A 3-Part Series on the digital accessibility of the housing process experienced by people with disabilities. In this 3-part series, we will look at the challenges and rewards of the entire experience surrounding the process of acquiring housing for people who live with a disability. We will look at: Buying an existing home Leasing an… Continue reading Housing, It’s a Human Right (Part 2)
Category: Accessibility
Enhancing Accessibility with AI and ML
There has been a lot of buzz recently about Artificial Intelligence, with some people speculating that we are approaching the long-awaited AI revolution. This hype has been chiefly generated by recent advanced algorithms powering ChatGPT and other language-related models. While I believe that these models are still a far cry from general AI (AI which… Continue reading Enhancing Accessibility with AI and ML
Give Your Site Some Focus! Tips for Designing Useful and Usable Focus Indicators
What Are Focus Indicators? Have you ever noticed the blue outlines that sometimes show up around buttons or form fields? What about when you click on a menu item? Have you ever tried to make those outlines disappear? Here’s a hint: by default, browsers use the :focus css pseudo class to give outlines to form… Continue reading Give Your Site Some Focus! Tips for Designing Useful and Usable Focus Indicators
Why Unique ID Attributes Matter
Ambiguous IDs can cause both your developers and your users a lot of frustration, and may ultimately damage customer relations. A Little Background It’s one of the most common WCAG 4.1.1 violations reported by automated accessibility testing tools such as aXe, and it can cause a fair share of problems for your users. It happens… Continue reading Why Unique ID Attributes Matter
Save the date for axe-con 2024. The world’s largest digital accessibility conference is back.
HERNDON, VA – October 17, 2024 – Deque Systems, the trusted leader in digital accessibility, announced today that the fourth annual axe-con conference will return next year on February 20-22, 2024. With the success of axe-con over the past three years, Deque will continue to host the conference as a free and virtual event. Axe-con… Continue reading Save the date for axe-con 2024. The world’s largest digital accessibility conference is back.
Ensuring negative numbers are available for everyone
This post is co-authored by Michael Fairchild and Jeremy Katherman. That little minus sign before a number is very important. It can mean the difference between having money in your bank account or paying overdraft fees. It can be the difference between a deposit or a withdrawal. Negative numbers can be indicated in several ways,… Continue reading Ensuring negative numbers are available for everyone
Housing, It’s a Human Right (Part 1)
A 3-Part Series on the digital accessibility of the housing process experienced by people with disabilities. In this 3-part series, we will look at the challenges and rewards of the entire experience surrounding the process of acquiring housing for people who live with a disability. We will look at: Buying an existing home Leasing an… Continue reading Housing, It’s a Human Right (Part 1)
Deque Systems Welcomes and Announces Support for WCAG 2.2
Deque Systems congratulates the W3C Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AGWG) members on the official release of the new Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2, which were released October 5 at 8:39 am EST. With more employees actively working to develop WCAG 2.2 within the W3C than any other business, we’re thrilled to see the… Continue reading Deque Systems Welcomes and Announces Support for WCAG 2.2
Building a Stronger Accessibility Community in Europe (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK)
The best way to help someone in need is to extend a hand. You don’t get into the ditch with them. Sometimes, as an accessibility practitioner, the best way to help your organization is to brainstorm with other practitioners to strengthen the entire community. Learn from their mistakes. Capitalize on their successes. AbilityNet and Deque… Continue reading Building a Stronger Accessibility Community in Europe (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK)
Building a Core Accessibility Team: The Keys to the Kingdom
Have you noticed that in today’s digital age accessibility is not just a nice-to-have feature but a fundamental requirement for any product or service? Creating an inclusive user experience is not only ethically responsible but also just makes good business sense. Sustainability in this conquest can be successful or a disaster, depending on how you… Continue reading Building a Core Accessibility Team: The Keys to the Kingdom
How Serious Is Your Design Practice About Learning?
Today I’m sharing a strategic approach that enables your design practice to learn more from the accessibility-related data you already have. I will again skip the “how to” article formula and dry laundry lists of tactical “do this/don’t do that” mechanics. Instead, I’ll focus on helping you think about WHY you should do things differently… Continue reading How Serious Is Your Design Practice About Learning?
Introducing the Next Generation of Mobile Accessibility Testing
If you can run an app in iOS or Android, now you can test it for accessibility with us. Deque’s axe DevTools Mobile redefines mobile testing for digital accessibility for cross-platform apps, such as those built with React Native. It’s the easiest mobile testing solution to install and run. It also provides clear direction to… Continue reading Introducing the Next Generation of Mobile Accessibility Testing
Digital Accessibility As A Self-Evident Right: How US Federal Government Agencies Can Improve Digital Services
The Federal government of the United States was founded on a set of key principles. While there have been amendments and additions to these principles throughout history, it can still be said that three foundational principles are unwavering: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Monumental, persistent efforts are needed to ensure that these core… Continue reading Digital Accessibility As A Self-Evident Right: How US Federal Government Agencies Can Improve Digital Services
Accessibility of the Button: Should We Fix It or the Root Cause Problem?
