Accessibility Awareness
@a11yawareness.bsky.social
Helping you better understand web accessibility for people with disabilities. Created by @patrickmgarvin.bsky.social.
Automatic captions make it difficult to watch videos because the viewer is forced to decipher misspelled or mistranslated words that appear in a string of text without any punctuation. These can be distracting and disorienting. Always edit your captions before publishing.
November 24, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Automatic captions make it difficult to watch videos because the viewer is forced to decipher misspelled or mistranslated words that appear in a string of text without any punctuation. These can be distracting and disorienting. Always edit your captions before publishing.
If you do business in Canada, you should be aware of these accessibility laws: Accessible Canada Act (ACA), Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA), and Accessible British Columbia Act (ABCA).
www.deque.com/blog/canada-...
www.deque.com/blog/canada-...
What Your Organization Needs to Navigate Canada Digital Accessibility Laws | Deque
In this post, we focus on the different digital accessibility laws in Canada and how to meet digital accessibility compliance requirements.
www.deque.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:07 PM
If you do business in Canada, you should be aware of these accessibility laws: Accessible Canada Act (ACA), Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA), and Accessible British Columbia Act (ABCA).
www.deque.com/blog/canada-...
www.deque.com/blog/canada-...
For screen readers to recognize headings, heading text can't just be body text or normal text that's been made to look bigger and bolder. It must be formatted as a heading. In Microsoft Word and Google Docs, this can be done in the styles box. In HTML, use the tags h1 through h6.
November 22, 2025 at 10:49 PM
For screen readers to recognize headings, heading text can't just be body text or normal text that's been made to look bigger and bolder. It must be formatted as a heading. In Microsoft Word and Google Docs, this can be done in the styles box. In HTML, use the tags h1 through h6.
You don't necessarily need to say "image of" in your alt text for users to know it's an image. Screen readers will announce that it's an image. But it can help readers to specify if it's a hand-drawn image, Polaroid, infographic, screenshot, chart, map, diagram, or so on.
November 21, 2025 at 3:01 PM
You don't necessarily need to say "image of" in your alt text for users to know it's an image. Screen readers will announce that it's an image. But it can help readers to specify if it's a hand-drawn image, Polaroid, infographic, screenshot, chart, map, diagram, or so on.
Automatically updating content can be extremely distracting, especially for users with vestibular disorders or attention difficulties. This could force users to scroll through page content to not see the animation, or to just look away. Allow animations to be paused or stopped.
November 21, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Automatically updating content can be extremely distracting, especially for users with vestibular disorders or attention difficulties. This could force users to scroll through page content to not see the animation, or to just look away. Allow animations to be paused or stopped.
You don't necessarily want to use the exact same alt text each time a specific image is used. Alt text must consider the context of the image and why it's being included on a site, post, article, etc. In other words, alt text depends on where you're including the image and why.
November 20, 2025 at 9:40 PM
You don't necessarily want to use the exact same alt text each time a specific image is used. Alt text must consider the context of the image and why it's being included on a site, post, article, etc. In other words, alt text depends on where you're including the image and why.
Plain language is communication that your audience or readers can understand the first time they hear or read it. The terminology you use will vary depending on the audience. Always aim to avoid jargon when possible, especially when you have a broad general audience.
November 20, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Plain language is communication that your audience or readers can understand the first time they hear or read it. The terminology you use will vary depending on the audience. Always aim to avoid jargon when possible, especially when you have a broad general audience.
People often ask what accessibility considerations to keep in mind when creating data visualizations. For guidance and advice, check out Sarah L. Fossheim's list of 10 things to do (or not do) when designing accessible data visualizations.
fossheim.io/writing/post...
fossheim.io/writing/post...
An intro to designing accessible data visualizations by Sarah L. Fossheim
10 dos and don'ts for designing accessible data visualizations, including real-life examples and resources
fossheim.io
November 19, 2025 at 11:36 PM
People often ask what accessibility considerations to keep in mind when creating data visualizations. For guidance and advice, check out Sarah L. Fossheim's list of 10 things to do (or not do) when designing accessible data visualizations.
fossheim.io/writing/post...
fossheim.io/writing/post...
