This applies to browser behavior as well. I’ve been encountering a significant number of sites recently where the site tries to offer the user ways to make the site more accessible. Sometimes these are part of an overlay or widget providing accessibility “fixes” and sometimes they are part of the core code. In both cases they are taking the wrong approach to implementing help. Let me explain why.
Comments closedModern dynamic websites use layers of content on a page. We have tooltips, popups, dialogs, menus, navigation, and modals that bring more functionality by using these layers. But they can introduce a problem for keyboard-only users when focus can fall on content underneath. Let’s explore how this can resolved.
Comments closedDisabilities come in all sorts. So do users. Some users can manipulate a mouse. Some rely on keyboard alone. Others have assistive technology. When you use a mouse, where your mouse is located is visible. This lets the sighted mouse user know what they are clicking on and where the focus is. Keyboard only users need something else. Let’s get into the details of what is needed.
Comments closedHeadings and labels need to describe the content they are identifying in the content. This means when you have a H1 is should describe the page as a whole. Labels need to describe the data they are collecting. Seems simple. And usually it is. Let’s look at some examples of when it isn’t as clear.
Comments closedIn the physical world we understand that not everyone can climb 20 flights of stairs, so under the ADA we created rules to overcome these situations. Buildings now have commitments they need to make during construction to include ramps and elevators to access areas that someone might not be able to climb stairs. This is an example of multiple ways. Let’s review how that translates to digital spaces.
Comments closedYou’ve most likely heard the term “skip link.” The standard take on the skip link is we include a visually-hidden link at the top of the page. When it receives focus, it becomes visible and when activated jumps you to the main content. While this is the primary use and function of this guideline, I’ve found it applies to other areas. Let’s look at the different reasons and methods.
1 CommentSEO folks, come at me. The overall product card has gotten cluttered with too many calls to action. It’s killing the point of the interface.
Ecommerce sites have a mind-boggling amount of links. Especially if you are a large company selling diverse things. Just to get to the product list, we first navigate through a mega menu. We do this to choose a category on most eCom sites. Then on the category page, we have to deal with a bunch of filters. If we’re lucky they will be in accordions and we can close them to skip.
1 CommentIt was Christmas Day in 2012 that I had my first major incident. You see, for as long as I could remember I suffered from migraines. I recall having to takes days off school when I was a freshman. But they started before that. At this moment in time, I was getting 20+ migraines a month. I had migraines that would last days. I had some last hours. Those were the worst. I’d start to feel better to only have another come on before the end of the day. Along with the migraines would come anxiety, nausea, dizziness, brain fog, aphasia. But that day was different.
1 CommentYou know the feeling. You’ve just spent the last twenty minutes filling out a form on a website. Suddenly, it asks for a specific piece of information. You need to dig for this information. You spend the next 7 minutes digging in your desk, files, computer, until you find it. Flip back to your form, and you are logged out.
If you are lucky, the form will allow you sign back in and continue from there. There’s a good chance you may need to start over. For you it is frustrating and takes time. But what if you can’t complete the form in the time given? Maybe it’s because you can’t answer the questions quickly enough.
1 CommentHopefully those of you working towards EAA are breathing a little easier today. While some of you were pushing last minute updates, I attended my local Pride celebration.
Well organized and attended, it reminded me why I do this work. People from 1-99+. People with visible disabilities. People with disabilities only visible because they made it so by wearing a device to control the disability (hearings aids off, headphones, walkers instead of canes). This wasn’t a celebration of LGBTQ+, this was a celebration of people being people.
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