Skip to content

Category: WCAG

A11y 101 – 3.2.1 On Focusmonochromatic abandoned hallway with graffiti

A11y 101 – 3.2.1 On Focus

Published on June 8, 2026

If I had a podcast, I would tell you to close your eyes and imagine the following. But this is a blog post…

You’re walking down a hallway, hand out, ready to turn a doorknob. Your hand lands on the knob… and suddenly the door slides open before you touch it. Or worse, the room you thought you were entering is actually a closet full of vacuum cleaners. Disorienting, right? Jarring? A little bit scary?

That’s how a user feels when they tab through a webpage and a piece of content jumps, moves, or redirects them without asking for permission first.

Continue readingA11y 101 – 3.2.1 On Focus
Comments closed
Here we go again, again, againlong exposure of spinning playground carousel

Here we go again, again, again

Published on May 7, 2026

Don’t stop. The HHS Office for Civil Rights was due to implement rules enforcing WCAG 2.1 A and AA as the required standard for any digital asset from an organization receiving HHS funding starting Monday May 11, 2026. As expected following the shift for ADA Title II, HHS just delayed the rule.

Under the revised timeline:

  • Recipients with 15 or more employees will now have until May 11, 2027, to comply.
  • Recipients with fewer than 15 employees will now have until May 10, 2028, to comply.

Don’t Stop!

I said it before and I’ll say it again. This is not a time to let up and relax. Especially for groups receiving these funds. Inaction on your part will likely to real world damage to individuals in need of those resources. Much more so than some of the Title II efforts.

You also have to deal with state laws. Many states have enacted their own version of the ADA and what is required for digital systems. Then there is the fact that the DOJ and HHS have been using WCAG 2.1 A and AA when assessing accessibility for several years already. Lastly, there are still private lawsuits. These won’t stop. Keep doing the work, more time allows you to make this habit and process or dig deeper if those are in place.

Civil Rights

The current administration doesn’t care about civil rights. Disabled people have been fighting for generations to get equal access. It has been more than 35 years since the ADA passed and two generations grew up on the internet in that time. Yet, disabled people are still considered permissible to discriminate against.

Even though the administration doesn’t care, they do not make up the majority of this country. I hope you realize how wrong it is to deprive the disabled the same access to the world just because it took a little more effort.

Don’t wait. Don’t stop. Hell, go faster.

Comments closed
A11y 101: 3.1.1 Language of Pagesign on the embassy of japan in different languages
Still, Don’t Stop!cars on road during sunset

Still, Don’t Stop!

Published on April 17, 2026

Last year, just after the EAA deadline, I made a quick and short post called Don’t Stop. Just because the deadline hit and you aren’t accessible, you still need to keep working on it. Well today I have another one for you.

In the United States of America there was to be a final ruling going to effect on April 24th, 2026 that was going to make WCAG 2.1 A and AA the standard under ADA Title II. As of the morning of April 17th, this has now changed.

The DOJ has released a note that an interim final rule will delay this by a year until April 24, 2027 for populations over 50,000. This rule takes effect Monday April 20th, 2026.

Don’t Stop!

You have been busting your asses to meet this deadline. This update means you can take the weekend off. But on Monday, it’s back to fixing issues and remediating PDFs. But there’s one more thing this affords you, time to work with a consultant to develop a plan so the next time rules change you don’t have to wish for a last minute reprieve.

Oh, and now there is no excuse for not fixing those PDFs…

Comments closed
A11y 101: 2.5.8 Target Sizered and brass dart pin on dartboard
A11y 101: 2.5.7 Dragging Movementsdragon statue on buddhist temple rooftop

A11y 101: 2.5.7 Dragging Movements

Published on March 30, 2026

Picture this: You’re trying to reorder items in a list. The interface wants you to click, hold, drag the item to a new position, and release. Seems intuitive, right? Now imagine you have a tremor in your hand, or you’re using a trackpad with limited precision, or you’re navigating with a single switch device. Suddenly, that “simple” drag-and-drop becomes an exercise in frustration.

This is exactly what WCAG 2.5.7: Dragging Movements is trying to fix.

Dragging Isn’t Universal

The rule says:

Any functionality that requires dragging movements (click-and-hold, drag-to-reorder, swipe-to-delete, etc.) must also be operable with a single pointer action without dragging.

In plain English: If you can do it by dragging, you should also be able to do it by clicking, tapping, or using buttons.

