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Decoding Accessibility

Kinetic Iris

Learn how to create accessible websites with practical insights into WCAG and other web accessibility standards through tips, real-world stories, and strategies to help you create inclusive digital experiences. We also explore the intersection of disability, neurodiversity, and inclusion to better understand how to make the web accessible to all.

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  • 20 episodes
  • Avg 14 min
  • English

Episodes 20

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  • July 13 · 9 min

    You should be using CSS columns

    Visual website building tools have created a much more common problem than I realized. A list split up into multiple columns should be using CSS columns, and I'm not sure why it's something that seems completely left out of visual building tools. -- Read the text version here: https://kineticiris.com/you-should-be-using-css-columns/

  • June 27 · 3 min

    When WAVE Lies

    Sometimes WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools) says there are no issues on a site, even when it seems like there are. Does that mean they don't have to fix any of their accessibility issues? -- Learn how to fix issues WAVE finds (and ones it doesn't) with one task a week: https://kineticiris.com/weekly-accessibility/

  • May 7 · 5 min

    *UPDATE* Creating an Accessible Accordion Block

    WordPress now has an accordion block in core! Read the full blog post: https://kineticiris.com/creating-an-accessible-accordion-block/ Original Solution: https://open.spotify.com/episode/00AG3gZPifjAaASBSGvNbo?si=77642913ac4b4df1

  • January 29 · 5 min

    Form error summaries for better user experience

    Effective form errors play a huge part in overall form usability and accessibility. Once you get someone to want to contact you, it's important to make sure they can complete that process with as little friction as possible. But one of the most helpful aspects of creating accessible forms is also one that I don't see mentioned enough: error summaries. -- Blog version: https://kineticiris.com/form-error-summaries/

  • January 29 · 17 min

    Form errors that are effective and accessible

    You did it. You got someone to want to reach out to you. They submit your form but forget to fill out a field or don't input things correctly. If it's not easy to find and fix those errors, people aren't always going to seek you out somewhere else, if they even knew there was a submission issue in the first place. Errors that are properly written and displayed are good for screen reader users, people with cognitive differences, and — as always — everyone else. -- Blog Version: https://kineticiris.com/form-errors/ Autocomplete Values: https://www.w3.org/TR/wcag/#input-purposes

  • Dec 1, 2025 · 6 min

    Accessible empty top level nav items

    What do you do if you need a top level navigation item without a link? Here's a quick rundown on an easy javascript solution and why we need it in the first place.- Code snippet on GitHub: https://gist.github.com/queerdevperson/e49821ee3675a8d73dabbd8b5f7a5e98- (Untested) Beaver Builder solution: https://snippetnest.com/snippet/enhancing-accessibility-for-beaver-builder-menus/——Learn more about how to make your website more accessible with The Weekly Accessibility email course: https://kineticiris.com/weekly-accessibility/——Blog version of this video: https://kineticiris.com/accessible-empty-top-level-nav-items/

  • Aug 1, 2025 · 17 min

    Everything you need to know about aria-label

    One of the most common well-meaning but misunderstood accessibility recommendations is to use aria-label to make things more accessible. It’s hard to know when not to use something or when a better alternative exists, because documentation usually focuses on what to fix, not how to choose the best approach.Code examples in the blog post: https://kineticiris.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-aria-label/ Video version: https://youtu.be/182w-ItJJCUTimestamps:1:16 - The options3:51 - Use aria-label: Landmarks5:32 - Use aria-label: Icons, SVGs, canvas9:46 - Use aria-label: Custom widgets10:13 - Why use something else11:29 - Something else: Form field labels12:40 - Something else: Links13:42 - Something else: Images14:33 - Something else: Background images15:27 - Something else: Inline images16:03 - Don’t use aria-label16:38 - How to decide

  • Jun 27, 2025 · 11 min

    Elementor's Accessibility Missteps

    Elementor had seemed committed to accessibility. Then they (re)launched an accessibility overlay plugin and things started to shift. What seemed like a huge opportunity to make a positive impact on millions of sites quickly seemed to turn into the same old familiar story.Watch the quick audit of Elementor's Ally Web Accessibility page: https://youtu.be/MjjU6YTw5_0Read more about accessibility: https://kineticiris.com/blog/

  • Jan 29, 2025 · 11 min

    Internationalization is Accessibility: Adapting your website for any language

    Part of making sure your website is accessible is making sure that someone can understand your website no matter what they've set their default language to — even if you aren't specifically creating content in different languages. - Blog version here: https://overnightwebsite.com/internationalization-is-accessibility/ - Video version here: https://youtu.be/k-3Y6xYKG8Y - Accessibility Testing Tools - Bookmarklets: https://youtu.be/TrNrsKLH-eo - Lang Bookmarklet: https://code.jasonmorris.com/bookmarklets/language/

