The invention involves a system and method for retrofitting a cabinet to accommodate wheelchair accessibility, which employs a retractable shelf configured to expand and retract for concealing and revealing a wheelchair accessible space. In exemplary embodiments, the retractable shelf is situated between the left panel and the right panel and in proximity to a floor space of the cabinet, wherein the retractable shelf is configured to retract and expand to reveal or conceal the wheelchair accessible space. The retractable shelf may include a plurality of panels hingedly coupled together, such as a posterior panel and an anterior panel, some of the panels configured to fold, such that at least one of the plurality of panels folds on top of the posterior panel in order to reveal or conceal the wheelchair accessible space. The invention allows retrofitting of any type of cabinet for wheelchair accessibility.