Category: Accessibility

Developer Heroes: The story of an Ally

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Ally is a digital financial services company that’s committed to “doing it right” for its consumer, commercial, and corporate customers. The award-winning digital direct bank… The post Developer Heroes: The story of an Ally appeared first on Deque.

The foot-in-door-somersault-strategy. Making accessibility laws your superpower

The cool kids on the block You know all those movies where the main character first is a nerdy nobody and transforms into someone amazing or popular? Sandy in Grease. Peter Parker in Spider Man. Harry Potter. You get the point! That’s kind of how we feel like at the moment in the accessibility (a11y) community.… Continue reading The foot-in-door-somersault-strategy. Making accessibility laws your superpower

Parent accessibility

First a short future message to my kid… Hi kiddo! If you find this post in ten years time or so, I’m sorry for the negative tone. I love you very much! But I’m tiered and want to make a point about inclusion. Hope you understand! Look! No hands! The image above shows how my… Continue reading Parent accessibility

What is Section 508 and why does it matter?

In 1990, the signing into law of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provided a real foundation for accessibility in the U.S. and across the world as a model. Similarly, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and its subsequent refreshes serve as major milestones for accessibility by defining the scope of responsibilities for accessibility in… Continue reading What is Section 508 and why does it matter?

Deque Releases axe Accessibility Testing Tool for Microsoft’s New Edge Browser

Free Extension Provides Automated Testing to Help Identify and Resolve Common Digital Accessibility Problems  HERNDON, VA – October 22, 2020  – Deque Systems, the trusted leader in digital accessibility, today announced the release of the axe accessibility testing tool for Microsoft’s new Edge web browser. Like its Chrome and Firefox counterparts, axe for Edge is… Continue reading Deque Releases axe Accessibility Testing Tool for Microsoft’s New Edge Browser

Angular Component Libraries and Accessibility

Nowadays, it feels as if web development is an ever-changing landscape that moves at supersonic speeds. With the demands to keep your content up to date with the latest and greatest designs and frameworks, it can be an overwhelming task to keep up. JavaScript frameworks, such as Angular, play a large role in this with… Continue reading Angular Component Libraries and Accessibility

What to Expect From WCAG 2.2

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have been the standard for digital accessibility the world around for two decades. This autumn, the W3C is preparing to publish version 2.2 of WCAG. WCAG 2.2 adds several new success criteria focused on extending requirements for users with low vision, cognitive impairments, and limited fine motor skills. The… Continue reading What to Expect From WCAG 2.2

Audit Revealed 43 States’ Vote-By-Mail Application Forms Not Accessible to Many with Disabilities, as Deadlines Loom

Deque Systems Is Working with States to Repair This “Digital Divide,” Hosting The Fully Usable Application Forms for Access By All HERNDON, VA –  September 30, 2020 – Deque Systems’ audit of the application forms required for registered voters to vote by mail in November discovered that 43 states’ applications had some level of digital… Continue reading Audit Revealed 43 States’ Vote-By-Mail Application Forms Not Accessible to Many with Disabilities, as Deadlines Loom

Accessible Routing in JavaScript Frameworks

Lost in Transition In my role as a Developer Consultant with Deque, I get asked a variety of questions on how to implement and fix technical accessibility issues. One topic that always seems to be at the forefront of everything else that developers have asked is ‘How do I manage focus in my JavaScript framework?’.… Continue reading Accessible Routing in JavaScript Frameworks

How do the new iOS 14 accessibility features stack up?

