Accessibility Awareness
@a11yawareness.bsky.social
Helping you better understand web accessibility for people with disabilities. Created by @patrickmgarvin.bsky.social.
Some people may be unable to use a mouse, and instead rely exclusively on keyboards, or use assistive technologies such as speech recognition, head pointers, mouth sticks, or eye-gaze tracking systems. If a website is accessible only to mouse users, these people will be excluded.
November 13, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Some people may be unable to use a mouse, and instead rely exclusively on keyboards, or use assistive technologies such as speech recognition, head pointers, mouth sticks, or eye-gaze tracking systems. If a website is accessible only to mouse users, these people will be excluded.
Plain language is communication that your audience can understand the first time they hear or read it. This varies by audience, of course. What is common vocabulary for clergy won't necessarily be common for chemists, attorneys, or engineers. Know your audience.
November 13, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Plain language is communication that your audience can understand the first time they hear or read it. This varies by audience, of course. What is common vocabulary for clergy won't necessarily be common for chemists, attorneys, or engineers. Know your audience.
When creating PDFs, avoid using "Print to PDF." A screen reader user may still be able to access the text of PDFs created this way, but heading structure, alternative text, and any other tag structure will be lost. Using "Save As" or "Export" can preserve these tags.
November 13, 2025 at 3:32 AM
When creating PDFs, avoid using "Print to PDF." A screen reader user may still be able to access the text of PDFs created this way, but heading structure, alternative text, and any other tag structure will be lost. Using "Save As" or "Export" can preserve these tags.
Don't forget to add alt text on Instagram and Facebook, too. When you forget, the auto-generated alt text is not as helpful, complete, or accurate as human-written alt text. A.I. can't know the purpose of a photo. Always add your own alt text on Instagram and Facebook.
November 12, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Don't forget to add alt text on Instagram and Facebook, too. When you forget, the auto-generated alt text is not as helpful, complete, or accurate as human-written alt text. A.I. can't know the purpose of a photo. Always add your own alt text on Instagram and Facebook.
People often blame screen readers for memes or posts being inaccessible. But frustrations with how screen readers work don't let us off the hook. We should still try. Adrian Roselli has a great resource on what screen readers are (and aren't).
adrianroselli.com/2021/10/blam...
adrianroselli.com/2021/10/blam...
Blaming Screen Readers 🚩×5
The title of this post is pretty specific. It relates to the meme on Twitter where users identify a trait or preference that they see as problematic, and identify it as a red flag. The emoji represent...
adrianroselli.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:10 PM
People often blame screen readers for memes or posts being inaccessible. But frustrations with how screen readers work don't let us off the hook. We should still try. Adrian Roselli has a great resource on what screen readers are (and aren't).
adrianroselli.com/2021/10/blam...
adrianroselli.com/2021/10/blam...
People who want to make the web accessible need to understand the many different ways that people with disabilities use the web. This W3C resource offers a good introduction to how disabled people navigate the web, and barriers they commonly encounter.
www.w3.org/WAI/people-u...
www.w3.org/WAI/people-u...
How People with Disabilities Use the Web
Introduces how people with disabilities, including people with age-related impairments, use the Web.
www.w3.org
November 11, 2025 at 7:18 PM
People who want to make the web accessible need to understand the many different ways that people with disabilities use the web. This W3C resource offers a good introduction to how disabled people navigate the web, and barriers they commonly encounter.
www.w3.org/WAI/people-u...
www.w3.org/WAI/people-u...
If a word has some letters replaced with asterisks, this could confuse people. This includes people with cognitive and reading disabilities, and those learning the language. Screen reader users won't necessarily know what the word is meant to be, as it could sound like gibberish.
November 11, 2025 at 3:56 PM
If a word has some letters replaced with asterisks, this could confuse people. This includes people with cognitive and reading disabilities, and those learning the language. Screen reader users won't necessarily know what the word is meant to be, as it could sound like gibberish.
Avoid emoji icons in alt text. Emoji icons are a visual element, so it's counterintuitive to add them to non-visual content. You'll likely confuse people with messages that don't make sense. In alt text, use plain text, free of symbols, icons, or any weird special characters.
November 11, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Avoid emoji icons in alt text. Emoji icons are a visual element, so it's counterintuitive to add them to non-visual content. You'll likely confuse people with messages that don't make sense. In alt text, use plain text, free of symbols, icons, or any weird special characters.
