Practical Accessibility Magic: Spells, Curses, and False Promises

Is there such a thing as practical accessibility magic? Inspired by October, Practical Magic, and a “Lime in the Coconut” Milkshake Sour DIPA from Blue Owl Brewing, Amber, Chris, and Steve open their "spellbooks" and dive in... They’re looking for the changes that can make a real difference to a website's accessibility conformance. Speaking of conformance levels, the conversation begins with the latest WCAG 3 draft. What might replace the familiar A, AA, and AAA conformance levels? How could reporting change? Listen, or read, to find out. Then, our hosts put accessibility overlays under the “spell or curse?” test. The conversation draws on recent overlay research, accessibility guidance, and lawsuit data, but it also makes room for the people who installed a widget because they genuinely thought it would help. And it isn't all about overlays, we talk about 5+ fixes that you can start implementing right now that are so impactful, the usability improvements can feel a bit like practical magic. Finally, the team discusses AI-assisted captions, translations, accessibility testing, and development, because these days what conversation is complete without a mini AI-related side tangent? Transcripts and show notes are available at: https://accessibilitycraft.com/186-pr... Tune in to Accessibility Craft conversation episodes like this one every other Monday. Accessibility Craft is hosted by Amber Hinds, Chris Hinds, and Steve Jones. They are experts in digital accessibility and creators of software, courses, and specialized services that have made millions of websites more accessible through their work. Learn more about us at https://equalizedigital.com/?utm_sour... Try Accessibility Checker free at https://equalizedigital.com/accessibi... Save 10% on any plan with coupon code AccessibilityCraft. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:24 Today's Beverage 08:53 WCAG 3 Latest Draft: Our Reactions 18:18 Practical Accessibility Magic Overview 18:49 Brought to you by Accessibility Checker 20:03 Spell, or Curse? We Talk About Overlays! 28:19 Better Ingredients for Your "Magic" Accessibility Potions 33:06 Can AI Help Us Cast Our Accessibility "Spells" Faster, Better?