Advertise on podcast: Accessibility Craft

Is there such a thing as practical accessibility magic? Inspired by October, Practical Magic, and a “Lime in the Coconut” Milkshake Sour DIPA from Blue Owl Brewing, Amber, Chris, and Steve open their "spellbooks" and dive in... They’re looking for the changes that can make a real difference to a website's accessibility conformance. Speaking of conformance levels, the conversation begins with the latest WCAG 3 draft. What might replace the familiar A, AA, and AAA conformance levels? How could reporting change? Listen, or read, to find out. Then, our hosts put accessibility overlays under the “spell or curse?” test. The conversation draws on recent overlay research, accessibility guidance, and lawsuit data, but it also makes room for the people who installed a widget because they genuinely thought it would help. And it isn't all about overlays, we talk about 5+ fixes that you can start implementing right now that are so impactful, the usability improvements can feel a bit like practical magic. Finally, the team discusses AI-assisted captions, translations, accessibility testing, and development, because these days what conversation is complete without a mini AI-related side tangent? For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/186. Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction(00:01:24) - Today's Beverage(00:08:53) - WCAG 3 Latest Draft: Our Reactions(00:18:18) - Practical Accessibility Magic Overview(00:18:49) - Brought to you by Accessibility Checker(00:20:03) - Spell, or Curse? We Talk About Overlays!(00:28:19) - Better Ingredients for Your "Magic" Accessibility Potions(00:33:06) - Can AI Help Us Cast Our Accessibility "Spells" Faster, Better?

This episode is a recording of an October 2026 WordPress Accessibility Meetup, brought to you by Equalize Digital. In this presentation, Deneb Pulsipher uses a real-world case study—the open-source plugin Polly Alt—to explore how we can ethically leverage generative AI as an accessibility aid by intentionally keeping a human in the loop. WordPress Accessibility Meetups are a 100% free and virtual community resource that takes place via Zoom webinars twice a month. For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/185.

What does it actually take to design a modern, accessible website from the ground up? In this episode of Accessibility Craft, we’re pulling back the curtain on the Equalize Digital website redesign. We talk about how we selected a design partner, why our original design budget nearly doubled, and how accessibility requirements were built into the process before the first Figma designs ever arrived. We also dig into accessibility QA during the design phase, and Steve shares some early thoughts on how the designs will become a modular, performant WordPress build. Before all that, we preview WordPress Accessibility Day 2026 and taste Spindrift Tea in Blood Orange, a still brewed iced tea with real fruit juice that inspires some surprisingly strong opinions. For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/184. Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction(00:02:05) - Today’s Beverage: Spindrift Blood Orange Tea(00:08:31) - WordPress Accessibility Day 2026(00:13:15) - Our Website Redesign Update(00:13:39) - Sponsor: Accessibility Checker(00:14:46) - Choosing a Design Partner With Accessibility in Mind(00:19:38) - The Design Budget: Before and After(00:21:43) - Documenting Accessibility Requirements(00:28:34) - Reviewing Designs for Accessibility(00:35:28) - Accessible Designs Aren’t Boring!

This episode is a recording of a September 2026 WordPress Accessibility Meetup, brought to you by Equalize Digital. In this presentation, Maria Maldonado discussed email accessibility and looked at practical examples, including table-based email layouts, links, headings, images, color contrast, readable content structure, and testing workflows. WordPress Accessibility Meetups are a 100% free and virtual community resource that take place via Zoom webinars twice a month. For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/183.

WordPress Accessibility Day 2026 is coming October 7–8, and this episode takes you behind the scenes of how its speakers, sessions, and keynote came together. Ryan Bracey, Director of Web Development and User Experience at Second Melody and Speaker Team Lead for WordPress Accessibility Day, joins Amber and Chris to talk about the hidden work that goes into reviewing 88 speaker submissions, anonymizing proposals to reduce bias, building a diverse schedule, and balancing technical, business, design, and lived-experience perspectives. Ryan also previews some of the sessions he is most excited about, including this year’s keynote from GitHub Head of Accessibility Ed Summers. And everyone previews what excites them personally, with a wide range of upcoming talks covering AI, accessible development workflows, WooCommerce onboarding, remediation pushback, and accessibility ownership after launch. For the craft portion of Accessibility Craft, the group gets into the fall spirit with a Vienna-style lager from Austin’s Fast Friends Beer Company. The beer earns a rare unanimous two-thumbs-up and sparks a surprisingly nostalgic conversation about Oktoberfest, bonfires, beach cookouts, and questionable college beer choices. For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/182. Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction(00:01:40) - Meet Ryan Bracey(00:04:50) - Craft Beverage Pick(00:08:26) - Fall Vibes and Tasting Notes(00:13:27) - Ratings and Conference Tease(00:14:11) - WordPress Accessibility Day Overview(00:15:10) - Sponsor Break(00:16:24) - Speaker Selection Process(00:19:15) - Anonymized Reviews and Fairness(00:22:03) - Diversity Stats Snapshot(00:23:07) - Diversity by Merit(00:26:05) - Balancing Talk Ratings(00:27:21) - Perfect Score Spotlight(00:31:21) - Keynote: Ed Summers(00:37:21) - Schedule Picks Roundup(00:43:06) - Team Talks Shoutout(00:45:41) - Where to Find Ryan(00:47:51) - Register and Support(00:48:41) - Podcast Wrap and Credits

