Understanding accessibility widgets (or overlays)

On this page

• About accessibility widgets (also known as overlays)
• About users impacted by accessibility overlays
• Accessible digital environment
• Reasons why organisations choose an accessibility widget (overlay)
• Resources for organisations to ensure accessibility
• Accessibility widgets and compliance

About accessibility widgets (also known as overlays)

The provision of information and services online is considered a service under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1992. It requires equal access to websites and online services for people with disabilities, wherever it is reasonably achievable. This obligation applies to anyone or any organisation in Australia that develops or maintains a website or web resource, including those hosted on Australian servers.

These legal frameworks aim to protect individuals with disabilities by mandating website accessibility compliance. However, ensuring compliance with these legislations presents challenges for website owners, further complicated by a significant rise in related lawsuits. To illustrate this, a study by Egger et al. (2022) mentioned that lawsuits under the American Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III increased dramatically from 2,722 in 2013 to 11,053 in 2019. This surge in litigation pushed companies to adopt quick-fix solutions like overlay tools to avoid legal repercussions.

These tools apply third-party code to enhance front-end accessibility (Egger et al., 2022). Website overlays often appear as a widget or toolbar allowing users to customise their browsing experience through various adjustments to font size, colour contrast and text-to-speech options (Kubesch, 2024).

Overlay tools are highly criticised within the accessibility community, with many concerns about their effectiveness and if they meet the needs of the intended user group (Kubesch, 2024).

WebAIM’s survey of Web Accessibility Practitioners found that>65% of Accessibility Practitioners and respondents with disabilities rated overlay tools as ineffective.

No overlay product correctly ensures full compliance with accessibility standards despite claims made by overlay vendors (Egger et al., 2022), and their functionality is often redundant, as users already have the necessary tools on their devices to navigate the web. Evidence suggests accessibility overlays frequently fail to deliver on their promises and tend to exacerbate existing accessibility challenges (Makati et al., 2024).

About users impacted by accessibility overlays

People who are blind or have low vision

People who are blind or have low vision are disproportionately impacted by poor web accessibility (Makati et al., 2024).

Vision exists on a spectrum, with “low vision” describing individuals who have some remaining insight but may require closer proximity to objects than those with normal vision to see them clearly. It is a permanent vision loss that cannot be corrected with glasses and may cause difficulties in daily living tasks, increase fall risk, or impact emotional wellbeing (Vision Australia, n.d.).

“Blindness” refers to a condition where vision is extremely limited or absent, requiring the individual to rely on other senses, such as touch and hearing, to navigate and understand their surroundings. It is uncommon, however, for someone to experience complete loss of sight (Vision Australia, n.d.).

Usability refers to how effectively, efficiently and satisfactorily specific users can utilise a system, product or service to achieve their goals within a particular context of use (Technical Committee ISO/TC 159 and Subcommittee SC 4 2018). Websites extend beyond fulfilling specific tasks, as individuals see the internet as a tool for fulfilling informational needs and use it for communication, leisure and social interactions (Aizpurua et al., 2016). Therefore, website success extends further than its actual features to how users experience them. User experience refers to individual perceptions and responses resulting from the anticipated or actual use of a system, product or service – website user experience significantly correlates with perceived website accessibility (Aizpurua et al., 2016).

Second only to screen magnification, a screen reader is one of the most frequently used forms of assistive technology, predominantly utilised by individuals with blindness and low vision (WebAIM, 2021).

Accessible digital environment

In its 2024 evaluation, WebAim identified nearly all website accessibility errors stem from six key areas: low- contrast text, missing alternative text for images, empty links, absent form input labels, empty buttons and missing document language. Addressing these issues is crucial, but the real opportunity lies in fundamentally rethinking how we design and develop digital services.

When websites are built with accessibility in mind from the outset, they tap into the digital landscape’s inherently accessible nature. This proactive approach ensures that all users can “perceive, understand, navigate, interact with and contribute to the web” (Henry, 2022). Ensuring that digital services are accessible ensures equal opportunities and access for everyone, regardless of their constraints (Kubesch, D., 2024). Integrating accessibility into the design and development of the digital landscape is essential for creating an inclusive online experience.

