The European Disability Forum (EDF) and International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) have issued a joint statement clarifying the limitations of a technology known as ‘accessibility overlay’ – and warned that this technology does not make websites accessible or compliant with European accessibility legislation.
Accessibility overlays enable users to change the way online content looks. While this can help some people, similar features are already available in today’s browsers and devices – and some overlays can interfere with the other technology people with disabilities use to access online content (known as assistive technology).
Many public and private online services are now using accessibility overlays instead of fixing their website to ensure it complies with accessibility laws and digital accessibility standards.
Our objective with this statement is to ensure that people who are not digital accessibility experts understand what this technology can and cannot do. We strongly advise buyers of technology to actively engage with digital accessibility experts, persons with disabilities and their representative organisations to understand user needs and how these can be met.
Selected abstracts
“It can be difficult for people who are not digital accessibility specialists, including users, developers, designers and website owners who purchase technology, to understand what accessibility overlays can and can’t deliver, and the limitations and potential risks of any new technology.”
“Users of assistive technology already have their devices and browsers configured to their preferred settings. The overlay technology can interfere with the user’s assistive technology and override user settings, forcing people to use the overlay instead. This makes the website less accessible to some user groups and may prevent access to content.”
“Website owners who are not digital accessibility specialists may be led to believe that overlays can ‘fix’ the accessibility of a website, which is not the case. Overlays do not make the website accessible or compliant with European accessibility legislation. They do not constitute an acceptable alternative or a substitute for fixing the website itself.”