Could browsers fix more accessibility problems automatically?

A presentation at Tech A11y Summit in December 2021 in by Hidde de Vries

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Could browsers fix more accessibility problems automatically? Hidde de Vries, Tech A11y Summit, online, 15 December 2021 @hdv

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Who? @hdv Hi, I’m Hidde. Freelance accessibility and front-end consultant for organisations like the Dutch Government, Mozilla & W3C. I write at hidde.blog. LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE!

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Currently… websites, workshops, conferences @hdv

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Currently… @hdv accessibility outreach is great, but does not reach all

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Currently… @hdv we can detect problems automatically

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Currently… @hdv ACT-Rules https://act-rules.github.io/pages/about/

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Currently… interpretation is hard See also: “A11y Wars” by Glenda Sims and Wilco Fiers @hdv

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Maybe we can… Automatically detect issues @hdv Automatically fix issues

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Maybe we can… Automatically detect issues a small subset of @hdv Automatically fix issues a small subset of

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Warning: responsibilities this does not relieve websites from their responsibility @hdv

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Parallel tracks organisations to get their accessibility right @hdv browsers to fix things when they are able to

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@hdv With caveats in mind, could browsers fix more accessibility problems automatically?

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What if browsers let us… force readability ✓ @hdv

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Why? “Web design is 95% typography” – Oliver Reichenstein, iA https://ia.net/topics/the-web-is-all-about-typography-period @hdv

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What if browsers let us… force readability @hdv Leverage agile frameworks to provide a robust synopsis for high level overviews. Iterative approaches to corporate strategy foster collaborative thinking to further the overall value proposition. Organically grow the holistic world view of disruptive innovation via workplace diversity and empowerment. Capitalize on low hanging fruit to identify a ballpark value added activity to beta test. Override the digital divide with additional clickthroughs from DevOps. Nanotechnology immersion along the information highway will close the loop on focusing solely on the bottom line. Capitalize on low hanging fruit to identify a ballpark value added activity to beta test. Override the digital divide with additional clickthroughs from DevOps. Nanotechnology immersion along the information highway will close the loop on focusing solely on the bottom line. Leverage agile frameworks to provide a robust synopsis for high level overviews. Iterative approaches to corporate strategy foster collaborative thinking to further the overall value proposition. Organically grow the holistic world view of disruptive innovation via workplace diversity and empowerment. Capitalize on low hanging fruit to identify a ballpark value added activity to beta test. Override the digital divide with additional clickthroughs from DevOps. Nanotechnology immersion along the information highway will close the loop on focusing solely on the bottom line. Capitalize on low hanging fruit to identify a ballpark value added activity to beta test. Override the digital divide with additional clickthroughs from DevOps. Nanotechnology immersion along the information highway will close the loop on focusing solely on the bottom line.

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What if browsers let us… ✓ force readability Leverage agile frameworks to provide a robust synopsis for high level overviews. Iterative approaches to corporate strategy foster collaborative thinking to further the overall value proposition. Organically grow the holistic world view of disruptive innovation via workplace diversity and empowerment. Capitalize on low hanging fruit to identify a ballpark value added activity to beta test. Override the digital divide with additional clickthroughs from DevOps. Nanotechnology immersion along the information highway will close the loop on focusing solely on the bottom line. Capitalize on low hanging fruit to identify a ballpark @hdv

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What if browsers let us… ✓ force readability Firefox reading mode read:// in Edge @hdv

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What if browsers let us… enforce contrast ✓ @hdv

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What if browsers let us… https://booktravel.business Booktravel Visit Kinderdijk enforce contrast @hdv

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What if browsers let us… ✓ “Low contrast text, below the WCAG 2 AA thresholds, was found on 86.4% of home pages. This was the most commonly-detected accessibility issue. On average, home pages had 31 distinct instances of lowcontrast text.” enforce contrast @hdv 86.4% – WebAIM Million https://webaim.org/projects/million/#contrast

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What if browsers let us… https://booktravel.business Booktravel Visit Kinderdijk enforce contrast @hdv

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What if browsers let us… ✓ https://booktravel.business Booktravel Visit Kinderdijk enforce contrast

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What if browsers let us… ✓ enforce contrast Fix Contrast by Polypane - https://fixa11y.com/ @hdv

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What if browsers let us… force focus indication ✓ @hdv

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What if browsers let us… force focus indication https://booktravel.business Booktravel Explore Kinderdijk Leverage agile frameworks to provide a robust synopsis for high level overviews. Iterative approaches to corporate strategy foster collaborative thinking to further the overall value proposition. Organically grow the holistic world view of disruptive innovation via workplace diversity and empowerment. Book this trip @hdv

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What if browsers let us… ✓ force focus indication https://booktravel.business Booktravel Explore Kinderdijk Leverage agile frameworks to provide a robust synopsis for high level overviews. Iterative approaches to corporate strategy foster collaborative thinking to further the overall value proposition. Organically grow the holistic world view of disruptive innovation via workplace diversity and empowerment. Book this trip @hdv

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What if browsers let us… navigate by landmark ✓ @hdv

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What if browsers let us… navigate by landmark landmarks can make it easier to efficiently jump to specific parts of a web page @hdv

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What if browsers let us… navigate by landmark landmarks can only be navigated using certain assistive technologies @hdv

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What if browsers let us… Navigation Main Subjects Support Sections Main article Most viewed Related articles Most popular More in “Climate” Login Contentinfo Main footer ✓ navigate by landmark @hdv

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What if browsers let us… unstick content ✓ @hdv

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Currently… unstick content sticky elements can cover too much of the screen, especially when zoom is used @hdv

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What if… ✓ unstick content @hdv browsers could stop the sticking

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Warning (repeated) @hdv not a “get out of jail free” card

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And more? @hdv should browsers guess more?

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And more? @hdv Safari guesses accessible names

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And more? @hdv are all one line paragraphs that end with a period headings?

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And more? @hdv browsers could use the button role as a hint?

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And more? @hdv are all sequences of strings that start with a bullet or number lists?

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@hdv With caveats in mind, could browsers fix more accessibility problems automatically?

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More of this? @hdv a11yfeat.com

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That’s all! @hdv thanks for listening! @hdv hidde@hiddedevries.nl hidde.blog