ANDI (Accessible Name & Description Inspector) is a free accessibility testing tool used by people testing for Section 508 compliance. ANDI can't detect everything, but can find some issues and give some suggestions to improve the issues it detects.
www.ssa.gov/accessibilit...
www.ssa.gov/accessibilit...
www.ssa.gov
November 19, 2025 at 8:19 PM
ANDI (Accessible Name & Description Inspector) is a free accessibility testing tool used by people testing for Section 508 compliance. ANDI can't detect everything, but can find some issues and give some suggestions to improve the issues it detects.
www.ssa.gov/accessibilit...
www.ssa.gov/accessibilit...
If you feel like you don't know what you don't know about accessibility, it can help to follow folks who discuss assistive technology, accessibility and disability. Here's a list of people who post a lot about those.
bsky.app/profile/did:...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
November 19, 2025 at 6:17 PM
If you feel like you don't know what you don't know about accessibility, it can help to follow folks who discuss assistive technology, accessibility and disability. Here's a list of people who post a lot about those.
bsky.app/profile/did:...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
If you feel daunted by the idea accessibility testing and don't know where to begin, this resource from accessibility engineer Rachele DiTullio can help. This includes an accessibility testing spreadsheet, along with guides on how to prepare for testing.
racheleditullio.com/projects/acc...
racheleditullio.com/projects/acc...
Accessibility Testing - Rachele DiTullio
Hundreds of folks have expressed an interest in watching someone go through an accessibility test. I perform accessibility testing regularly and created these resources to demonstrate the process. My ...
racheleditullio.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:35 AM
If you feel daunted by the idea accessibility testing and don't know where to begin, this resource from accessibility engineer Rachele DiTullio can help. This includes an accessibility testing spreadsheet, along with guides on how to prepare for testing.
racheleditullio.com/projects/acc...
racheleditullio.com/projects/acc...
Capitalization affects how people read hashtags or how people hear them on screen readers. Use #camelCase or #PascalCase in hashtags instead of lowercase. You could have #DoctorWhoRewatch ("Doctor Who Rewatch") or #doctorwhorewatch ("doctor whore watch.")
November 18, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Capitalization affects how people read hashtags or how people hear them on screen readers. Use #camelCase or #PascalCase in hashtags instead of lowercase. You could have #DoctorWhoRewatch ("Doctor Who Rewatch") or #doctorwhorewatch ("doctor whore watch.")
Alt text must provide context for people who cannot see the image. Describe the image's context and purpose. Do not write alt text for cute or clever jokes based on visual content you expect users can see. This is an abuse of alt text, as it violates the whole point of alt text.
November 18, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Alt text must provide context for people who cannot see the image. Describe the image's context and purpose. Do not write alt text for cute or clever jokes based on visual content you expect users can see. This is an abuse of alt text, as it violates the whole point of alt text.
A transcript is the only way to make video or audio content accessible to someone who is both deaf and blind. Transcripts can be converted into braille, to be read on a refreshable braille output device.
November 16, 2025 at 5:23 AM
A transcript is the only way to make video or audio content accessible to someone who is both deaf and blind. Transcripts can be converted into braille, to be read on a refreshable braille output device.
Consistent layout makes websites easier to navigate and understand as it helps users learn what elements to expect and in what order. This is especially helpful to low vision users or blind users using a screen reader. It also helps those with cognitive and learning disabilities.
November 15, 2025 at 3:35 AM
Consistent layout makes websites easier to navigate and understand as it helps users learn what elements to expect and in what order. This is especially helpful to low vision users or blind users using a screen reader. It also helps those with cognitive and learning disabilities.
A refreshable Braille display is a device that takes a computer screen's text and generates it in Braille by raising and lowering pins through holes on a flat surface. The display refreshes as the user moves through the screen's content.
www.afb.org/node/16207/r...
www.afb.org/node/16207/r...
Refreshable Braille Displays
www.afb.org
November 14, 2025 at 9:02 PM
A refreshable Braille display is a device that takes a computer screen's text and generates it in Braille by raising and lowering pins through holes on a flat surface. The display refreshes as the user moves through the screen's content.
www.afb.org/node/16207/r...
www.afb.org/node/16207/r...
Some people may be unable to use a mouse, and instead rely exclusively on keyboards, or use assistive technologies such as speech recognition, head pointers, mouth sticks, or eye-gaze tracking systems. If a website is accessible only to mouse users, these people will be excluded.
