Are Overlays Good Enough to Make My Website Accessible?

An accessible website is designed and developed to be usable and understandable by all users, including those with disabilities. Overlays add layers of content or functionality on top of the existing website, often with the intention of improving accessibility or user experience. However, overlays can often create accessibility barriers themselves and may not be an effective solution for improving accessibility.

Accessibility is not just a legal requirement. It is also an ethical and moral responsibility to ensure that all users can access and use the website.?

Inaccessible websites also have risks and costs; such as lost business opportunities, legal liabilities, and reputation damage. Aspiritech offers the expertise and guidance to make websites fully accessible while also being cost-effective, such as using best practices for web development and design, leveraging accessibility tools and resources, and implementing accessibility testing and evaluation.

What are accessibility overlays??

Accessibility overlays are tools designed to improve the accessibility of websites. They are typically implemented as third-party widgets or browser extensions and are added to a website to provide additional accessibility features, such as adjustable font size, color scheme, and captions for videos.

Accessibility overlays can provide some benefits for users with disabilities, but they also have several limitations and receive valid criticism from the disabled community.

For example, accessibility overlays can only address a limited range of accessibility issues and do not address the underlying accessibility problems of an inaccessible website. They can also create new accessibility barriers, such as poor keyboard navigation or missing alternative text.

What are specific accessibility issues that overlays create??

• Limited effectiveness: Accessibility overlays can only address a limited range of accessibility issues, and do not address the underlying problems of an inaccessible website. They can also create new accessibility problems.

• Technical limitations: They can introduce compatibility issues with certain browsers or devices, which can impact the accessibility of a website for some users.

• Legal compliance: Many overlay companies count on your lack of knowledge about accessibility and sell empty promises that will not shield you from litigation.

• Dependence on third-party tools: Accessibility overlays rely on third-party tools, which can limit their ability to provide a consistent user experience across all pages of a website. In addition, the maintenance and support of these tools can be an ongoing challenge, which can impact the accessibility of a website over time.

• Interference with screen reader technology: Some accessibility overlays can interfere with the functioning of screen reader technology, which is used by many users with disabilities to access websites. In other words, overlays can create even more accessibility issues among other assistive technologies. “So much so, that disabled users actively block overlays, which defeat the purpose of including an overlay to begin with (Michael Spellacy).”

• Cost: Some accessibility overlays are commercial products, which can be expensive to implement and maintain. In addition, there may be ongoing costs for support and maintenance, all of which can impact the budget for actually fixing a website to make it fully accessible.

The truth is, overlays are just a bandaid on a much larger wound. While accessibility overlays can be a start for making a website more accessible, they should not be relied on as a long-term solution. To ensure that a website is fully accessible, it must be designed and developed with accessibility in mind, using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

When might it make sense to use an overlay??

Accessibility overlays should not be relied on as the sole solution for accessibility. However, they can be helpful in certain situations such as while you are working on the necessary modifications to make your website fully accessible.?

However, it is important to note that using an accessibility overlay is not a substitute for making the necessary changes to the website to ensure that it is fully accessible.?

What are the risks of using an overlay as a long-term solution??

Using an accessibility overlay as a long-term solution for making a website accessible carries several risks. A few of the most significant risks include:

• Inaccessible Site: Accessibility overlays are only able to address a limited range of accessibility issues and do not address the underlying accessibility problems of an inaccessible website. This means that an inaccessible website that uses an overlay as a long-term solution will still be inaccessible to some users with disabilities.

• New Accessibility Barriers: Some overlays can create new accessibility barriers. As previously stated, overlays can interfere with screen readers and other assistive technology as well as create other internal issues within a website.?

• Lack of Consistency: Accessibility overlays can vary widely in design and functionality, leading to a lack of consistency and reliability for users with disabilities. This can make it difficult for users to rely on overlays to provide a consistent user experience across different websites.

• Compliance Issues: Using an accessibility overlay as a long-term solution may not meet the legal requirements for accessibility under disability rights laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States.

Do overlays meet legal requirements??

Using overlays alone does not provide legal protection in the event of a lawsuit related to website accessibility. Overlays are often presented as a quick and easy solution to meet accessibility requirements, but they may not always provide a comprehensive and reliable solution to accessibility barriers.

Overlays may even create additional barriers to accessibility and fail to address underlying issues that require remediation. In addition, the use of overlays may not satisfy legal requirements for accessibility under various laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

According to Accessibleweb, "In 2020, more than 250 lawsuits were filed against companies using accessibility widgets or overlays. In the last six months of 2020 and over the course of 2021, the number of lawsuits against businesses using overlays increased dramatically. This trend doesn’t appear to be slowing."

The best approach to protect your website from potential legal action related to accessibility is to ensure that it meets established accessibility guidelines and standards, such as the WCAG. This involves conducting accessibility testing, remediation of accessibility issues, and ongoing monitoring and maintenance of accessibility over time.

If you have questions about your website’s accessibility, you can call Aspiritech for a free consultation.?

Which Accessibility Overlays are Best??

There are many companies and vendors that offer overlays for improving website accessibility, and the effectiveness of each overlay can vary depending on the specific features and implementation.

Some overlays may offer useful accessibility features such as alternative text for images, keyboard navigation, and color contrast adjustments, while others may rely too heavily on automation and may not address all accessibility issues.

It's important to note that using an overlay alone may not provide a comprehensive or reliable solution to website accessibility, and may even create additional barriers to accessibility.

Ultimately, the most effective approach to website accessibility is to design and develop the website with accessibility in mind from the outset, and to conduct ongoing testing and remediation to ensure that it meets established accessibility standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

If you're considering using an overlay, it's important to thoroughly evaluate the options and consult with accessibility experts to ensure that you choose a solution that will effectively address your website's specific accessibility needs.

Citations: https://overlayfactsheet.com/#fitness-for-achieving-compliance-with-accessibility-standards?

https://shouldiuseanaccessibilityoverlay.com/#why?

https://karlgroves.com/overlay-fact-sheet-what-it-is-and-how-to-make-it-work-for-you/?

https://accessibleweb.com/web-accessibility-news/do-away-with-overlays/