The document summarizes a presentation given by Adrian Roselli on fringe accessibility techniques that should be avoided. It discusses common techniques like clicking on labels and checking color contrast. It then covers more fringe techniques such as avoiding default focus styles, using <h1> headings wisely, and setting the lang attribute. The document warns against disabling zoom, using tabindex greater than 0, and avoiding infinite scroll. It emphasizes that accessibility is an ongoing process rather than a checklist.

1. Fringe Accessibility Techniques
(That Probably Shouldn’t Be)
Presented by Adrian Roselli for Portland Accessibility and User Experience Meetup
Slides from this talk will be available at rosel.li/pdxux

2. • I’ve written some stuff,
• Member of W3C,
• Building for the web since
1993,
• Learn more at
AdrianRoselli.com,
• Avoid on Twitter
@aardrian.
About Adrian Roselli

3. What We’ll Cover
• Common(?) Techniques
• The (not really) Fringe
• Key Takeaways
Work with me, people.

4. Common(?) Techniques
1 of 3 sections.

5. Common(?) Techniques
• Click on field labels
Make sure the corresponding field gets focus.

6. Common(?) Techniques
• Click on field labels
• Unplug your mouse
Make sure you can still use the page / application.

7. Common(?) Techniques
• Click on field labels
• Unplug your mouse
• Turn off images
Make sure no important content has disappeared.

8. Common(?) Techniques
• Click on field labels
• Unplug your mouse
• Turn off images
• Turn off CSS
Make sure the page still makes sense.

9. Common(?) Techniques
• Click on field labels
• Unplug your mouse
• Turn off images
• Turn off CSS
• Check color contrast
Make sure it’s sufficient.

10. Common(?) Techniques
• Click on field labels
• Unplug your mouse
• Turn off images
• Turn off CSS
• Check color contrast
• Consider hyperlink text
Be consistent and clear, managing expectations the whole time.

11. The (not really) Fringe
2 of 3 sections.

12. Use Link Underlines
http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/13/5503894/google-removes-underlined-links-site-redesign

13. http://www.sitepoint.com/15-rules-making-accessible-links/
Use Link Underlines

14. Use Link Underlines
• You are not Google:
• Users know Google’s layout,
• Users probably don’t visit your site daily.
• Relying on color alone will not suffice (WCAG 1.4.1 [A], 1.4.3 [AA]),
• Necessary contrast values:
• 4.5:1 between text and its background for copy,
• 3:1 between text and its background for larger text,
• 3:1 between surrounding text and a hyperlink, plus an additional visual cue
(G183).
http://adrianroselli.com/2014/03/i-dont-care-what-google-did-just-keep.html
http://adrianroselli.com/2016/06/on-link-underlines.html

15. Use :focus Styles

16. Use :focus Styles
• Particularly if you removed link underlines,
• Everywhere you have :hover, add :focus,
• Look for :focus{outline:none;} in libraries:
• If you find it, remove it.
• Easy to test with the tab key.
http://adrianroselli.com/2014/06/keep-focus-outline.html

17. Avoid Default Focus Styles
Firefox

18. Avoid Default Focus Styles
Edge

19. Avoid Default Focus Styles
Chrome

20. Avoid Default Focus Styles
• Edge and Firefox use dotted lines,
• WebKit browsers use blue line,
• WebKit browsers do not scale the style with the page,
• There is no guarantee they will be visible on all backgrounds,
• Consider WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible.
http://adrianroselli.com/2017/02/avoid-default-browser-focus-styles.html

21. Use <h#> Wisely

22. Use <h#> Wisely
• Use only one <h1> per page,
• Don’t skip heading levels,
• Use appropriate nesting,
• There is no Document Outline Algorithm:
• Don’t use <h1> within every new <section> nor <article>,
• Multiple <h1>s will not help your SEO.
http://adrianroselli.com/2013/12/the-truth-about-truth-about-multiple-h1.html
http://adrianroselli.com/2016/08/there-is-no-document-outline-algorithm.html

23. Use Only One <main> per Page
Modified version of Hixie’s image at https://github.com/whatwg/html/issues/100#issuecomment-138620240

24. Use Only One <main> per Page
• <main> maps directly to role="main",
• AT users expect one main content block, may miss subsequent
<main>s,
• AT doesn’t expose that there are multiples,
• Can erode trust in landmark navigation.
http://adrianroselli.com/2015/09/use-only-one-main-on-a-page.html

25. Don’t Use tabindex > 0
https://www.digitalgov.gov/2014/11/17/user-experience-impossible-the-line-between-accessibility-and-usability/

26. Don’t Use tabindex > 0
https://www.digitalgov.gov/2014/11/17/user-experience-impossible-the-line-between-accessibility-and-usability/

27. Don’t Use tabindex > 0
• tabindex="-1"
• Use to set focus with script,
• Does not put it in tab order of page.
• tabindex="0"
• Allows user to set focus (e.g.: via keyboard),
• Puts in tab order of page (based on DOM).
• tabindex="1" (or greater)
• Do not do this,
• Messes with natural tab order.
http://adrianroselli.com/2014/11/dont-use-tabindex-greater-than-0.html

