TL;DR: Accessibility Overlays are NOT a silver bullet. Here’s why:
- They’re temporary fixes, not real solutions. Think of them as a band-aid, not a cure.
- They can introduce new problems. From privacy to security, overlays bring their own risks.
- Many users find them difficult to use. Especially the very people they’re supposed to help.
- They don’t prevent lawsuits. In fact, businesses using overlays are still getting sued.
- True accessibility requires deep, ongoing effort. Overlays offer a false sense of security.
Making websites accessible to everyone is crucial in today’s digital world. Businesses often look for quick fixes to meet accessibility standards and avoid legal issues. This has led to the rise of accessibility overlays. These are third-party plugins or widgets that claim to instantly make a website accessible by adding features like screen readers, text resizers, or color contrast adjustments. However, the reality of accessibility overlays is far more complex and often disappointing.
Why Overlays Are Like a Band-Aid
Imagine you have a deep cut. A band-aid helps cover it and might offer some temporary relief. But it doesn’t truly heal the wound or address the underlying cause. That’s precisely what accessibility overlays do for websites. They are a temporary approach to fixing issues, not a permanent solution to web design accessibility. While they might seem to “help heal,” they don’t solve the core problems. Many users actually find sites without overlays easier to use.
A Host of New Concerns: Privacy and Security Risks
Implementing accessibility overlays isn’t just about what they don’t fix; it’s also about the new concerns they introduce. One major issue is privacy. Many plugin providers don’t clearly disclose what they’re doing with user data collected through the app. This lack of transparency can be a significant red flag for users concerned about their personal information.
Beyond privacy, there are also serious security issues. Consider the case of the Reachdeck accessibility plugin. It was hacked, and its code was altered to mine cryptocurrency, affecting thousands of people, including critical organizations like the UK NHS, the ICO, and the US government. This incident highlights the very real dangers of relying on third-party plugins for core accessibility.
The Illusion of Accessibility
Many businesses fall into the trap of believing that once an accessibility overlay is installed, their accessibility problems are “solved.” This creates a fake sense of accessibility. The truth is, countless underlying accessibility issues often remain unaddressed. This can lead to a belief that a business genuinely cares about making sites accessible when, in the eyes of disabled people, it might be seen as a “black mark on business authority.”
Tools like the WAVE extension can help identify genuine accessibility issues, and some have even shown how overlays can manipulate content to bypass detection of errors. This indicates that overlays are sometimes more about profit than genuine accessibility.
They Don’t Stop Lawsuits – They Might Even Increase Them
One of the main motivations for businesses to use accessibility overlays is to avoid lawsuits. However, the data tells a different story. These plugins don’t prevent lawsuits; in fact, they bring a host of new concerns. In 2022, 575 businesses in the US that used overlays faced lawsuits – a 36% increase from the previous year. This clearly shows that overlays are not a shield against legal action.
What’s more, most of the people that these overlays are supposedly aimed at often don’t like them. A notable example is in 2021 when the US Blind Advocacy Group banned accessiBe, a prominent overlay provider, from its national convention and revoked sponsorship, accusing them of engaging in harmful practices. An online petition against the overlay fact sheet garnered signatures from hundreds of developers and experts worldwide who all disagree with the use of overlays. The petition clearly states: “We hereby advocate for the removal of web accessibility overlays and encourage site owners who’ve implemented these products to use more robust, independent, and permanent strategies to making their sites more accessible.”
The Path to True Accessibility
True web accessibility is an ongoing journey, not a one-time installation. It requires a commitment to designing and developing websites with accessibility in mind from the ground up. This includes:
- Understanding what causes problems: Learning from issues is crucial to fixing and avoiding them in the future.
- Creating an accessibility document: This document should outline your commitment to accessibility and detail the steps you’re taking.
- Encouraging user feedback: Actively seek input from users with disabilities to identify areas for improvement.
- Implementing robust, independent strategies: Focus on building accessibility directly into your website’s code and design, rather than relying on external, temporary fixes like accessibility overlays.
While the promise of a quick fix is appealing, the reality of accessibility overlays is that they fall short. They offer a false sense of security, introduce new risks, and often fail to serve the very community they claim to help. Investing in genuine, built-in accessibility is the only sustainable and ethical path forward.
I build all websites with an accessibility first mindset. If you need support in getting a new website built that considers accessibility or want me to audit your current website for accessibility issues then feel free to contact me.