Let me tell you a story along the lines of…Button, Button, Who’s Got The Button? Typical “how to” articles are dry laundry lists of tactical “do this/don’t do that” mechanics that do nothing to help you think about WHY you should do things differently. Today, I’m going to share a more strategic accessible design approach… Continue reading Accessibility of the Button: Should We Fix It or the Root Cause Problem?
Toggles suck!
The cookie monster It all started when I wanted to find the best price for a new headset that I needed to perform my online courses for our clients. I went to www.pricerunner.com but I got interrupted by a cookie popup. Knowing that free websites use a lot of dark patterns and tricks to make… Continue reading Toggles suck!
Accessibility Legislation & Regulation Roundup – A LOT Happened in Just July
A lot is happening in the US legislative and international regulatory space right now around accessibility. Not surprisingly, many of these actions were timed to the US’ ADA anniversary. It can be overwhelming. Here are some of the things my colleagues and I are monitoring for you right now and our take on what they… Continue reading Accessibility Legislation & Regulation Roundup – A LOT Happened in Just July
What it takes to avoid an ADA lawsuit, 33rd-anniversary edition
With the number of digital accessibility lawsuits in 2023 on the rise, it begs the question, “Do I really need to consider the needs of 1 in 4 Americans when it comes to their ability to do business with me?” The increasing litigation says yes. Let’s take a look at how you can minimize your… Continue reading What it takes to avoid an ADA lawsuit, 33rd-anniversary edition
Almost Ready! WCAG 2.2 is one small step away from being officially done!
A new version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is almost ready. WCAG 2.2 should be finalized in August 2023. This is a minor version update. If you are already familiar with WCAG 2.0 and/or 2.1, you probably have a number of questions. And we’ve got up-to-date answers! Why isn’t WCAG 2.2 ready yet?… Continue reading Almost Ready! WCAG 2.2 is one small step away from being officially done!
What Your Organization Needs to Navigate Canada Digital Accessibility Laws
A comprehensive guide to understanding digital accessibility requirements in Canada Digital accessibility is an integral aspect of equality and inclusivity, providing the same opportunity for all in the modern, digital world. In recognition of this, Canadian federal and provincial governments have implemented various legislative acts to ensure that individuals with disabilities have digital access without… Continue reading What Your Organization Needs to Navigate Canada Digital Accessibility Laws
WWDC 2023 Accessibility Goodies for Developers
This year, Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) was a big deal! Among the many announcements this year, Apple introduced the new Apple Vision Pro headset which has arguably and understandably stolen the show this year. Although Vision Pro may be the big talk of the town post-WWDC, there was also a myriad of exciting… Continue reading WWDC 2023 Accessibility Goodies for Developers
Consumer Duty Implies Digital Accessibility: Are you ready for the deadline?
On July 31, 2023, the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) new Consumer Duty policy comes into force in the United Kingdom (UK). This sets higher and clearer standards of consumer protection across financial services and requires firms to put their customers’ needs first. It applies to all firms in the distribution chain for products and services… Continue reading Consumer Duty Implies Digital Accessibility: Are you ready for the deadline?
An Introductory Guide to Understanding Cognitive Disabilities
“For most people, technology makes things easier. But for people with disabilities, technology makes things possible” – Mary Pat Radabaugh By Glenda Sims and Jennie Delisi Think about the last time you hit “Snooze” on your phone’s alarm. Do you even remember pressing the button? Chances are you successfully went back to sleep for another… Continue reading An Introductory Guide to Understanding Cognitive Disabilities
My Perspective on Apple Live Speech as a Deaf Person
On May 16, Apple released a press release introducing new features for cognitive accessibility including Live Speech, Personal Voice, and Point and Speak in Magnifier. Those features will be available later this year. You can read more about it here: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/05/apple-previews-live-speech-personal-voice-and-more-new-accessibility-features/ Today, I would like to talk about Live Speech because it is valuable to… Continue reading My Perspective on Apple Live Speech as a Deaf Person
Accessibility is Officially Recognized as a Cybersecurity Priority
When I joined Deque almost a year ago as the Director of Security, I became acutely aware of the importance of accessibility in cybersecurity. Through my research, I found that not only are cybersecurity solutions in most organizations not accessible for end users, but most tools used by cybersecurity professionals themselves also are not accessible… Continue reading Accessibility is Officially Recognized as a Cybersecurity Priority