifact())).toContain("[SKIP]");
+  });
+
+  it("swaps the leading bullet arrow but keeps status-transition arrows", () => {
+    setAccessibleMode(true);
+
+    // Bullet marker on the Next Actions list becomes ASCII.
+    expect(renderTerminal(artifact())).toContain("> Auto-enforce:");
+    // The "from → to" arrow is prose in a message and is left alone.
+    expect(renderWatchChanges(artifact(), diff())).toContain("pass → fail");
+  });
+
+  it("is reversible — turning it back off restores the glyphs", () => {
+    setAccessibleMode(true);
+    expect(renderWatchNoChanges(artifact())).toContain("[PASS]");
+
+    setAccessibleMode(false);
+
+    expect(renderWatchNoChanges(artifact())).toContain("✓");
+  });
+
+  it("leaves colour formatting untouched", () => {
+    const plain = renderWatchNoChanges(artifact());
+    setAccessibleMode(true);
+    const accessible = renderWatchNoChanges(artifact());
+
+    // Same ANSI codes on both, only the glyph between them differs.
+    const codes = (s: string) => s.match(/\x1b\[\d+m/g) ?? [];
+    expect(codes(accessible)).toEqual(codes(plain));
+  });
+});