“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.
Note:
::iframe title: Lighthouse Scores of European government sites https://mgifford.github.io/eu-plus-government-scans/lighthouse-results.html#lighthouse-scores-by-country ::
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
Note:
- 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
::iframe title:Alt Text Scans https://mgifford.github.io/alt-text-scan/reports.html ::
Note:
- Alt text can be rated with an algorithm
- A LLM can probably do it better than a person.
::iframe title:Top Task Finder - Popular URLs https://mgifford.github.io/top-task-finder/ ::
Note:
- 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.
::iframe title:LocalGov Drupal Vital Core Scans https://mgifford.github.io/vital-core-lgd/ ::
Note:
- CI/CD - Continuous Integration / Continuous Development Moving from reactive post-launch fixes to continuous pipeline-level governance.