Reasons why organisations choose an accessibility widget (overlay)

• Easy entry point to start the process of making website accessible
• Promise of legal protection and compliance
• Quicker, more affordable alternative with minimal upfront effort
• Third-party certification for accessibility compliance (e.g., showing an accessibility icon)
• Appealing demos seem attractive to those unfamiliar with the intricacies of accessibility

Resources for organisations to ensure accessibility

Learn the basics about accessibility

• Free course on W3C on introduction to web accessibility
• Learn about the basics (colour contrast, headings alternative texts, best practices for writing for the web)
• Look through the WCAG (the way the content is laid out is intuitive); conversely, go through WCAG checklist of the most common accessibility principles and techniques to start
• Learn how to navigate a website with your keyboard
• Watch videos of user experience using assistive technology

Test the website

• Use keyboard to navigate pages on your website; should be able to focus on every interactive element such as buttons, fields, checkboxes, radios, menus to expand, collapse and activate items
• Use a screen reader to test how the website works e.g., JAWS
• Use multiple free web accessibility evaluation tools e.g., WAVE, Lighthouse; fix the issues it highlights
• A full accessibility audit through a paid vendor
• Add an accessibility statement; W3 Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) offers accessibility statement generator to help walk through all of the components that should be included

Enlist third-party website accessibility tools e.g., AccessibilityOZ, Deque, TPGI and services provided by OZeWAI members on the Consultant Directory. You can get a quote or there are tools like the Website Accessibility Pricing Calculator which can assist in estimating the expenses associated with implementing digital accessibility.

Accessibility widgets and compliance

Egger et al. (2022) conducted a study to evaluate overlay tools that are designed to make websites more accessible for people with disabilities. The researchers wanted to find out how effective these tools really are at improving website accessibility and whether they live up to their promises.

To achieve this, the study followed a structured method:

• Selection of tools: The researchers identified nine overlay tools available in the market and chose three for a detailed analysis: accessiBe, EqualWeb, and UserWay. They selected these tools based on specific criteria, such as their claims of compliance with accessibility standards like WCAG 2.1 and their ability to be implemented on various types of websites.
• Evaluation metrics: They developed 7 metrics to evaluate the tools, which included assessing their compliance with the standards and their effectiveness in addressing common accessibility barriers.
• Testing process: The researchers used a specific testing framework called the BIK BITV-Test, which includes 92 different test steps to evaluate accessibility. They created a cloned version of a website to test how well each overlay tool improved its accessibility by addressing identified issues.
• Assessment: After applying the overlay tools to the test website, the researchers measured the changes these tools made. They looked at both automatic changes made by the tools and the need for manual adjustments to achieve better accessibility. Also, they considered the site owner’s perspective on the ease of implementation and available support.

Overall research findings

Upon completion of their research, Egger et al. (2022) discovered the following findings:

1. Effectiveness of overlay tools: The effectiveness of these tools varied significantly.
   • accessiBe was found to be particularly effective in helping blind users and those who navigate using keyboards, automatically fixing many of the existing barriers on the tested website.
   • UserWay performed well in some areas but required users to make manual adjustments, which assumes the site owner knows how to fix issues.
   • EqualWeb offered features for manual adjustments but did not match the automatic fixes provided by accessiBe.
2. Compliance issues: Despite some improvements made by the overlay tools, none achieved full compliance with WCAG’s level AA or the relevant legal standards. They often fell short in:
   • Generating accurate text alternatives for images, which is a crucial accessibility feature.
   • Handling certain accessibility features, such as controlling audio that plays automatically or ensuring that keyboard traps are avoided.
3. User support and training: The tools provided minimal guidance and training for website owners on how to implement changes effectively. This lack of support posed a significant hurdle in ensuring true accessibility.

The conclusion

Egger et al. (2022) concluded that overlay tools can play a role in making websites more accessible, but they should not be solely relied upon for achieving full compliance. Here are the main takeaways:

• Partial solutions: While tools like accessiBe showed promise in improving accessibility, they are not sufficient for complete compliance with legal standards. They can help but should be part of a more comprehensive accessibility strategy.
• Need for ongoing development: Providers of overlay tools need to continue developing their technologies to better meet current standards and laws. They should also be transparent about their limitations.
• Importance of manual adjustments: Encouraging site owners to learn how to manually adjust their websites is crucial. Providing training and support could greatly enhance the effectiveness of these tools.