28. Maybe Use tabindex=0
http://adrianroselli.com/2016/02/keyboard-and-overflow.html

29. Maybe Use tabindex=0
• Do you have scrolling content boxes?
• Keyboard users probably cannot access it.
• Do you have content that expands on hover?
• Keyboard users probably cannot access it.
• A technique (for large, important blocks):
• <div role="region" aria-label="[if appropriate]"|aria-
labelledby="[if appropriate]" tabindex="0">
http://adrianroselli.com/2016/02/keyboard-and-overflow.html

30. <button>, <input>, or <a>
http://adrianroselli.com/2016/01/links-buttons-submits-and-divs-oh-hell.html

31. <button>, <input>, or <a>
http://adrianroselli.com/2016/01/links-buttons-submits-and-divs-oh-hell.html

32. <button>, <input>, or <a>
• Don’t use a <div> nor <span>.
• Does the control take me to another URL?
• Use an <a href>.
• Note: does not fire on space-bar.
• Does the control change something on the current page?
• Use a <button>.
• Does the control submit form fields?
• Use an <input type="submit"> or <button type="submit">.
http://adrianroselli.com/2016/01/links-buttons-submits-and-divs-oh-hell.html

33. Be Wary of Nesting Roles

34. Be Wary of Nesting Roles

35. Be Wary of Nesting Roles
• Just as you do not put <a href> in <button>,
• Do not nest an interactive control in another,
• Pay attention to polyfills, libraries that turn <div>s into
buttons via ARIA,
• Or ones that use tabindex.
http://adrianroselli.com/2016/12/be-wary-of-nesting-roles.html

36. Set lang Attribute on <html>
http://codepen.io/aardrian/pen/rOGYNL

37. Set lang Attribute on <html>
http://codepen.io/aardrian/pen/rOGYNL

38. Set lang Attribute on <html>
• VoiceOver uses to auto-switch voices,
• VoiceOver uses appropriate accenting,
• JAWS loads correct phonetic engine / phonologic dictionary,
• NVDA matches VoiceOver and JAWS,
• Use the correct lang value:
• Sub-tags are ok,
• Avoid private-use: en-GB-x-hixie
http://adrianroselli.com/2015/01/on-use-of-lang-attribute.html

39. Don’t Disable Zoom
http://codepen.io/aardrian/full/dYNJOV
http://codepen.io/aardrian/full/ojBpjw

40. Don’t Disable Zoom
• Allow users on mobile to zoom in,
• Look in <meta name="viewport"> for this:
• minimum-scale=1.0
• maximum-scale=1.0
• user-scalable=no
• Look in @-ms-viewport {} for this:
• zoom:1.0
• Grab your boss/client, shout “Enhance!”
http://adrianroselli.com/2015/10/dont-disable-zoom.html

41. Use Captions/Subtitles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V592VMJeXc8

42. Use Captions/Subtitles
• Everybody uses them:
• Working in public, in bed, at home,
• Surfing in public, in bed, at work.
• Should include audio descriptions,
• Should include speaker identification,
• Review auto-captions (“craptions”):
• NoMoreCraptions.com
http://adrianroselli.com/2013/11/captions-in-everyday-use.html

43. Use Captions/Subtitles
• Do video/audio clips have text alternatives?
• Are links to closed-captions or transcripts built into the player or
separate text links?
• Is there an audio description available?
• Tools:
• Media Access Australia YouTube captioning tutorial, Vimeo captioning
tutorial,
• Tiffany Brown’s WebVTT tutorial,
• DIY Resources for Closed Captioning and Transcription from 3 Play Media.
http://webaim.org/techniques/captions/

44. Test in Windows High Contrast Mode
http://buffalosoccerclub.org/About

45. Test in Windows High Contrast Mode
• It removes CSS background images,
• This has changed in Edge 14 / Win10 Anniv. Update,
• about:flags > Render backgrounds in high contrast
• Colors defined in your CSS are overridden,
• To activate:
• Left ALT + left SHIFT + PRINT SCREEN
• Media queries:
• -ms-high-contrast: active
• -ms-high-contrast: black-on-white
• -ms-high-contrast: white-on-black
http://adrianroselli.com/2012/08/css-background-images-high-contrast-mode.html

46. Avoid Infinite Scroll
http://www.pewresearch.org/category/publications/

47. Avoid Infinite Scroll
• Makes it impossible to access some content:
• Footer,
• Sidebar links.
• Destroys the back button,
• Makes it impossible to share a URL to specific “page” of results,
• Makes it impossible to jump ahead several “pages” of results,
• Can overwhelm AT users, less powerful devices.
http://adrianroselli.com/2014/05/so-you-think-you-built-good-infinite.html
http://adrianroselli.com/2015/05/for-infinite-scroll-bounce-rate-is.html

48. Reconsider Typefaces for Dyslexia
http://opendyslexic.org/try-it/

49. Reconsider Typefaces for Dyslexia
• Use good typography rules:
• Avoid justified text,
• Use generous line spacing / leading,
• Use generous letter spacing,
• Avoid italics,
• Generally use sans serif faces,
• Use larger text,
• Use good contrast,
• Use clear, concise writing.
http://adrianroselli.com/2015/03/typefaces-for-dyslexia.html

