FAQ
Who made this?
Hi, I’m Stephen 👋. I’ve been designing and coding websites for universities and nonprofits for almost twenty years. I’ve been the director of web marketing at two different universities, and I’m currently the CEO and lead developer at Steed.
Why did you build this?
- I believe that the internet is a community that everyone should be able to participate in, regardless of any limitations.
- I believe there are a lot of people building websites that mean well, but aren’t aware that what they’re making doesn’t work well for everyone.
- I would like to raise awareness of digital accessibility at a state level and create some friendly competition (a leaderboard!) to incentivize everyone to do better.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” - Maya Angelou
We fixed all of the violations listed for our site. We’re… good, right?
Maybe not. The scanning engine we use can only check up to 57% of WCAG guidelines, leaving a lot of unknowns that could still result in lawsuits and lost business. Please consider having a qualified professional do a manual review of your site.
What are the risks to our organization if we don’t fix these issues?
- Getting sued.
- Losing business.
- 1/4 Americans have some type of disability.
- Making your website easier has benefits for everyone. Usability, search engine optimization, etc.
- Damage to your reputation.
- What is your organization’s stated viewpoint on diversity, equity, and inclusion? How does that align with the amount of effort you put into making your website inclusive to everyone?
Can you remove our site from this list?
This is an opt-out project. If you would like to be removed from our list, please contact us.
Why isn’t our site on this list?
There are a few possibilities here:
- Oops, we forgot you! Please contact us and we’ll see what we can do.
- Your site has security measures set up that are blocking our scanner. Let us know, and we’ll give you instructions on how to make sure we can get through.
What are the limitations of this scanner?
-
Automated accessibility scanners can’t find all of your accessibility issues. The engine we use, axe-core, only claims to catch up to 57% of WCAG issues. To be compliant with accessibility laws, you should have your website audited by a real person.
-
It can’t log into your site. It’s not scanning your learning management system, your intranet, or any other internal system that may present barriers to students with disabilities.
-
It only scans a few pages of your site. We don’t have time or resources to scan thousands of pages of websites, so we take a sample of 20 pages of each site, starting on your front page and navigating to important pages. If you’re interested in having us set up a full-site scanner for you, contact us.
-
It can’t scan inside an <iframe>. If you’re embedding media players or other sites, it won’t be able to look inside.
-
It doesn’t scan your site at different sizes. When our test browser loads your page, it will be using a version of Google Chrome displaying at 800px by 600px. Accessibility errors specific to mobile sizes will not be noticed.
Do you need a full-featured scanner that doesn’t have a lot of these limitations? Let us build a customized scanner for you!
Can I just fix my accessibility issues with “overlay” software?
Accessibility overlay software runs on top of your existing website, attempting to fix some issues automatically, and typically adding extra options for visitors to adjust the site to their liking.
In practice, the results might not be what you would hope:
- “While overlays can provide some automated repair for disabled users, the effect is uneven, incomplete, and many times interferes with screen readers and existing built-in browser accessibility features. Overlays also advertise full compliance and protection from WCAG 2.x and ADA noncompliance issues when the inverse is common.” Are you using an accessibility overlay to help disabled users? Don’t! (searchengineland.com)
- “We view these kinds of products as actively harmful, and a step backwards for digital accessibility efforts.” Background: Should I use an accessibility overlay? - The A11Y Project
- “Companies say their A.I.-powered tools are the best way to fix accessibility problems online, but many blind people find they make websites harder to use.” For Blind Internet Users, the Fix Can Be Worse Than the Flaws - The New York Times
When should I fix our accessibility issues?
The best time to fix web accessibility issues is as you are planning, designing, and developing the website. Moving accessibility earlier into the design and planning process is sometimes called “shift left.” Being proactive instead of reactive can save you time and money, and prevent lawsuits and complaints.
The second best time to fix accessibility issues is now. If you have an existing website that has WCAG issues, it is a risk to your organization. Start with fixing the issues found by automated scanning tools.