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Web Accessibility Solution or Whack-a-Mole

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Smart business decisions tend to be equated with cutting costs and saving money.
 
Over the past decade or so, “Better! Faster! Cheaper!” has become the rallying cry for business process reengineering and new initiatives within every sector. As a developer and former business owner, I get this. Efficiency is essential.
 
I tend to look favorably on the fastest, most streamlined solution, and as such, I have a lot of empathy for clients who are seeking fast fixes to ensure that their websites and all of their digital assets get into compliance with WCAG 2.1 for ADA accessibility.
 
But as a developer, my focus is, first and foremost, on solving problems, and I can state unequivocally that overlays can't be counted on to solve the challenges associated with digital accessibility.
 
A recent web accessibility legal case, Haynes vs. Hooters set the precedent that organizations are required to remediate their actual code and not rely on band-aid dashboards or overlay solutions that appear to represent a quick fix that requires seemingly little hands-on maintenance.

Here are 4 key challenges inherent to overlays:

  1. Visually impaired users don't typically use them. They tend to have their own tools with their own voice and reader settings with which they are comfortable and proficient based on their experience and ability level. Your goal is to make your code available to whatever tools and devices they prefer using, not force them to use your overlay tool that has pre-selected settings and options.
  2. Visually impaired users typically have their own stylesheets and ways to access the web. They don’t tend to use presets from widgets because widgets complicate the experience for them and the inability to disable or override them can be frustrating.
  3. Overlays simply don't work well with mobile devices unless a significant expenditure is invested in customizing them to the individual site.
  4. Overlays basically amount to putting a line of Javascript code that pulls preloaded information onto your site. So even if the overlay has been customized as part of your package, to make it fully compliant it's nearly impossible to keep it that way, because accessibility issues can re-emerge with any subsequent change to your site.

 

Sustainable Website Compliance Solutions

Promet Source serves as an accessibility partner, committed to real and lasting accessibility solutions.
 
We conduct both automated and manual testing holistically, from the perspective of the entire spectrum of disabled users and available Assistive Technology -- recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all fix. This list of automated testing tools, recognized by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), demonstrates the wide range of testing options and the need for focused expertise. 
 
Our clients interact closely with both accessibility and developer certified experts throughout engagement and have the opportunity to ask questions and seek clarification every step along the way.
 
After guiding clients through the remediation process of actually fixing code to conform to WCAG 2.1 standards, we provide tools and resources to ensure that your development team has the training and knowledge to maintain your sites conformance.
 
We look forward to consulting with you about your specific accessibility objectives and working toward a solution that best addresses your needs.
 

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