This episode is a recording of a September 2026 WordPress Accessibility Meetup, brought to you by Equalize Digital. In this presentation, Cam will provide foundational context about WCAG and explain how to slowly and seriously learn WCAG like a professional. WordPress Accessibility Meetups are a 100% free and virtual community resource that take place via Zoom webinars twice a month. For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/181.

Special guests Joe Dolson, WordPress core committer and accessibility consultant, and Anne McCarthy, Architecture and Open Source Director at Automattic, join Amber and Steve to talk through the vision behind Accessibility Lab, a new canonical accessibility plugin concept for WordPress core. We learn what Accessibility Lab is, what it is not, and try to understand what the practical use case is in the dizzying context of one of the world's largest open source projects. The conversation gets into some genuinely difficult technical territory, including why some accessibility optimizations in WordPress core are particularly difficult to solve, challenges related to getting enough real-world testing, and the organizational hurdles around collecting bulk data that's detailed enough to shape decisions. There is also healthy disagreement about whether a single canonical plugin can successfully juggle both persistent, stable features and early-stage experiments that in some cases may jeopardize the stability of production WordPress websites. And because this is Accessibility Craft, the group tackles all of that over Cerveza, a Mexican-style lager from Save The World Brewing Company in Marble Falls, Texas. For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/180. Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction(00:00:41) - Introducing Special Guests Joe Dolson and Anne McCarthy(00:02:11) - Today's Beverage(00:10:26) - What is the Accessibility Lab plugin?(00:13:09) - Brought to you by Accessibility Checker(00:14:23) - Why create this? How did we get here?(00:18:19) - Anne and Joe Share Their Visions for Accessibility Lab(00:24:29) - Can persistent, helpful features coexist with experimental features that could break some WordPress configurations?(00:35:53) - The Technical and Organizational Challenges Behind Data Collection(00:38:40) - What is the Accessibility Lab not going to do? Where is the line?(00:45:14) - What belongs in Core versus Accessibility Lab?(00:47:56) - Does Accessibility Lab belong on live sites? Opinions are divided.(00:57:10) - How to Help Shape Accessibility Lab

This episode is a recording of an August 2026 WordPress Accessibility Meetup, brought to you by Equalize Digital. In this session, Tanveer Khan explored critical accessibility problems that automated tools often miss, including keyboard navigation issues, focus management problems, screen reader usability challenges, dynamic content announcements, and interaction patterns that require human judgment and manual testing. WordPress Accessibility Meetups are a 100% free and virtual community resource that take place via Zoom webinars twice a month. For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/179.

In this episode, we take a deep dive into a claim that gets repeated surprisingly often: Accessible websites have better performance. We look at what recent research says about accessibility and website performance, why the connection feels so intuitive, where accessibility improvements really can improve page speed, and why correlation between the two does not necessarily mean causation. We also flip the question around and discuss how poor website performance can itself create accessibility barriers, particularly for people on slower connections or using assistive technology. Before that, we unpack the accessibility changes in WordPress 7.1, including 44 accessibility enhancements and bug fixes, Steve's contributions in this release, high contrast mode fixes, and one controversial accessibility regression: infinite scrolling becoming the default in the Media Library. And because it wouldn't be Accessibility Craft without a drink, Amber and Chris try Dragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout from New Holland Brewing. Steve's bottle didn't survive shipping, so Diet Coke steps in as his designated beverage. Opinions on the stout are... divided. For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/178. Chapters (00:00:00) - Welcome(00:01:07) - Today’s Beverage(00:05:29) - WordPress 7.1 Accessibility: Several Steps Forward, but Then One Step Back?(00:12:34) - Does Accessibility Make Your Website Faster, Actually?(00:13:42) - Brought to You by Accessibility Checker(00:14:56) - Why Does This Claim Sound So Plausible?(00:20:49) - Amber Goes on a Fact-Finding Mission and Learns What, Exactly?(00:25:43) - Accessibility and Performance: Squares and Rectangles, Chickens and Eggs(00:36:04) - Closing Thoughts: Where We Land

This episode is a recording of an August 2026 WordPress Accessibility Meetup, brought to you by Equalize Digital. In this presentation, Jesse Loesberg will give you an inside look at how the UC Berkeley Library built and implemented a digital accessibility program following a Title II ADA lawsuit and a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice. WordPress Accessibility Meetups are a 100% free and virtual community resource that take place via Zoom webinars twice a month. For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/177.