This past week, Apple released iOS 14 which includes new features such as Widgets, Back Tap and the ability for VoiceControl and VoiceOver to be used at the same time. I thought this would be the perfect time to bring our mobile team together to explore these new features of iOS 14 as they relate… Continue reading How do the new iOS 14 accessibility features stack up?

axe-core Integrations Update

Following our release of axe-core 4.0 and the upcoming release of axe DevTools 4.0, we’ve made some changes to our other open-source packages. This post will detail the important changes and provide some insight into the reasons we made them. Possibly the biggest change we’re making is migrating all open-source axe-core integrations to new locations.… Continue reading axe-core Integrations Update

What to look for in an accessibility audit

If your organization is completely new to digital accessibility, an audit or assessment is a great place to start to see where your organization stands. An accessibility audit is a combination of automated and manual testing done by accessibility experts using assistive technologies in various testing states. A detailed audit is a thorough review of… Continue reading What to look for in an accessibility audit

WCAG 2.2 Overview and Feedback

A working draft of version 2.2 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) has been published for feedback. WebAIM is thrilled to see the work on these formative guidelines continuing and we appreciate the efforts of the W3C’s Accessibility Guidelines working group. Below are WebAIM’s plain language summaries of each of the new proposed success… Continue reading WCAG 2.2 Overview and Feedback

Deque Systems announces axe-con, a new, digital accessibility conference: March 10-11, 2021

Free, Multi-track Online Event Focuses on Helping All Professionals Build, Test and Maintain Accessible Digital Experiences Deque is excited to announce a brand-new digital accessibility conference: axe-con!! Axe-con is an open and inclusive digital accessibility conference that welcomes developers, designers, business leaders, and accessibility professionals of all experience levels to a new kind of accessibility… Continue reading Deque Systems announces axe-con, a new, digital accessibility conference: March 10-11, 2021

A History of Section 508 Accessibility

A first-hand experience implementing Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act In The Beginning: ADA and Section 508 In 1990, I was an almost-brand-new Federal employee and I had the opportunity to attend the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I clearly remember it was a hot and sun shining day on the White… Continue reading A History of Section 508 Accessibility

'Knowing what you're looking at' – JS tips for new React developers

August 17, 2020 I have a confession to make. While I have been a professional web developer for over 6 years, I didn’t feel comfortable with JavaScript until a year and a half ago. I still don’t feel like I know a lot of things. There’s a lot that still confuses me. But I’ve grown… Continue reading 'Knowing what you're looking at' – JS tips for new React developers

Axe-core 4.0 is Here!

Over the past few years, browsers like Firefox and Chrome have provided tools to better protect their users with advanced security features. The latest release of axe-core, axe-core 4.0 enables us to test accessibility even in the most security-aware environments. Improvements in axe-core 4.0 include support of Content Security Policy and has additional options for… Continue reading Axe-core 4.0 is Here!

How To Act and Understand Accessibility Right Now

In recent history, the digital channel has extended it’s already dominant reach, even further. Whether its COVID-19, omnichannel strategy, mobile, or driven by user behavior and expectations, the digital channel is key for business-to-consumer (B2C) organizations. As organizations are investing more in digital channels, it’s important that accessibility is included. Not addressing accessibility can leave… Continue reading How To Act and Understand Accessibility Right Now

Build vs. Buy: Automated Accessibility Tools

If something can be automated, developers will try to build it to save them time. In the field of accessibility, some automated tools out there can catch up to 50% of accessibility defects (like axe-core). On top of that, there are a lot of free accessibility rules libraries out there already for developers to choose… Continue reading Build vs. Buy: Automated Accessibility Tools

A Guide to Accessible Interactive Components using React Libraries

May 29, 2020 Content Warning: This blog post contains gifs. I’ve wanted to write this blog post ever since I wrote a11y and JS – A Seemingly Unconventional Romance. I love JavaScript, and my job is to code in React. I often observe folks (rightly) critique that React Apps are inaccessible. According to the WebAIM… Continue reading A Guide to Accessible Interactive Components using React Libraries

Creating an Accessible Range Slider with CSS

April 29, 2020 I’ve always loved exploring how to make semantic, accessible elements aesthetically pleasing. And yes, it is possible. Challenging myself to do this has improved my CSS skills. Today we are going to talk about input[type=”range”]. These inputs where you select a value from a slider that has a thumb on it. You… Continue reading Creating an Accessible Range Slider with CSS