  • Oct 20, 2024 · 32 min

    Accessibility Testing Tools

    Knowing what tools to use can be a major step forward in making sure your site is accessible. These tools aren't going to pick up everything, and nothing can replace a human reviewing your site, but catching some of the quick wins and easier fixes now will help you catch some repeating accessibility issues and keep from making the same mistakes. (This is the audio from a YouTube video series.) All links can be found in the blog post and/or YouTube videos. - Blog post: https://overnightwebsite.com/accessibility-testing-tools/ - YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLDyPOEjPeDmnearYAQLu5naBRzf-e49B

  • Oct 5, 2024 · 9 min

    Opening links in a new tab

    Not every external link needs to be opened in a new tab. Forcing a link to open in a new tab takes the choice away from your visitor. I can open a link in a new tab a few different ways if I want to — I can’t force a link to open in the same tab if you’ve told the link to do the opposite. Forcing links to open in a new tab goes against expectations, and it takes away my choice. Links: - Blog post: https://overnightwebsite.com/opening-links-in-a-new-tab/ - Accessibility New Window Warnings plugin: https://wordpress.org/plugins/accessibility-new-window-warnings/ - The Admin Bar's accessibility weekly series: https://theadminbar.com/accessibility-weekly/opening-links-in-new-tabs-or-not/

  • Jul 29, 2024 · 8 min

    Make your web tools accessible

    Disabled people create content for the web. They have jobs that require them to use certain programs or work in a department that has a specific set of tools or workflows. Disabled people are even developers. When you include accessibility in your web content tools, you're enabling everyone to create their own websites, to do their jobs, to share their knowledge, and to participate in online communities. Read the blog post version or watch the video.

  • Jun 17, 2024 · 24 min

    Creating an Accessible Accordion Block

    Accordions are a great way to organize certain types of content so that your visitors can find what they need quickly. But how do you make them accessible? And how do you make it easy to update in the block editor? Let's put together a solid starting point for creating an accessible accordion that you can use anywhere. This is the audio from a recorded video, which means there are a few references to what I'm showing on the screen, which is described as it's being shown. - Code Link: https://github.com/queerdevperson/ow-accordion - Example: https://overnightwebsite.com/faq/

  • Apr 25, 2024 · 13 min

    Your Images Aren't Decorative: When to add alt text

    When you add images to your site, you should also add some text for screen readers which then reads out that text. But does every image really need alt text or can it be left empty? What about decorative images? How can you tell when an image is actually decorative? Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/oitlyS7GbZc

  • Apr 9, 2024 · 28 min

    Elementor Woes: Categorizing complaints about site editing tools

    After spending time building a large site with Elementor, I started to notice the issues I was having seemed to fall into similar categories of complaints that people have about the block editor and the new WordPress site editor. So I outlined the categories that these major issues fall into, so it’s easier to figure out what parts are important to you and what parts you can compromise on. And hopefully contribute to a more productive discussion around WordPress core and the various site building options. Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/kHqOqhST_Eg

  • Mar 4, 2024 · 18 min

    Page Builder Lock-In: What to consider when choosing how to build your website

    There are so many options out there for building a website. All of the platforms have pros and cons, they all have situations that they're best suited for. But how do you choose? What are the biggest things to consider, and what will cause the biggest issues in the future? This was originally recorded as a video, which you can watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/60TmtFBXY7M

  • Jan 27, 2024 · 20 min

    Trends to Avoid: Marquee Animation - PART 2

    A new auto scrolling method revealed itself not even 2 days after I did the first video on avoiding marquee animation, and I felt compelled to make it clear that all the situations require the same thought process. This is the audio from a recorded video, which means there are a few references to what I'm showing on the screen, which is described as it's being shown. The video does include animations that may be triggering to some.

  • Jan 15, 2024 · 17 min

    The Spacer Block: The little div that caused a big stir

    The spacer block's existence brings up some big feelings and strong opinions. I was one of those people criticizing the spacer block. Empty divs? Really? I was not a fan. Learn about this little troublemaker, if and when to use it, and how to make it better. This is the audio from a recorded video, which means there are a few references to what I'm showing on the screen, which is described as it's being shown.

  • Dec 30, 2023 · 18 min

    Trends to Avoid: Marquee Animation

    If you're thinking of adding scrolling text or images to your website, listen to this this first. There are some concerns here for usability, accessibility — and do people even like it? See some examples, learn about the pitfalls, and find out why this resurrected retro trend falls into the "avoid" category. This is the audio from a recorded video, which means there are a few references to what I'm showing on the screen, which is described as it's being shown.

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