WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

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Re: WebAIM-Forum Digest, Vol 190, Issue 14

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From: Steve Green
Date: Jan 26, 2021 7:13PM

I agree with your point about automatically disappearing content being a WCAG non-conformance. Even if you apply an ARIA live region, it only benefits screen reader users. Screen magnifier users are very likely to miss the content completely.

When you refer to design systems, do you mean JavaScript frameworks like Angular or things like https://design-system.service.gov.uk/? The latter is highly accessible, but not comprehensive (although they are always adding to it). However, every JavaScript framework that has ever existed has been plagued with serious accessibility issues. Also, most of the third-party plug-ins for them are even worse. Perhaps the reason your question did not get many responses is because it's far too broad. Almost everything is bad in every framework - it's easier to list the things that don't need to be fixed.

Frankly, I find it appalling that almost no "professional" developers (let alone development managers) seem to be aware of this. Accessibility has been part of their job description for 20 years, so how can they not know about it?

That said, I still take a very soft approach when explaining it to them, precisely to avoid the antagonism you mention. I don't tell them that they have to do anything - testers shouldn't do that. I just tell them the way things are and the consequences of the various options they have, which includes not changing anything. If they want a VPAT or an accessibility statement (which all UK public sector websites must now have), I tell them that it will have to include every single non-conformance they choose not to address. They are not keen to be publicly embarrassed like that, so I find that they almost always do what needs to be done.

Steve Green
Managing Director
Test Partners Ltd