Third-party chatbots often trap keyboard focus, omit labels, stay silent when replies arrive, and hide behind launchers keyboards cannot open. This article explains each failure, maps it to WCAG 2.2 Success Criteria, gives tests, and shows how to write a vendor defect report that gets fixed.
Read more about Third-Party Chatbots and Accessibility: What Breaks and How to Test ItDennis Deacon
Test the Third-Party Stuff Too: Why Accessibility Testing Must Include Vendor Solutions
Skipping accessibility testing on third-party tools because you can’t edit them leaves you blind to real barriers and real legal risk. Testing gives you the knowledge to keep, configure, escalate or replace a vendor product, and builds a good-faith record that protects your users and your business.
Read more about Test the Third-Party Stuff Too: Why Accessibility Testing Must Include Vendor SolutionsWhy Orange Is an Accessibility Trap (and What to Do Instead)
After a mid-life crisis swapped my favorite color from Chicago Cubbie blue to pumpkin orange, my day job as a digital accessibility professional got complicated. Orange is energetic and friendly, but white text on it fails WCAG contrast. This article explains why, which pairings pass, and how to fix it.
Read more about Why Orange Is an Accessibility Trap (and What to Do Instead)Digital Accessibility Release Blockers: How to Decide What Stops a Launch
Not every WCAG violation should halt a release. Gate launches on task completion and user impact: if a person with a disability can’t independently complete a critical task, it’s a blocker. This checklist covers keyboard, screen reader, forms, visuals, components, and mobile.
Read more about Digital Accessibility Release Blockers: How to Decide What Stops a LaunchDyslexia & Digital Accessibility: Design Beyond Compliance
Dyslexia can make reading, processing, and interacting with digital content more challenging. Learn how inaccessible websites create barriers and how designers and developers can use clear content, predictable navigation, flexible presentation, and accessible interactions to create more inclusive experiences.
Read more about Dyslexia & Digital Accessibility: Design Beyond ComplianceDigital Accessibility Lessons: How One Meetup Mistake Led to Better Inclusive Design
When dimming the lights improved screen visibility at a Chicago accessibility meetup, it accidentally excluded a deaf attendee who relied on lip-reading. This story explores how accessibility fixes can create new barriers, and why embracing mistakes is key to inclusive leadership.
Read more about Digital Accessibility Lessons: How One Meetup Mistake Led to Better Inclusive DesignDeaf Awareness Month: What Digital Accessibility Requires
National Deaf Awareness Month is a chance to go beyond compliance. This guide breaks down WCAG 2.2 for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind users, covering captions, sign language, contrast, and emergency alerts, and why true accessibility means multimodal communication, not just checkboxes.
Read more about Deaf Awareness Month: What Digital Accessibility RequiresThirty-Six Years Later: The ADA at a Crossroads
On the ADA’s 36th anniversary, disability rights face erosion through underfunded enforcement, narrowed court rulings, and rollback of remote work accommodations. Real progress remains fragile, but the same persistence that built the ADA can still defend and strengthen it today.
Read more about Thirty-Six Years Later: The ADA at a CrossroadsDigital Accessibility can get you sued
That accessibility icon in your site’s corner may be a liability, not a safeguard. Overlay widgets don’t fix underlying code, aren’t used by people with disabilities, and are increasingly cited in lawsuits. Learn why real remediation, not a quick widget, is the only path to genuine compliance.
Read more about Digital Accessibility can get you suedBeyond Awareness: Keeping Accessibility Momentum Alive After GAAD
Awareness fades. Capability compounds. This follow-up to our 24-part GAAD series delivers a practical operational roadmap covering WCAG, assistive tech, inclusive design, procurement, training, and user research to keep accessibility momentum alive long after May.
Read more about Beyond Awareness: Keeping Accessibility Momentum Alive After GAADMeasuring Accessibility Maturity
Accessibility isn’t a binary checkbox. It’s an evolving organizational capability measured across governance, people, process, and technology. This article explains how maturity models shift the conversation from compliance to progress, and what metrics actually reveal the truth about where you stand.
Read more about Measuring Accessibility MaturityBuilding an Accessibility Culture
Technology alone cannot build an accessible organization. Culture does the heavy lifting. When leaders model accountability, teams own their roles, and organizations reward prevention over compliance, accessibility becomes a standard of quality rather than a checkbox.
Read more about Building an Accessibility CulturePDF Accessibility: Why Your Documents Are Failing Users and What to Do About It
Most PDF accessibility failures begin in the authoring stage. By building structure, reading order, and proper tagging into source documents, organizations can eliminate costly remediation and serve all users effectively.
Read more about PDF Accessibility: Why Your Documents Are Failing Users and What to Do About ItAccessible Design Systems: The Scalability Advantage You’re Missing
Design systems transform accessibility from reactive cleanup into proactive quality engineering. By embedding accessible components, tokens, and governance into a shared system, organizations eliminate repeated failures and scale standards consistently across every product and team.
Read more about Accessible Design Systems: The Scalability Advantage You’re MissingAI and Accessibility: Why Inclusive Design Must Be Built Into AI From the Start
AI offers powerful accessibility tools like captioning, alt text, and voice interaction, but it also introduces risks when errors propagate at scale. Inclusive design must be embedded across the entire AI lifecycle, not added after launch.
Read more about AI and Accessibility: Why Inclusive Design Must Be Built Into AI From the StartWhy Automated Accessibility Testing Is Not Enough: A Leadership Perspective
Automated accessibility tools catch technical errors efficiently, but they cannot evaluate whether users can actually succeed. True accessibility requires a layered approach combining automation, expert manual review, assistive technology testing, and direct input from users with disabilities.
Read more about Why Automated Accessibility Testing Is Not Enough: A Leadership PerspectiveMobile Accessibility: Why It Can No Longer Be an Afterthought
Mobile accessibility is no longer optional. From touch target sizing and zoom support to gesture alternatives and real device testing, building inclusive mobile experiences improves usability for all users across every context and platform.
Read more about Mobile Accessibility: Why It Can No Longer Be an AfterthoughtScreen Reader Testing with JAWS and NVDA: Why Every Team Needs to Hear What Users Experience
Screen reader testing with NVDA and JAWS reveals accessibility barriers that automated tools cannot detect. By testing core user journeys, teams build empathy, improve quality, and create more inclusive digital experiences for everyone.
Read more about Screen Reader Testing with JAWS and NVDA: Why Every Team Needs to Hear What Users ExperienceAccessible Forms Are a Business Imperative, Not a Compliance Checkbox
Forms are where business goals meet user needs. Inaccessible forms cost organizations real conversions and erode trust. These principles show how accessible design improves outcomes for everyone.
Read more about Accessible Forms Are a Business Imperative, Not a Compliance CheckboxARIA Done Right: Why Accessibility Starts with Better Decisions, Not More Code
ARIA enhances accessibility when native HTML falls short, but misuse creates real barriers. This article explores the principles behind correct ARIA implementation: prioritizing native elements, understanding what ARIA communicates versus what it creates, avoiding common failures, and testing with real assistive technologies.
Read more about ARIA Done Right: Why Accessibility Starts with Better Decisions, Not More Code