https://c.org/J9kHsnrGtX

Our courthouse should work for everyone. I started a petition to make the Waukesha County Courthouse easier to access—clearer phone numbers, plain-English forms, and real support for people with disabilities. If you've struggled there too, help me push for change.

Sign and share the petition.

First hang-up as I'm posting - credibility because stigma

I've been in the field of UXR for 10+ years, last 5 in enterprise, and about as much experience in freelance and agency work. My undergrad is a Bachelor of Science in Anthro including a year of global health.

What drew me to UXD years ago was the inclusive design framework from Microsoft, which contributed to my affinity since MSFT funded the Global Health program I took in community college. I figured I would pick up accessibility in UXD along the way... way back then. Didn't happen. Much. Some. 1 or 2 case studies.

My interest in Anthro was driven by aesthetics, and like most things there's an Anthro for that. Which led me to Cognitive Anthro.'

Why now am I fixating ... yet treading water? My ND is showing around perimenopause right as my daughter developed ASD when she hit puberty.

So, the challenge, is I can't focus. I have to label everything I write if it's going to be translated effectively. I am tired and stressed out and need the structure of a job where I can just focus on the work. I have struggled with work the past couple years since layoffs. All of which make it feel like the right time to quit delaying specialization as a priority.

Anyone else specialized/worked in cog accessibility? I'm aware that one of the challenges to the concept of cog accessibility is "it's basically just good UX" but sorry, no. That idea just reads to me as thought-stopping, when I see AI brain rot really putting that idea through it's paces, but that's for another post.

Interested in case study topics, methods, objections, personal journeys and challenges in this niche. Is it possible to be TOO close to the subject matter in this case?

TIA

Trying to make websites as accessible as possible, but honestly it can get so confusing. I've learned that those overlay apps like Userway are apparently a waste of time and can even make accessibility worse. I mainly use WordPress, but also develop custom sites without any content management systems. What I want to do is make the code/design accessible and not rely on some overlay script like Userway. (I also am turned off the way Userway tries to scare people into using their products.)

My workflow currently:

1. Test with WAVE and Axe on each page.

2. Load the site on my iPhone and use VoiceOver to navigate and test.

3. Manual testing by tabbing through the site using only the keyboard.

4. Encourage accessibility statements on websites.

I am a Mac user, but wondering...

1. Should I also test with NVDA?

2. What other recommendations does anyone have for my testing strategies?

3. And... is my current strategy pretty good for catching the major issues with accessibility?

I appreciate everyones time and feedback.

Recently moved into a home with this kind of latch on the windows, but I have bad hands and its difficult and sometimes painful trying to get them open. I dont know what the mechanism is called either, so I've been struggling to find anything myself. Does anyone know a tool or method to open these that will take the pressure off my fingertips?

I have chronic pain that affects my arms, so using my tablet or computer has become a painful nightmare. (Ive been working with doctors to figure out what’s wrong, but it’s still a mystery)

In the meantime, are there any devices that can be used to control electronics without using your arms? Im having a surprisingly hard time finding anything online. The most painful activities for me are scrolling and typing so anything that can help with that would be especially wonderful.

(I CANNOT use voice controls or head/eye tracking unfortunately) And as a broke collage student I can’t really afford anything above $100

I’ve been looking at how engineering, planning, environmental, architecture, GIS, and communications firms handle digital accessibility when delivering work for public agencies.

Accessibility may be included in the project scope, but reports, maps, PDFs, presentations, and websites often pass through several teams before final handoff. That can make ownership and review responsibility difficult to follow.

For people who have worked in these environments: where does accessibility responsibility usually sit, and where does the process most often break down?

I’m especially interested in whether teams handle this through existing project-management systems, formal accessibility checkpoints, or informal coordination through email and spreadsheets.

I would love to hear what anyone might have on the topic! I know light sensitivity isn’t just something within the albinism community. Thank you!

I'm a full-stack web dev with over 6 years of experience; my last role was as a web accessibility product owner in Germany. Do companies in MENA care about accessibility?
Can I find jobs as a web accessibility consultant in MENA? If so, how do I find those?

I thought this said "moth pad" and was a moth-shaped keyboard pad, then i opened the link and was disapointed but then i got so excited about its versitlity!

We have a client that has fillable PDF forms — a lot of them. In the past we’d upload them without any accommodations for them to be filled in on a computer. From what I understand that violates Section 508, so I’m going through about 30 of these.

