Day 32:  What is the accessibility icon I see on some websites?

On some websites you might see a small, usually blue accessibility icon, called an accessibility overlay.  The application shows options for changing font sizes, zoom, etc. 

Seems like a great idea, right? Unfortunately not. Digital accessibility means accessible content for everyone. The problem is that these applications don't actually create accessible pages, like the name says, they are an overlay that can change a few small aspects of the page, but not its actual accessibility.  In fact, these overlays interfere with many assistive technologies and make the site less accessible and not compliant. 

Want to learn more about the problem with overlays? Check out this article from Accessibility Works: Why Website Accessibility Overlay Widgets & Plugins Fail Compliance

 

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