50. Use On-Page Descriptions
http://adrianroselli.com/2014/04/we-need-to-raise-stink-about-net.html

51. Use On-Page Descriptions
• Not just for longdesc or aria-describedat, but any long
description technique,
• Use an in-page anchor,
• Don’t link to another page without reason:
• Consider burden of loading a new page,
• Consider burden of re-loading original page.
• Based on results of latest WebAIM screen reader survey
results.
http://adrianroselli.com/2015/09/use-on-page-image-descriptions.html

52. Not All Screen Reader Users…
http://adrianroselli.com/2017/02/not-all-screen-reader-users-are-blind.html

53. Not All Screen Reader Users…
http://adrianroselli.com/2017/02/not-all-screen-reader-users-are-blind.html
• 2015 WebAIM survey, 64% identified as blind:
• Low vision users,
• Users with cognitive impairments.
• Risks:
• Oddly hidden content,
• Broken source order,
• Element mis-use,
• Tabindex mis-use,
• Third-party add-ons.

54. Source Order Matters
http://codepen.io/aardrian/full/MavVeb/
Firefox
Chrome

55. Source Order Matters
• CSS techniques allow visual order to break from DOM order:
• Floats,
• Absolute positioning,
• Flexbox (see 5.4.1 of ED for a11y note),
• Grid (read Rachel Andrew on subgrid).
• WCAG 1.3.2 and 2.4.3 describe meaningful sequence and tab
order matching visual flow,
• Different behavior among different browsers.
http://adrianroselli.com/2015/09/source-order-matters.html
http://200ok.nl/a11y-flexbox/

56. Beware Display Properties

57. • The following override native semantics in the browser:
– display: block
– display: inline
– display: grid
– display: flex
– display: contents
• Nothing in the HTML / CSS specifications mandates this,
• Does not work in reverse:
– display: table
– display: table-cell
Beware Display Properties

58. ARIA Table Roles

59. ARIA Table Roles
• You can use ARIA to re-insert the lost semantics:
– <table role="table">
– <thead|tbody|tfoot role="rowgroup">
– <tr role="row">
– <td role="cell">
– <th scope="col" role="columnheader">
– <th scope="row" role="rowheader">
• Cannot address re-ordered content,
• Cannot address hidden content.

60. Why display: contents Is More Dangerous

61. Why display: contents Is More Dangerous
• Yanks an element from the accessibility tree,
• You cannot add it back to the accessibility tree with ARIA,
– You can give it an accessible name and properties,
– But these are not passed to screen readers,
• Browsers do not hand the information off,
• If used as a poor-dev’s CSS reset:
– Will hide elements from assistive technology,
– Will hide semantics from assistive technology.

62. Try Not to Tweet Pictures of Text
https://twitter.com/jmspool/status/546303256990076929
https://twitter.com/lukew/status/541986091960528896
https://twitter.com/altonbrown/status/653030164985708544

63. Try Not to Tweet Pictures of Text
https://twitter.com/aardrian/status/733023365729005568

64. Try Not to Tweet Pictures of Text
• Twitter has finally added alternative text,
• Must be using iOS/Android app, full web site, some third-party
apps (Easy Chirp),
• Maybe also make your own:
• Reply to own tweet with alternative text,
• Link to a tweet and provide alternative text,
• Link to long-form alternative text.
http://adrianroselli.com/2016/03/twitter-has-alt-text-with-some-caveats.html

65. Share a11y Experiences
http://blog.podio.com/2015/07/08/hard-truths-helped-us-start-improving-podio-experience-visually-impaired/
https://medium.com/medium-eng/five-goofy-things-medium-did-that-break-accessibility-3bc804ae818d

66. Share a11y Experiences
• We’re all trying to do what we can,
• Don’t attack those who don’t know what they don’t know,
• Someone may find something you never considered,
• You may get feedback on something you never considered.
http://adrianroselli.com/2015/07/lets-share-more-accessibility-experiences.html

67. Key Takeaways
3 of 3 sections.

68. ≠ Checklist
• Accessibility is not a checklist.
No matter how pretty that checklist looks now how many items you get to check.

69. Stairamp
Dean Bouchard on Flickrhttp://incl.ca/the-problems-with-ramps-blended-into-stairs/

70. = Process
• Accessibility is not a checklist.
• Accessibility is an ongoing process.
You know, kinda like all software.

71. Snowtreeramp
Nicolas Steenhouthttps://twitter.com/vavroom/status/571092086365261824
“Wheelchair ramp at
pharmacy not only
hasn’t been cleared of
snow but has 2 potted
trees to ensure nobody
can pass.”

72. Net Magazine, September 2016
400 Word Recap

73. Fringe Accessibility Techniques
(That Probably Shouldn’t Be)
Presented by Adrian Roselli for Portland Accessibility and User Experience Meetup
Slides from this talk will be available at rosel.li/pdxux