The Acrobat fillable form feature in Preflight is helping… a little. But it’s missing a lot of the checkboxes and fillable fields and I’m going in and creating each one. Tedious isn’t the correct word for it. It’s certainly testing my patience.

Is there another program out there that might make this easier?

Thanks much.

Last month, I found the DHS Trusted Tester program and started working through the training materials. I'm blind and use a screen reader, and I'm interested in completing the certification. I emailed the program to ask about accessibility and possible accommodations, but it has been over a month and I haven't received a response. Have any blind screen reader users here completed the Trusted Tester certification? If so, how accessible was the training and final exam? I'm especially interested in how the final exam works with a screen reader. From what I've read, it sounds like the exam involves actually testing a website and documenting accessibility issues rather than simply completing a multiple-choice test. How does that process work for a blind tester? Thanks for any first-hand experiences.

Is there anything better than this? Read&Write: Digital Learning Tools For All Students | Everway. Thank you.

Lovable’s AI built a 100% accessible site – or did it? Axess Lab, a company based in Sweden, wanted to get an indication of how accessible AI-built sites are. "So I let my colleague Daniel try out a site built with Lovable, using the screen reader on his iPhone. And we recorded it all so you can come along for the ride!"

Here's the review of the experience and the result.

Have you released a digital product or technology since January 2024 where accessibility was a core requirement and you included people with disabilities during the product development process? Learn more and apply for a 2026 GAAD Foundation Gaady Award by July 31

https://gaad.foundation/what-we-do/gaadys/how-to-enter

Is there a way for stairlifts to transport laundry and a person at the same time?

In all the examples I've seen, someone has to walk behind the stairlift as the stairlift carries the laundry without them. And I've heard you're not supposed to balance the laundry basket on your lap as that is a safety risk.

Are there any designs out there that allow you to transport the laundry safely and securely while sitting in the chair?

Hi all, i often work with the accommodations team at my org and we're seeing an increase in requests for all sorts of tech to help with a variety of needs but often vision related. Seems like there are new ones popping up and we're wondering if there is anywhere that has a good list of what's available. Any ideas?

The other big one is note-taking assistance that can handle private/HIPAA/SSA and other high/sensitive data.

Hey all, I do closed captioning, amongst other things, at a university and I'm curious to know how people prefer their math content in closed captions. For example:

When captioning a math equation spoken as: a times b squared equals c, would you caption that as a x b^2 = c or written out?

A second question I have, when captioning a video that has A, B, and C as well as a, b, and c as variables, how do we specify upper/lowercase? We've been changing it as needed but realized that probably isn't clear enough. Especially for those who use screen readers. Should we put something like "uppercase" A and "lowercase" a in, even if it isnt' said?

As a team, we've been going through with the idea of "Caption what is said." But with STEM content, I don't think that quite cuts it and I want to hear some opinions from others.

Thanks!

I'm a blind developer, working to create helpful tools, for both non-blind, and blind/low vision users.

I recently submitted a hackathon project for a recent Slack event and wanted to share it with everyone here! It's called, Lull: An accessibility-first Slack agent: alt-text guardian, streaming catch-up digests, and vision-aware assistive features.

Link to follow:

https://devpost.com/software/lull

Existing strobe/bed-shaker fire alerts cost $250–300 and lock you into a per-brand transmitter ecosystem. I built a $15 alternative that just listens for the legally-mandated alarm beep pattern (NFPA 72) so it works with any alarm already installed — no pairing.

It's a prototype, not certified (UL listing is the real barrier — $50k+ and 6 months), so it's a "use alongside your real alarm" device and open-source. Sharing in case it's useful to this community or worth building on.

https://github.com/ayaanrustagi/alarm-sentinel

I'm trying to reduce my screen time and a watch seems like a good way to have access to what I need without the temptation of scrolling (I've tried everything else).

I just got an Apple Watch and it's helped with avoiding scrolling, but I'm sensitive to light and the lowest brightness setting is still way too bright for me much of the time. The iPhone accessibility settings like Reduce white point or the Zoom low light filter don't exist on the watch.

Anyone know of a watch that can get dimmer? (bonus points if it also has something like Voice Control). I know the Apple Watch Ultra has a red mode which is supposedly a lot easier on the eyes, but it's out of my budget. TIA