Web Accessibility Roundtable: Overlays & Usability

Synopsis

In the last few years, there has been increased attention on web accessibility. Many businesses that had previously overlooked Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are now improving the design and usability of their websites to meet compliance standards and provide online experiences that work for everyone. 

To do this, some organisations have opted for third-party solutions, known as ‘overlays. Overlay tools work by detecting accessibility issues and attempting to repair them in real-time. They are sold as a quick, ‘fast fix’, cost-effective solution to making a website compliant and more usable for Disabled people.  

However, despite those promises of compliance and improved usability, it is estimated that overlays can only detect 20-30% of accessibility issues occurring on a website. That’s potentially 70 – 80% of issues going unanswered when relying on overlays alone. Leaving businesses wide open to both legal challenge and damage to brand reputation. 

Hosted by Matt Gibson (Chief Production Officer at Cyber-Duck, this exclusive roundtable event explored the impact on website usability when using an accessibility overlay.  

Our guest panellists included:  

• Ramon Lapenta - Technical Lead at Cyber-Duck 
• Holly Schroeder – UX Researcher and Designer specialising in Healthtech  
• Caren Launus-Gamble - Director at KreativeInc Agency 
• Neil Milliken - Global Head of Accessibility at Atos 

Please contact us at hello@cyber-duck.co.uk if you would like to receive the on-demand version of the webinar, or get in touch for a free UX audit to discover potential accessibility issues on your website. 

Highlights

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