We remember the rule for alternative text on decorative images, right. But is it really so clear what an decorative image is. Sometimes SEO wants us to have alternative text for images that do not directly add to the information. Should we do it for the bots or should we save time for screen-reader users? It depends. As always…
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I’ve seen a lot of discussions on the subject of accessibility overlays that are trying to improve or even guarantee to fix all accessibility issues of a webpage they are installed on. It sounds perfect. You install a script and all your problems go away. But – is it too good to be true?
At the end of the day – an email is just an HTML. But also has plain text version baked into it. And is still using tables for positioning, chances are. So here are some thoughts on how to make them accessible.
Passion for accessibility and empathy helps a lot, but it do comes down to systematic integration if we want that our organization delivers accessible deliveries and products.
Not everybody can or want to use their apps in a single predefined screen orientation. It should be a matter of preference and choice. That is accessibility as well. And we even have it as an WCAG Success Criteria. And yes – it should also be applied to native mobile devices.
Quality Assurance must get their hands on screen-readers and other assistive technologies on multiple platforms, besides understanding acceptance criteria for WCAG and really get the whole accessibility aspect.There is no other way. No shortcuts here.
Today, 5th of February 2021 a decision was made – EFTA member states – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland will start to integrate European Web Accessibility Directive. Another big step towards an more accessible future.
When taking care of accessibility you are actually doing your future self a favor. Or maybe your parents, grandparents or even children!
Fresh news from the Web Accessibility Initiative about the brand new Web Content Accessibility Guidelines that will actually cover much more than just web and mobile this time. Augmented and virtual reality, Internet of things, wearables and beyond are a part of our daily life, so they must also be accessible!
Extremely valuable documentation that reveals some interesting points about future of Web Accessibility Directive monitoring methods, tools and also some less clarified reporting matters. The accessibility statement automatic analysis will most certainly also have a central role and it is worth following on the Accessibility Conformance Testing rules that are the engine of all automatic tools out there.
I read a lot on best practices around implementing accessibility into a tech company – and this post is a simple guideline of mine. It is the first part and I will add my findings and lessons learned when I test the process in real life.
2020 was a special year and not only negative, it was especially positive for the accessibility, both for the world and for me as well.
Is it better to hire external consultants for accessibility assessment or is it better that it is made by the software vendor? I would say that both has its pros and cons and that combination works best.
Night before Christmas – and besides all the usual wishes – I also wish a more accessible web!
I have now evaluated some simple and complex websites, and even a whole banking digital presence and here are some notes and thoughts about lessons learned.
After some practical accessibility statement preparation work I decided to describe some thoughts of mine on the best practices that can be useful for it.
Some thoughts and investigations of mine on compliance and what does it really mean to be compliant. This seems like a simple declaration but is it really so simple?
A link should navigate and a button should do something is the basic idea. Semantics will be rewarded with usability and even search engines will like it, so why break the pattern.
Just a short explanation to all the developers out there that may not understand the need for skip to content links.
It is possible that our website is 100% WCAG compliant and still not accessible to an assistive technology user. WCAG alone is not enough, we must test manually as well.
When in need for a custom widget / control er even basic site element – it is easier than ever before to just get it from the web or maybe even create one from scratch. This post tries to explain what has to be considered.
Scaling down web browser is not enough. We should really test with physical devices and with at least Android and iOS based devices. UI and UX tests are important but so is testing accessibility with mobile screen-readers.
Defining testable conditions on multiple levels will make development and testing more effective. This is when acceptance criteria is useful.
New CSS media query that can enable more control for high contrast mode and what high contrast mode actually is and how it is not only a dark mode
Accessibility team as a team of members of other teams that are motivated to take a proactive role in their primary team – so that all teams can really implement accessibility efforts coherently.
Before we start with a review we should have a plan. We should think of providing real value, not just covering compliance. We should define real goals and lead to real results and improvements.
Today is a big day for accessibility in the European Union and beyond. Still long to the ultimate goal but an important milestone.
Just some thoughts of mine on presenting the case for accessibility to stakeholders
On the long term whole organization should be aware of the win-win potentials when accessibility is baked into organizational culture.
Personal thoughts after my first real session with stakeholders where I reflect on the business side a bit