Dispatches From The Internets

Thoughts on the proposed Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act

A photograph of a sledgehammer leaning against a pile of bricks and rubble.

Last month, Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Representative John P. Sarbanes (D-Md.) introduced the Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act—I’m gonna call it the WS3A for short—simultaneously in the U.S. Senate (S. 4998) and House of Representatives (H.R. 9021) to explicitly bring websites—and other forms of digital media that didn’t exist when the ADA was signed into law—into the purview of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I am definitely in favor of this effort as it removes the ambiguity that currently exists in U.S. law as to whether websites are governed by the ADA. The WS3A is a reasonable framework, but there is still a lot of work to be done when it (hopefully) passes.

Better accessible names

This post offers straightforward guidance on how to ensure your interactive components are easily understood by people who rely on screen readers and other assistive technologies. And, honestly, Hidde’s authoring guidance is applicable to the main content of your site as well.

Accessibility features

Interesting study of ~2 million Dutch smartphone users reveals how many people are using accessibility features on their phones (and which ones). It’s more than you think.

The details and summary elements, again

Another deep dive into details and summary, courtesy of Scott. He’s tested so many permutations and edge cases that this is really required reading if you’re considering using this element pairing for progressive disclosure.

<details> and <summary> elements are complicated. Saying don’t use them isn’t really practical and there’s a lot of good things about them. But they do have bugs. … It really just all comes down to what sort of experience you want to provide to people, and how OK you might be knowing that the native elements are going to be exposed differently, have different gaps but also different features to them.

Accessible contrast ratios and A-levels explained

A deep dive into color contrast ratios in relation to the A-AAA compliance levels. Why should you care?

Around the world, about 70% of individuals that have a diagnosed disability experience blurred vision. But working towards full compliance doesn’t just help individuals with visual impairments and disorders—it actually creates a better user experience for everyone.

Spellcheckers exfiltrating PII… not so fast

Photograph of a cute robot taking an apple from a pile of apples.

A recent post from the Otto JS research team highlighted how spellcheck services can inadvertently exfiltrate sensitive user data, including passwords, from your site. To be honest, I found the post a tad alarmist and lacking when it came to recommending solid protections. Consider this your no-nonsense guide to protecting your users’ sensitive information.

Survey: Why America Is Obsessed with Subtitles

I began turning on subtitles when my kiddo was born. I spent a lot of time with him sleeping in my arms and wanted to be able to watch programs without waking him. That translated to watching videos with the sound lower and the captions/subtitles on. Six years later, it’s become a fixture of how we watch as individuals and as a family.

Seeing how many other rely on captions/subtitles gives me hope that we’ll continue to see improvements in how the text is presented (and accessed… I’m looking at you Discovery+).