Avoid Accessibility Plugins

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As a person with a physical disability, accessibility improvements everywhere have been my passion point for years. Being a Digital Marketing Manager who creates websites I agree that having accessible websites is very important. It is something that could actually make your website a more attractive option for your prospects.

BUT PLEASE DON’T USE ACCESSIBILITY PLUGINS.

Accessibility plugins and embeds have become popular because of their convenience and super-aggressive marketing…

BUT they’re mostly not helpful for disabled users and they actually cause conflicts with the many tools they need and use. Disabled website visitors will bring their own assistive technology which is often restricted by some of these so called plugin accessibility tools. Causing conflicts which make it so difficult to navigate that it forces them to avoid your site.

At best as Sheri Byrne-Haber, said on Jan 15, 2020, “Overlays effectively force all your users with disabilities to learn yet another $#(*@$#@ accessibility tool rather than be able use their own setup that they’ve spent years customizing to their individuals needs.” (source: https://sheribyrnehaber.medium.com/overlays-are-not-the-solution-to-your-accessibility-problem-c5ffe44bd61f)

When a website or landing page is designed correctly, no accessibility plugin would add any functional tool for the people who really need them. I recommend only using an automated tool to detect issues as a starting point. Never rely on them to fix issues properly. ALSO Don’t rely on them alone they will never robotic-ally find 100% of possible issues. You need a human review. Preferably with a disabled person’s input.

A disabled user of computer using assistive technology. They sit in left corner of frame facing away from us. We see their shoulder and arm. In front of them is a laptop, an monitor and keypad. They are trying to access a site blocked with an accessibility plugin popup covering the monitor screen. A photo style image created by Craiyon.com
A disabled user of computer using assistive technology. Trying to access a site blocked with an accessibility plugin popup covering the monitor screen. A photo style image created by Craiyon.com

I even used to promote, use and resell one which has now abruptly vanished. Making it impossible to ever take advantage of their so-called legal protection guarantees.

Many of these accessibility overlays violate Privacy Policies.

In 2021, Judges have denied that the use of UserWay, AudioEye and AccessiBe on a website was a way to bring a website into compliance. “It should be a stark reminder that licensing AccessiBe or similar overlays will not shield site owners from a lawsuit.” (source: https://www.lflegal.com/2021/11/overlay-legal-update/#article-updates),

Html and proper use of tags and coding are more important to be accessible for most of your website visitors. I know many small businesses do it themselves or use cheaper options for website design to bootstrap their startup. So be aware many of the automated WYSIWYG or DIY website builders, plugins and form creators can cause accessibility issues. That is where using a good website designer is worth the investment. They have skill set to read the coding and minimise the issues for you.

The design, testing, proper maintenance and development of your website is worth your time and money constantly. You shouldn’t think of websites as a one off cost. Technology is a constantly evolving process to best represent your business.

Finally, don’t try to be WCAG compliant to avoid legal battles. Do it to be more accessible to your clients, customers and website users.

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