Even if you use accessibility overlay tools, there is no quick fix for making your digital experiences more accessible. Accessibility overlay tools that claim to quickly make a website compliant without touching the underlying source code can easily entice many businesses. Although it is understandable given the difficulty of creating accessible content, there are some critical questions you should ask yourself.
Are There Any Consequences?
The advantages and disadvantages of accessibility overlay
tools are hotly debated topics in the accessibility world. The problem is that
many accessibility overlay tools will not bring you up to total compliance.
According to experts interviewed for a recent study, the automation on which
many of these products rely can detect and resolve only around 50% of
accessibility defects at best, and sometimes even less. Furthermore, many
accessibility checks require manual testing using human intelligence or
software programs. For instance, while automated tools can detect whether or
not an image lacks alt text, they cannot tell you whether or not the
alternative text describes what the image displays and means in context.
Additionally, some accessibility overlay tools have the
potential to interfere with assistive technologies used by people with
disabilities. For example, people with disabilities who use assistive
technologies such as screen readers have the right to expect websites to be
compatible with these programs. The same is true for those who configure
accessibility settings in their browser or operating system, such as type size.
Some accessibility overlay tools, on the other hand, ignore or interfere with the
user’s settings.
Are Accessibility Overlay Tools
Necessary?
It is permissible to use accessibility overlay tools as
long as you do not rely solely on them as a long-term enterprise solution. In
addition, you must be sure to test them manually. Many accessibility overlays
will not guarantee you a fully accessible website, regardless of whether the
primary goal of your digital accessibility work is to become compliant or to
provide better experiences for your customers. As a result, pursuing these
products is marginally better than doing nothing if you are a small business
with few resources to address digital accessibility effectively.
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