Accessibility Reads: Thursday, March 13
Welcome back to Accessibility Reads!
It’s great to return after a short break of bringing you three full days of amazing content at axe-con 2025.
If you’re one of the thousands who registered, we hope you loved the conference. And we’ve got good news for you—you now have on-demand access to all the conference videos!
The axe-con experience was incredible. Our community and industry came together to share, collaborate, and work together to truly move digital accessibility forward in deeply meaningful ways.
Thank you to all our speakers. More importantly, thanks to you for attending and for sharing the content with your colleagues, peers, and networks.
As we transition to spring–with its unpredictable weather and crocuses pushing up through the snow–I encourage you to make time for self-care. Remember to sanitize your hands so you can fight the flu and measles outbreaks, and definitely take a moment to catch up on all the accessibility-related news happening across the globe!
In my short video below, I discuss some of the stories that interested me most. I explore their significance and explain why I recommend you check them out.
Do you have a story you think we should read? Please share it on social and make sure to tag us! You can also leave a comment on this post.
Featured articles
WebAIM’s Global Digital Accessibility Salary Survey Results are in. Some of the highlights:
- Respondents who reported working full time reported an average salary of $109,542 US dollars (median = $96,100). Average salaries varied by country.
- 6% of respondents reported having a disability. Respondents with disabilities reported higher full-time salaries on average than respondents without disabilities.
- Blind respondents had the highest average salary of all disability types. Respondents with motor disabilities were the only disability category that reported lower average salaries than respondents without disabilities.
- 5% of respondents worked for accessibility software, tools, or services companies.
As DEI programs are cut, the future of accessibility and inclusion for disabled and neurodivergent individuals falls on business leaders, advocates, and employees alike. Forbes reports on going beyond DEI to ensure inclusion for disabled people amidst uncertainty, while the American Civil Liberties Union explains the relationship between DEI and accessibility.
My colleague Greg Williams speculates that it’s unlikely that a business would intentionally prevent customers and employees from having full access to its products and services as he explores the disadvantages and cost of exclusion in his latest blog.
The deadlines for state and local governments in the United States to meet the 2024 ADA Title II rule about web and mobile accessibility are coming up in 2026 and 2027, depending on the size of the government agency. Perhaps because state and local government are failing at digital accessibility, the State of Louisiana is moving forward with a web accessibility lawsuit despite these deadline dates being in the future.
While the federal government lacks comprehensive guidelines, states are the primary policymakers and are making organizations think again about digital inclusion; states are taking the lead.
As the industry starts watching and measuring, the Web Almanac by HTTP Archive is providing rich accessibility conformance data by US State; they also have data by EU Country.
Lastly, the European Commission has made a statement on overlays: “Overlays, or any other tools which do not ensure the website itself meets the detailed criteria of the standard, are not an appropriate solution. It is best to fix accessibility issues at their source.”
More stories
Below, I’ve gathered some additional links to compelling stories that I think are well worth exploring:
Creating a more accessible Australia. The Australian Government has launched the Accessible Australia initiative, investing $17.1 million to enhance accessibility in national parks, beaches, and community spaces.
At last, accessibility for all in India. A Supreme Court judgment is anticipated to instigate a substantial revision of the accessibility mandate for persons with disabilities as well as other demographic groups.
155 establishments fail to meet digital access standards, fined. The Court of the Chief Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities has imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 each on nearly 155 establishments for failing to comply with accessibility standards for websites, mobile applications, and other digital platforms. These include most central ministries, their departments, and several private establishments.
New Partnership Launches THE ACCESSIBILITY LAB to Advance Inclusive Hospitality Innovation. The Accessibility Lab (“The Lab”), a pioneering collaboration between The Schoolhouse Hotel, and TravelAbility, has officially launched, creating the first-of-its-kind real-world testing environment for accessibility solutions in the hospitality industry.
Ikea ramps up digital accessibility and inclusion push with introduction of new solutions and tools. Ikea has announced the roll-out of new digital accessibility and inclusion initiatives. This includes helping countries to explore and procure technology for sign language interpretation for customers and co-workers, or a local library with assistive technology and information that helps find accommodations.
First bilingual series – English and British Sign Language – to launch in UK: First bilingual series – English and British Sign Language – to launch in UK. Reunion is a four-part thriller written by Sheffield-born deaf writer William Mager, focusing on revenge and redemption. Characters are played by deaf actors, adding to the authenticity of the series.
Women with disabilities less likely to have accommodations, finds study. Women with disabilities face a disproportionate challenge in the workplace: more of them need accommodations, yet fewer get the support they ask for.
Supporting Families to Become Conversation Leaders on Inclusive Education. This toolkit from Inclusion International is a practical resource designed to help UK families of children with intellectual disabilities advocate for inclusive education.
Another Web Access Overlay Company Sued by a Small Business. Another class action lawsuit has been filed by a small business that purchased an overlay monthly subscription yet still got hit with a lawsuit claiming its website was not accessible.
The Accessibility Icon Collection. 25 free icons dedicated to accessibility and inclusive design, created in partnership with Disability:IN, SVA, and Canva.
How I learned to code with my voice. “Struggling with severe hand pain, I learned to code by voice. This is my journey with Talon and Cursorless, plus practical tips for hands-free development.”
City of New York Sets New Standard for Accessibility Training with Microsoft Partnership. DCAS, MOPD, and NYC Talent have partnered with Microsoft to launch a first-of-its-kind Digital Accessibility Training, providing city employees with key resources to create accessible content for all members of the community.
The beauty brands that are paving the way for disability inclusivity through their packaging. While the beauty industry has made huge leaps in recent years to narrow the inclusivity gap, consumers with disabilities are still being overlooked.
This week’s recommended read
If you read just one thing this week, I recommend reading Accessibility Theater: The Cautionary Tale of Overlays by Jason Day. It’s a clever way to address a serious issue, and as the final line of the “play” makes clear, there is a critical message: “No more theater. No more overlays. Just thoughtful, accessible design.”
Bonus content!
Are you part of an Organization of People with Disabilities (OPD/DPO) looking to make new connections and potential partners? Add your organization to the Global OPD Map, which is being set up by Anna Landre for her PhD research effort with the Global Disability Innovation Hub. Read more about the project on Anna’s LinkedIn post.
CSUN alert!
Deque is at the 40th CSUN Assistive Technology Conference all this week. If you’re on social and not tracking the conference yet, definitely follow #CSUNATC25 to make sure you’re up to date on everything, including today’s fireside chat on Meeting the Demands of Web Accessibility at Scale, featuring Deque’s Chief Compliance Officer, Glenda Sims!
Are you at CSUN right now? Then swing by Ballroom 3 for our Thursday and Friday sessions—happening all day long! We’ll have our c-suite and other experts on hand to chat through your accessibility needs.
Next steps
Thank you for joining me for Accessibility Reads and all that you are doing to bring equality to the digital world. Please share these stories across your network, and take a moment to let us know how we are doing with this content curation.
Please visit deque.com to learn more about how we’re advancing digital accessibility and inclusion across the globe.
Is your business ready to take your digital accessibility efforts to the next level? Schedule a free strategic consulting session today!