How is AI actually changing the way people use assistive technology, and what happens when AI lets developers move faster than they can realistically review their own work? In this episode of Accessibility Craft, Chris is joined by DevOps engineer and accessibility consultant Alex Stine, along with returning guest and Equalize Digital team member William, for a wide-ranging conversation about AI, accessibility, screen readers, coding agents, and the growing tension between speed and reliability. Alex shares firsthand examples of using AI to make inaccessible PDFs, charts, weather data, and other visual information more usable in his own day-to-day, while the group digs into the accessibility problems that still exist in many AI interfaces. They also compare how they use ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, GitHub Copilot, and other AI tools professionally and personally, including AI-assisted coding, research, automation, and building custom software. They don't shy away from the messy bits: excessive context switching, enormous AI-generated pull requests, production outages, unreliable output, and why "the AI did it" is not a very convincing excuse. For the beverage tasting, Chris and Alex try Fentimans Victorian Lemonade, while William attempts a homemade substitute. Reviews are... mixed. For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/176. Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction(00:00:45) - Welcoming Special Guest Alex Stine, and Also William!(00:02:03) - Today’s Beverage(00:05:10) - How We’re Actually Using AI Personally and Professionally(00:11:51) - Is AI Changing Things for Assistive Technology Users?(00:14:39) - Brought to You by Accessibility Checker(00:15:52) - AI Interfaces and Assistive Technology: All’s Not Well(00:19:50) - Context Switching, Overwhelm, and Consequences of Letting AI Run Wild(00:25:40) - Closing Thoughts and Advice for Heavy AI Users and the AI Curious

This episode is a recording of a July 2026 WordPress Accessibility Meetup, brought to you by Equalize Digital. In this practical session, veteran #WPA11yMeetup presenter Samantha Merrett worked through how to remediate a PDF step by step. You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of PDF accessibility and the confidence to start improving your own documents. WordPress Accessibility Meetups are a 100% free and virtual community resource that take place via Zoom webinars twice a month. For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/175.

Automated accessibility testing is important, but it cannot tell you whether real people can successfully use your website. In this episode of Accessibility Craft, Amber, Chris, and Steve explain how manual accessibility testing fills the gaps left by automated tools and share practical tests that anyone can begin performing today. The conversation covers keyboard navigation, browser zoom, screen reader testing, dynamic components, focus management, heading structure, and the accessibility problems that automated scanners frequently miss. The hosts also examine several developments from Converge Accessibility’s June 2026 legal update, including a case that demonstrates why documenting ongoing accessibility work can matter during litigation. Before talking about manual accessibility testing, the team tests Meridian Hive’s Peach Ginger Wine Cocktail, a lightly carbonated mead cocktail that produces surprisingly divided opinions about sweetness, peach flavor, and for one host, a mysterious lingering funk. For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/174. Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction(00:01:49) - Today’s Beverage(00:10:58) - Converge Accessibility’s Hefty June 2026 Legal Update(00:17:40) - Wait, We’ve Never Talked About This Before?(00:18:35) - Brought to You by Accessibility Checker(00:19:59) - Why Automated Tests Can’t Catch Everything(00:26:22) - If You Have 15 Minutes to Manually Test(00:31:56) - Don’t Forget the Screen Readers(00:36:19) - Common Accessibility Problems Only Manual Testing Identifies(00:43:30) - Whoever You Are, You’ve Got This

This episode is a throwback recording of a 2024 WordPress Accessibility Meetup, brought to you by Equalize Digital. During this session, senior developer and accessibility advocate Nick Croft explored what he called the six stages of the accessibility journey. WordPress Accessibility Meetups are a 100% free and virtual community resource that take place via Zoom webinars twice a month. For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/173.

This week on Accessibility Craft, we're taking a behind-the-scenes look at the design and development of the new Issues Explorer in Accessibility Checker Pro. We discuss what it takes to build an accessible single page application (SPA), how React changes the accessibility testing process, and why focus management, live announcements, and state changes are critical to creating a great experience for keyboard and screen reader users. We also share what we learned while updating Accessibility Checker's Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR), how AI fit into the design and development process without replacing human expertise, and why accessibility remains a release blocker for our team. Along the way, we review Recess Mood Calming Orange Vanilla Soda, a sparkling beverage with magnesium and adaptogens that earned unanimous approval from the panel. For show notes and a full transcript, go to AccessibilityCraft.com/172.