Global Accessibility Awareness Day is May 20th, and throughout the month accessibility advocates will be introducing more people to inclusive design. If you are new to digital accessibility, beware of companies claiming to provide quick and easy automated accessibility “solutions.” An alarming number of companies, nonprofits, and government agencies have fallen for this. Millions of dollars have poured into this. Artificial intelligence only works in limited situations and is nowhere near the point where we can rely on it for all our accessibility needs. Avoid AccessiBe, AudioEye, EqualWeb, User1st, UserWay, & other services claiming to provide automated web accessibility “solutions.”
I made this video to alert those new to digital accessibility.
Over 400 accessibility experts and allies signed the Overlay Fact Sheet, a document describing the harms caused by these services.
May you continue learning about digital accessibility this month, and all year long!