Date: 9am ET November 5
Location: LocalGov Drupal - Accessibility Meetup
Speakers: Mike Gifford

"Whack-a-Mole" Fails, Over and Over Again

Organizations repeatedly fail basic automated testing
... the focus hasn't been on the system, but the page.
axe-core initial release 1.0 was in 2015
... which was over a decade ago.
Periodic automated scans catch issues
... but after non-compliant code reaches production.

The Hierarchy of Truth

Disabled Users & Lived Experience <-- Highest Authority
Accessibility SME Manual Audits backed by WCAG
Deterministic DOM Scanners (axe-core)
Synthetic AT Automation (GuidePup & GuidePup MCP)
Probabilistic AI Proposals (LLM Candidates) <-- Lowest Authority

Speaker notes

Rule 1: Don't use a LLM where a simpler algorithm will do.
Rule 2: Trust people over machines

Accessibility Statements, Users with Disabilities
Professionals
Standard automated tools
AI driven tools
AI driven answers

Speaker notes

Alt text can be rated with an algorithm
A LLM can probably do it better than a person.

Speaker notes

Scan a site that has already been scanned and demonstrate the LLM Prompt
Best experience is still with data and someone with User Researcher

Human Driven

Nothing About Us, Without Us
- We need to do much better at engaging PwD and hiring them.
Accessibility Statements
- These are a key feedback loop for any system. Actively listen to your users.
Design Systems
- Shift left. Yes, an ACCESSIBILITY.md may help, but not as much as a well supported design system.
Accessibility Champions
- Accessibility is a team sport. Build your champions.
Training
- Everyone needs to learn more about how others interact with the tools we build.

Speaker notes

CI/CD - Continuous Integration / Continuous DevelopmentMoving from reactive post-launch fixes to continuous pipeline-level governance.

Website: ox.ca
Social: Mastodon.social: @mgifford Bluesky @ox.ca
Slides: ox.ca/p/12