Precision Isn’t Everyone’s Friend

Dragging movements assume a level of motor control that not everyone has:

  • Fine Motor Impairments: Users with conditions like Parkinson’s, cerebral palsy, or arthritis may struggle with the sustained pressure and precise movement dragging requires.
  • Assistive Technology Users: Switch devices, eye-tracking systems, and head pointers often can’t perform traditional drag operations.
  • Temporary Disabilities: A broken wrist or sprained finger can turn a simple drag into an impossible task.

The goal of 2.5.7 isn’t to eliminate drag-and-drop. We’re trying to ensure that everyone has a way to accomplish the task, regardless of their physical abilities.

Focus on User Needs

When you design a feature that only works with dragging, you’re implicitly saying: “If you can’t drag, you can’t use this.” That’s not a UX decision. It’s a decision to exclude users.

Ask yourself: If I were navigating this site with a single switch, would I be able to reorder this list? If the answer is “no,” you aren’t just failing a criterion; you’re failing the person who needs the feature the most.

Common Pitfalls (And How to Fix Them)

I’ve seen this fail in a few classic ways during audits:

  1. The Drag-n-Drop List:
  2. The Swipe-to-Delete:
    • Offer up a checkbox and delete button.
  3. The Canvas Drawing Tool:
    • This is difficult and relies on implementing a grid system for navigation. I detail this more in 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures.

Conclusion

2.5.7 is a reminder that convenience shouldn’t come at the cost of access. Drag-and-drop can be a great feature, but it should never be the only way to accomplish a task.

Comments closed
A11y 101: 2.5.4 Motion Actuationclose up of dog shaking water

A11y 101: 2.5.4 Motion Actuation

Published on March 23, 2026

Imagine you’re holding your phone, walking down the street, and you accidentally bump it against your leg. Suddenly, your app thinks you’ve shaken it into submission and deletes your entire shopping cart. Or maybe you’re trying to scroll, but the device interprets your hand tremor as a “shake to undo” command.

This isn’t just a quirky feature gone wrong; it’s a potential accessibility nightmare. Enter WCAG 2.5.4: Motion Actuation.

Continue readingA11y 101: 2.5.4 Motion Actuation
Comments closed
Quick Tip: Don’t Use <abbr>http blocks on gray panel

Quick Tip: Don’t Use <abbr>

Published on March 20, 2026

The <abbr> element stands for abbreviation. The idea behind this is you provide the abbreviation of the word or phrase, then use the title attribute to display the whole name or phrase. 

<p>You need to pay your taxes to the <abbr title="Internal Revenue Service">IRS</abbr> for many years.</p>

The problem with this is that the <abbr> is not an interactive element. You cannot tab to it. It will be read just like any other word in the sentence. If you mouse over the element, you see the title. But if you use keyboard there is no way to expose it.

Then there are screen readers. Most screen readers will not announce this title.

It’s better to fall back to the old newspaper styling where you say the whole phrase the first time followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis. From there forward, you can use the abbreviation.

Take a look at the testing Adrian Roselli has done on this.

Comments closed
A11y 101: 2.5.3 Label in Nameclose up photo of a plastic bottle

A11y 101: 2.5.3 Label in Name

Published on March 16, 2026

We all navigate the internet and computers in different ways. Some use screen readers, others keyboard, and some people by voice. Success Criterion 2.5.3 was created to support these diverse methods. While it helps all users, it was created to address using voice control because typing is a struggle for the user. On the screen is a button that clearly says “Submit Order.” You speak the command: “Click Submit Order.”

Nothing happens.Or worse, it clicks the wrong thing.

Continue readingA11y 101: 2.5.3 Label in Name
Comments closed
Quick Tip: Dialog Focusphoto of clouds during daytime

Quick Tip: Dialog Focus

Published on March 10, 2026

The specifications for dialogs and modals recommend placing focus on the first focusable item in the dialog. The vast majority of the time this is a close button. this means that a screen reader user will hear something similar to “Dialog, Shopping Cart, Close, button.”

As a user this is confusing. I just added something to my cart, or I just opened it to checkout. And now your site is telling me that while I’m in the cart I should close it.

I strongly recommend that this is not the best practice we should be following. We should be providing the user with information they need in a way that encourages them to explore. To accomplish this, I recommend placing the focus on the heading of the dialog. We do this by providing a proper ID and tabindex="-1". Now when the user opens the cart dialog they would hear something like “Dialog, Shopping Cart.” This tells me my focus has shifted due to my actions, where the focus went by identifying, and I’m not hit with the confusing close button.

This is my opinion, it differs from many, but it fills the gap between accessibility and user experience to create a better flow for everyone. But I’m not alone in this opinion.

Comments closed