Links

Igalia got a grant to work towards shipping a new proposal to solve for cross root ARIA:

we’ll work on all the process to get the Reference Target proposal ready to be shipped in the web rendering engines

(From: Solving Cross-root ARIA Issues in Shadow DOM)

Christian shares how he used hidden=until-found to make hidden content findable via find in page:

This episode taught me the importance of accommodating diverse navigation patterns and highlighted (once more) how evolving standards can improve accessibility for everyone. But while hidden="until-found" is a good step forward, there's still work to be done to make find-in-page truly universal.

(From: Rethinking Find-in-Page Accessibility: Making Hidden Text Work for Everyone)

What can we do to make apps for real time collaboration, like Google Docs, more accessible?

This month, W3C published a new document called CTAUR (Collaboration Tools Accessibility User Requirements). Previous docs in this ‘series’ include XAUR (on XR), NAUR (on natural language interfaces like voice agents and chatbots), SAUR (on synchronisation in media, like that of captions and video) and RAUR (on RTC). The Accessible Platform Architectures (APA) Working Group bas been busy in the last few years. Note, these are all non-normative.

CTAUR covers a number of aspects that go beyond WCAG:

• Real-time and asynchronous co-editing (including things like where are other people in the document currently)
• Annotation of content with comments
• Comparing revisions
• Suggested changes
• Access controls

For each, it describes users needs and corresponding requirements.

Why do the richest and powerful people on earth struggle to inform their decisions with basic ethics? Surely they could use their wealth and power against fascism instead of supporting it, it would show leadership.

Joe Steel says Tim Cook is failing us, and should be using the same skills he used to negotiate tax holidays to negotiate human dignity:

what I would like to see is Tim standing up for what he purports to believe in. Not speaking about things that have inspired him, or donating to charities as some kind of fascist-neutral offset, but devising a way to argue for the protection of human dignity for his customers and employees from this federal government. If he can transact a tax holiday, or tariff carve-outs, he can figure out what to wheel and deal to protect people. Many of whom are his employees and customers.

(From: Tim Cook Is Failing Us)

Matt Mullenweg is at it again:

Members of the fledgling WordPress Sustainability Team have been left reeling after WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg abruptly dissolved the team this week—an action prominent tech journalist Kara Swisher has described as “bizarrely heinous behavior.”

(From: Mullenweg Shuts Down WordPress Sustainability Team, Igniting Backlash - The Repository)

Dude shows once again he has too much power over too large of a project. Fershad Irani wrote that he likely never cared about sustainability anyway.

In Why should there be a WordPress Sustainability Group? Chris Adams explains open source CMSes should have a sustainability group for many reasons, including reducing risk:

If you expect people to use your product or service, you might be expected to help people responsible for compliance when using it now.

Accessibe fined 1 million dollars:

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has fined accessiBe, a startup that claims to make websites more compatible with the screen readers blind people rely on to access the internet, for false advertising and compensating reviewers without disclosing that it sponsored the reviews.

In a proposed order, the FTC would require accessiBe to pay $1 million that may be used to refund the company’s customers, and prohibit accessiBe from overstating the capabilities of its tools. The order would also mandate that accessiBe “clearly and conspicuously” highlight connections to endorsers of its services.

(From: FTC orders AI accessibility startup accessiBe to pay $1M for misleading advertising | TechCrunch)

Dave:

CSS wants to be a system and it’s not an impossible task to make your own.

(From: CSS wants to be a system - daverupert.com)

Like features, tokens can create little piles of technical debt.

(From: Every token is a feature - daverupert.com)

The value of component libraries that have accessibility ‘built in’ is both immense and often overstated. Two sides of the same coin: yes they're good, but yes it's also risky to say they are some sort of one size fits all solution. They're a blessing and a curse.

Michael Matthews at A11y Quest explains:

merely using an accessible library or framework doesn’t mean your team has somehow outsourced all its accessibility responsibilities

(From: The Myth of 'Accessible Components and Done' | A11y Quest)

He goes on to say in addition to maybe benefitting from an accessible component library, you need to make informed decisions, test with users and ensure expertise within your team. Amen to that!

Today, OpenAI is announcing that its technology will be deployed directly on the battlefield.

(From: OpenAI's new defense contract completes its military pivot | MIT Technology Review)

They weren't going to, but now they are…