When considering rainbow text, don't forget to consider readability and legibility. Text filled with rainbows can be difficult to read. Same with complex rainbow backgrounds. Putting each word or letter in a different color of the rainbow could force readers to work harder.
November 10, 2025 at 10:45 PM
When considering rainbow text, don't forget to consider readability and legibility. Text filled with rainbows can be difficult to read. Same with complex rainbow backgrounds. Putting each word or letter in a different color of the rainbow could force readers to work harder.
Get in the habit of bringing up accessibility at meetings, in stand-ups, and in demos. Bring up things you've done to address accessibility. Likewise, don't be afraid to ask, "Have we tested this on a keyboard?" or "What's the experience like on a screen reader?"
November 10, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Get in the habit of bringing up accessibility at meetings, in stand-ups, and in demos. Bring up things you've done to address accessibility. Likewise, don't be afraid to ask, "Have we tested this on a keyboard?" or "What's the experience like on a screen reader?"
Many struggle with writing alt text for charts and other other data visualizations. Amy Cesal's "Writing Alt Text for Data Visualization" hammers home the importance of explaining the chart type, the type of data, and the reason for the chart.
medium.com/nightingale/...
medium.com/nightingale/...
Writing Alt Text for Data Visualization
How do you write text that conveys the whole meaning of a visualization? You probably can’t. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try
medium.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Many struggle with writing alt text for charts and other other data visualizations. Amy Cesal's "Writing Alt Text for Data Visualization" hammers home the importance of explaining the chart type, the type of data, and the reason for the chart.
medium.com/nightingale/...
medium.com/nightingale/...
Do not cram alt text with keywords just to improve search engine optimization. This will hinder alt text’s true purpose: improving accessibility. Focus on describing the photo's content. Search engine optimization should not be the goal for writing good alt text.
November 9, 2025 at 4:34 AM
Do not cram alt text with keywords just to improve search engine optimization. This will hinder alt text’s true purpose: improving accessibility. Focus on describing the photo's content. Search engine optimization should not be the goal for writing good alt text.
Templates could be designed and coded according to web accessibility standards, but this won't ensure that the final product would be accessible. Content creators still need to know about key accessibility concepts, including alt text, link text, and proper headings.
November 8, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Templates could be designed and coded according to web accessibility standards, but this won't ensure that the final product would be accessible. Content creators still need to know about key accessibility concepts, including alt text, link text, and proper headings.
Individuals working on web accessibility can only do so much on their own, so get accessibility on the radar of organization managers. Leadership should demonstrate and enforce a commitment to accessibility, as it should be a team responsibility, rather than just yours alone.
November 8, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Individuals working on web accessibility can only do so much on their own, so get accessibility on the radar of organization managers. Leadership should demonstrate and enforce a commitment to accessibility, as it should be a team responsibility, rather than just yours alone.
Don't forget transcripts for video and audio. These will help blind users and low-vision users, deaf and hard-of-hearing users, people with ADHD, and people with audio-processing disorders. Transcripts also benefit search engines, people in quiet spaces, and people in a hurry.
November 8, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Don't forget transcripts for video and audio. These will help blind users and low-vision users, deaf and hard-of-hearing users, people with ADHD, and people with audio-processing disorders. Transcripts also benefit search engines, people in quiet spaces, and people in a hurry.
Audio descriptions are necessary for making videos accessible. They narrate the crucial visual elements that would be necessary for understanding the plot without the ability to see the screen. They describe non-verbal cues like gestures, facial expressions, or eye contact.
November 6, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Audio descriptions are necessary for making videos accessible. They narrate the crucial visual elements that would be necessary for understanding the plot without the ability to see the screen. They describe non-verbal cues like gestures, facial expressions, or eye contact.
Ensure text is readable in data visualizations and information graphics. Small text is generally harder to read, and should be avoided where possible. Make sure the text is not obstructed by other chart elements, and has sufficient contrast against its background.
November 4, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Ensure text is readable in data visualizations and information graphics. Small text is generally harder to read, and should be avoided where possible. Make sure the text is not obstructed by other chart elements, and has sufficient contrast against its background.
