Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #accessiBe
Most recents (12)
Too bad that @AccessiBe’s overlay does not make this organization’s website accessible. Text with 1.31:1 contrast ratio (minimum for text this size/weight is 3:1) while having the “Vision Impaired Profile” switched on. 
And if a person with low-vision is also using a screen reader, the “vision impaired profile” is switched off. You really have to decide to which bucket of disabled person you belong to.
And in this example, the “Vision Impaired Profile” does nothing to make the text that overlays the image more readable (which can be done, see Windows High Contrast Mode). It instead increases the photo’s saturation in a way that makes everyone look sunburned.
I don't speak out against unethical tech because i want to be "hostile". I want to be nurturing my curiosity, strengthening my community and celebrating progress. I'd rather talk about recipes, books and art. Dealing with predatory tech bros is a survival strategy, not a hobby
Today, someone told me that the #AccessiBe saga is easy to understand because our posts are so thorough and clear. That's a matter of survival: I've had to explain my rights and needs as a Blind person since I learned to speak. A day without explaining is a rare & joyous freedom
It's not new, being called "hostile". by the man who grabs me by the wrist near some stairs, when i shake him off. By the boss who reprimands my teenage self for jaywalking, off the clock. By the kneeling flight attendant whose "special" briefing I refuse.
There are so many valid reasons why #AccessiBe is awful for the community it supposedly helps.
Just look at the hashtag and you can see the entire accessibility community frustrated by the false promises #AccessiBe sells to unknowing customers.
Just look at the hashtag and you can see the entire accessibility community frustrated by the false promises #AccessiBe sells to unknowing customers.
As an accessibility-focused UX researcher, my concern is that these tools discourage inclusive design practices - if tools promise to make sites accessible, will businesses still practice inclusive design?
Will disabled people be recruited into research studies to inform the propositional development of a product or service?
Will disabled people be recruited into evaluative studies to assess the accessibility & usability?
Will disabled people be hired into product teams?
Will disabled people be recruited into evaluative studies to assess the accessibility & usability?
Will disabled people be hired into product teams?
So let's talk about something completely unrelated to #Accessibe trying to recast the problem of web accessibility as an unreasonable burden on business.
The funny thing is when a friend flagged up that #Accessibe blog I just thought it might be a single overly defensive rant. But all the tweets from them suggest a company that knows it has a problem and can't see any way to respond bar lashing out.
Just like physical accessibility, an aftermarket patch to web accessibility is always going to be inferior. Few businesses would hir an architect that doesn't meet the building regs, or not pay their business rates, but they'll happily buy an inaccessible website 1/?
I'll reach out publicly with some suggestions. Start sponsoring contributors to the accessibility teams of open source projects. I'm sure both the Drupal and WordPress Accessibility teams could give you some ideas on where to start. #AccessiBe
Create partnerships with firms in this space with already-existing education curricula and sponsor seats for devs and designers. Tenon and DeQue Systems and The Paciello Group come to mind. #AccessiBe
Sponsor accessibility-specific contributor days for major open source projects. WordPress, Drupal, various Lunix distributions, Hugo, and other static site generators come to mind. #AccessiBe
For instructions on how to ban #AccessiBe from your device, visit sclower.github.io/accessibegone/. The web belongs to all of us. Let's reclaim it. #AccessiBeGone
I’m posting these on a static page since it’s too easy to lose track of tweets. Feel free to clone or modify what’s up there. Additions and corrections also welcome.
To be clear, as someone who has had to fight for access for over 20 years, I find this whole gig draining and exhausting. But as I’ve learned the hard way, if no one else is going to step up to the plate, I might as well. Share and enjoy.
That “Accessibility” link in the footer? A <div> with tabindex=0 that tries to launch the #accessiBe overlay.
The #accessiBe script fails. The @Namecheap user not only fails to get #accessiBe’s widget, but is stuck on an inaccessible site.
The #accessiBe script fails. The @Namecheap user not only fails to get #accessiBe’s widget, but is stuck on an inaccessible site.
If you are doing this — relying on a third-party tool, failing to use PE practices to account for that tool’s failure — then my post title is even more apt…
“#accessiBe Will Get You Sued”
adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
“#accessiBe Will Get You Sued”
adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
Remember, #accessiBe on its own is a mess for users, but its aCe automated checker is built on the same misunderstandings (and spoofing technology) simply to drive business. And it gives different results on a single page if you wait 5 minutes.
adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
Lighthouse and a manual check revealed problems on the Neil Patel home page.
The #accessiBe aCe checker did not report this problem, but did fix the code and call the page WCAG 2.1 AA compliant.
More info: adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
The #accessiBe aCe checker did not report this problem, but did fix the code and call the page WCAG 2.1 AA compliant.
More info: adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
When I retested Neil Patel in an incognito window I got different results. The site is now deemed non-compliant to WCAG 2.1 per #accessiBe’s aCe checker.
It also did not detect its own overlay, and tried and failed to fix the broken code.
More info: adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
It also did not detect its own overlay, and tried and failed to fix the broken code.
More info: adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
I do not have a ProductHunt account to go add the link to my own post, ask questions.
The astro-turfing is underway.
Which score matters? Probably neither if a user has hit a genuine barrier. But the 88 from Lighthouse is far different than a perfect score from #accessiBe’s aCe (which runs before #accessiBe’s overlay is turned on?).
After turning on the #accessiBe widget, I can tab to the hamburger control. I cannot, however, activate it with Enter or Space. From :19 to :31 I am trying.
This is a 2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A) violation.
More info: adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
This is a 2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A) violation.
More info: adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
The #accessiBe widget can stop animations on its own page once. Just once. Absent a pause or stop button, a user cannot stop the video a second time.
This is a 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide (Level A) violation.
More info: adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
This is a 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide (Level A) violation.
More info: adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
If you decline to use the #accessiBe overlay, all (browser default) focus styles are removed. From :12 forward I am tabbing through the page, but only the status bar indicates it.
This is a 2.4.7 Focus Visible (Level AA) violation.
More info: adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
This is a 2.4.7 Focus Visible (Level AA) violation.
More info: adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
Interesting accessibility features on @thenextweb #a11y
The solution implemented is by #accessibe
#accessiBe is spoofing automated checkers to try to game the scores of sites where it is installed.
As a result, it makes the experience worse, increases page load for users, and lies to testers.
More info:
adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
As a result, it makes the experience worse, increases page load for users, and lies to testers.
More info:
adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
To expand on this, #accessiBe appears to specifically target @webaim’s WAVE.
Based on the warning, this is known to WebAIM. Based on very high-level review of #accessiBe’s code, this is intentional.
adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
Based on the warning, this is known to WebAIM. Based on very high-level review of #accessiBe’s code, this is intentional.
adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
To wrap this mini-thread, More examples of how #accessiBe modifies the page *after* WAVE runs.
The link has no accessible name, but then #accessiBe adds SEO text. When WAVE runs, #accessiBe replaces it with gibberish and a target attribute.
More info: adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
The link has no accessible name, but then #accessiBe adds SEO text. When WAVE runs, #accessiBe replaces it with gibberish and a target attribute.
More info: adrianroselli.com/2020/06/access…
