WebAIM May 2024 Newsletter

Read this newsletter online at https://webaim.org/newsletter/2024/may

Feature

The Impact of Recent U.S. Federal Rulemaking on Web and Digital Accessibility

How the updates to the ADA and Section 504 will have broad impacts on accessibility.

Upcoming WebAIM Events

• Document Accessibility Course - June cohort is now open for registrations.
• Virtual Web Accessibility Training - July 9–10

Resources

Why are my live regions not working?

Live regions can be inconsistent due to shortcomings in current implementations and developers misunderstanding how live regions are intended to work.

WCAG after quarter of a century – we still need more awareness

Quarter of a century later and we still don’t have enough awareness, support, knowledge, buy-in for accessibility. It is improving, but slowly, we need even more advocates.

Quick-and-Dirty Accessibility

It sucks to be presented with a list of changes to make your finely-crafted code more accessible, it can feel like scope creep, "someone else's job", or a critique of your work. The goal of this article is to give you tools – not more work.

Best intention barriers (ARIA edition)

Developers try to improve accessibility but – unbeknownst to them - create new barriers in the first place doing it. Let's talk about three types of barriers, specifically related to WAI-ARIA, created with the best intentions.

May Accessibility Focus: PDFs and non-HTML documents

These articles and videos explain what PDF and non-HTML documents are, why and when to use HTML instead of PDF, and accessible PDF basics.

Level-Setting Heading Levels

Avoid setting heading levels greater than six (6). This applies whether using aria-level or the proposed headingstart HTML attribute. Use HTML elements whenever possible.

Dark mode & accessibility myth

There's a myth that dark mode is good for accessibility, because it improves text readability (among other things).

contrast-color() is a good thing, but also solving the problem at the wrong layer

contrast-color() unlocks the ability the browser to automatically intervene for color contrast-related considerations, but are we missing out on a better way to go about this?

The Basics of Legibility: A Short Guide for Non-Typographers

Typography isn't something that is particularly hard to learn but it takes the right sources to learn from, some talent and a lot of time.

Quick Tip: ADA Updates and Timelines

In April, the Department of Justice issued a new rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. US public-sector entities must ensure that most websites, digital documents, and mobile apps conform to WCAG 2.1 AA. Entities with a total census population of 50,000 or more have until April 24, 2026. Entities with a population under 50,000 and special district governments have until April 26, 2027. The Department of Justice published a Fact Sheet on the new rule that highlights key features, including a summary of exceptions, more detail about conformance deadlines, explanations of "conforming alternate versions," and discussion about "minor" failures to conform to WCAG 2.1.

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• Do native HTML date pickers automatically fail SC 1.4.4 (Resize Text)?
• Color for positive / negative value
• Autocomplete and SVG image checker
• Modal focus management and use of color for links

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WebAIM is a non-profit organization based at the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice at Utah State University.