November 13, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Some people may be unable to use a mouse, and instead rely exclusively on keyboards, or use assistive technologies such as speech recognition, head pointers, mouth sticks, or eye-gaze tracking systems. If a website is accessible only to mouse users, these people will be excluded.
Plain language is communication that your audience can understand the first time they hear or read it. This varies by audience, of course. What is common vocabulary for clergy won't necessarily be common for chemists, attorneys, or engineers. Know your audience.
November 13, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Plain language is communication that your audience can understand the first time they hear or read it. This varies by audience, of course. What is common vocabulary for clergy won't necessarily be common for chemists, attorneys, or engineers. Know your audience.
When creating PDFs, avoid using "Print to PDF." A screen reader user may still be able to access the text of PDFs created this way, but heading structure, alternative text, and any other tag structure will be lost. Using "Save As" or "Export" can preserve these tags.
November 13, 2025 at 3:32 AM
When creating PDFs, avoid using "Print to PDF." A screen reader user may still be able to access the text of PDFs created this way, but heading structure, alternative text, and any other tag structure will be lost. Using "Save As" or "Export" can preserve these tags.
Don't forget to add alt text on Instagram and Facebook, too. When you forget, the auto-generated alt text is not as helpful, complete, or accurate as human-written alt text. A.I. can't know the purpose of a photo. Always add your own alt text on Instagram and Facebook.
November 12, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Don't forget to add alt text on Instagram and Facebook, too. When you forget, the auto-generated alt text is not as helpful, complete, or accurate as human-written alt text. A.I. can't know the purpose of a photo. Always add your own alt text on Instagram and Facebook.
People often blame screen readers for memes or posts being inaccessible. But frustrations with how screen readers work don't let us off the hook. We should still try. Adrian Roselli has a great resource on what screen readers are (and aren't).
adrianroselli.com/2021/10/blam...
adrianroselli.com/2021/10/blam...
Blaming Screen Readers 🚩×5
The title of this post is pretty specific. It relates to the meme on Twitter where users identify a trait or preference that they see as problematic, and identify it as a red flag. The emoji represent...
adrianroselli.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:10 PM
People often blame screen readers for memes or posts being inaccessible. But frustrations with how screen readers work don't let us off the hook. We should still try. Adrian Roselli has a great resource on what screen readers are (and aren't).
adrianroselli.com/2021/10/blam...
adrianroselli.com/2021/10/blam...
People who want to make the web accessible need to understand the many different ways that people with disabilities use the web. This W3C resource offers a good introduction to how disabled people navigate the web, and barriers they commonly encounter.
www.w3.org/WAI/people-u...
www.w3.org/WAI/people-u...
How People with Disabilities Use the Web
Introduces how people with disabilities, including people with age-related impairments, use the Web.
www.w3.org
November 11, 2025 at 7:18 PM
People who want to make the web accessible need to understand the many different ways that people with disabilities use the web. This W3C resource offers a good introduction to how disabled people navigate the web, and barriers they commonly encounter.
www.w3.org/WAI/people-u...
www.w3.org/WAI/people-u...
If a word has some letters replaced with asterisks, this could confuse people. This includes people with cognitive and reading disabilities, and those learning the language. Screen reader users won't necessarily know what the word is meant to be, as it could sound like gibberish.
November 11, 2025 at 3:56 PM
If a word has some letters replaced with asterisks, this could confuse people. This includes people with cognitive and reading disabilities, and those learning the language. Screen reader users won't necessarily know what the word is meant to be, as it could sound like gibberish.
Avoid emoji icons in alt text. Emoji icons are a visual element, so it's counterintuitive to add them to non-visual content. You'll likely confuse people with messages that don't make sense. In alt text, use plain text, free of symbols, icons, or any weird special characters.
November 11, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Avoid emoji icons in alt text. Emoji icons are a visual element, so it's counterintuitive to add them to non-visual content. You'll likely confuse people with messages that don't make sense. In alt text, use plain text, free of symbols, icons, or any weird special characters.
When considering rainbow text, don't forget to consider readability and legibility. Text filled with rainbows can be difficult to read. Same with complex rainbow backgrounds. Putting each word or letter in a different color of the rainbow could force readers to work harder.
November 10, 2025 at 10:45 PM
When considering rainbow text, don't forget to consider readability and legibility. Text filled with rainbows can be difficult to read. Same with complex rainbow backgrounds. Putting each word or letter in a different color of the rainbow could force readers to work harder.