Many live with the limitations of not understanding numbers and the impact that has on everyday life. Laura Parker's Accessible Numbers project offers guidance on how to design services and write content for people who need help with numbers.
accessiblenumbers.com
accessiblenumbers.com
Designing services for people who need help with numbers
Low numeracy affects half of adults in the UK. Many live with the limitations of not understanding numbers and the impact that has on everyday life.
accessiblenumbers.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Many live with the limitations of not understanding numbers and the impact that has on everyday life. Laura Parker's Accessible Numbers project offers guidance on how to design services and write content for people who need help with numbers.
accessiblenumbers.com
accessiblenumbers.com
The BBC's Accessibility Guide has several resources, including step-by-step instructions to using assistive technologies. The resource includes insight into several assistive technologies, including VoiceOver, JAWS, NVDA, TalkBack, ClaroRead, and Dragon.
bbc.github.io/accessibilit...
bbc.github.io/accessibilit...
Testing with assistive technology - Accessibility, Your Team and You
Team guide - Testing with assistive technology. What, when and how to test with AT.
bbc.github.io
November 4, 2025 at 8:55 AM
The BBC's Accessibility Guide has several resources, including step-by-step instructions to using assistive technologies. The resource includes insight into several assistive technologies, including VoiceOver, JAWS, NVDA, TalkBack, ClaroRead, and Dragon.
bbc.github.io/accessibilit...
bbc.github.io/accessibilit...
Avoid jargon whenever possible. When you have to use terms that might not be commonly known or used among your audience, explain what these terms mean. If you can't avoid a lot of specific terms, include a glossary of terms that users can refer to when needed.
November 4, 2025 at 4:52 AM
Avoid jargon whenever possible. When you have to use terms that might not be commonly known or used among your audience, explain what these terms mean. If you can't avoid a lot of specific terms, include a glossary of terms that users can refer to when needed.
Use icons, symbols, terms, and design patterns that are already familiar to users. People with cognitive disabilities benefit from common behavior and design patterns. An example is the standard convention for hyperlinks (underlined and blue for unvisited; purple for visited).
November 3, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Use icons, symbols, terms, and design patterns that are already familiar to users. People with cognitive disabilities benefit from common behavior and design patterns. An example is the standard convention for hyperlinks (underlined and blue for unvisited; purple for visited).
When using Microsoft Word or Google Docs, don't just make text bigger and bolder to make it a heading. That will work for sighted users, but screen reader users will miss that and just hear it as normal paragraph text. Use actual heading styles, like level 1 through 6.
November 2, 2025 at 12:55 AM
When using Microsoft Word or Google Docs, don't just make text bigger and bolder to make it a heading. That will work for sighted users, but screen reader users will miss that and just hear it as normal paragraph text. Use actual heading styles, like level 1 through 6.
Sharing Halloween pictures today? Don't forget to add alt text.
Photo of your kid's great candy haul? Needs alt text.
Photo of your kid' cute costume? Needs alt text.
Photo of your neighbor's rad yard decorations? Needs alt text.
Don't be a goblin. Add alt text.
Photo of your kid's great candy haul? Needs alt text.
Photo of your kid' cute costume? Needs alt text.
Photo of your neighbor's rad yard decorations? Needs alt text.
Don't be a goblin. Add alt text.
October 31, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Sharing Halloween pictures today? Don't forget to add alt text.
Photo of your kid's great candy haul? Needs alt text.
Photo of your kid' cute costume? Needs alt text.
Photo of your neighbor's rad yard decorations? Needs alt text.
Don't be a goblin. Add alt text.
Photo of your kid's great candy haul? Needs alt text.
Photo of your kid' cute costume? Needs alt text.
Photo of your neighbor's rad yard decorations? Needs alt text.
Don't be a goblin. Add alt text.
Templates could be designed and coded according to web accessibility standards, but this won't ensure that the final product would be accessible. Content creators still need to know about key accessibility concepts, including alt text, link text, and proper headings.
October 31, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Templates could be designed and coded according to web accessibility standards, but this won't ensure that the final product would be accessible. Content creators still need to know about key accessibility concepts, including alt text, link text, and proper headings.
Some people need to change the way text is displayed in order to read it. This includes changing size, spacing, font, color, and other properties. When people customize text, the text should re-flow so they don’t have to scroll horizontally to read.
www.w3.org/WAI/perspect...
www.w3.org/WAI/perspect...
Customizable Text
Short video about customizable text for web accessibility - what is it, who depends on it, and what needs to happen to make it work.
www.w3.org
October 30, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Some people need to change the way text is displayed in order to read it. This includes changing size, spacing, font, color, and other properties. When people customize text, the text should re-flow so they don’t have to scroll horizontally to read.
www.w3.org/WAI/perspect...
www.w3.org/WAI/perspect...