New blog post out (finally) ✨ I tested the dataviz accessibility of the 2024 presidential election dashboards, and (as expected) found a lot of issues to write about:
https://fossheim.io/writing/posts/2024-dataviz-a11y-elections/
Search results
I've been too busy with work to actually write on social media, but the year is soon over which means I soon have availability for new clients again, starting January 2026 👋🏻
I work freelance with web & dataviz accessibility and offer:
- Reviews (high-level or full audit)
- Consulting, advice, documentation
- Training, talks, workshops
- Help with remediation
- Front-end development
Interested?
💌 collab@fossheim.io
some people work hard to try and solve real barriers to #accessibility
others like to waste everybody's energy with pointlessly long-winded theoretical purity discussions on "if text isn't marked up in a <p> element, does it fail 1.3.1?"
i guess if you're being paid by numbers of issues filed, sure... #a11y
This date picker run-down is excellent - thank you 
@dbDavid Bushell ☕
👋 Re-#introduction, because the last one had gotten a little outdated. And long.
#Queer #polyamourous #geek. #Blogger since 1998, #IndieWeb fan since forever, #Fediverse citizen since 2018.
🇪🇺 
European in exile living in West #Oxfordshire, #UnitedKingdom, with my partner @fleeblewidgetRuth TA (she/her), her husband 
@misterjtaJTA [he / his] 🇪🇺, two kids, and one #dog. Politically #environmentalist #socialist.
Software engineer with a focus on #security, #privacy, and #accessibility. Founded and #volunteer with #NonProfit #ThreeRings.
When I've time for fun, I'm into #geohashing, #geocaching, #cycling, and performing #magic. Sometimes at the same time.
He/him pronouns.
📹 Video content: me giving a 15-second summary of the above.
"Is my app accessible? Where do I start making it better?"
These are the first two questions I've been getting from my clients, and they want the answers right away. That's why I'm now offering a new service called the "accessibility checkup" to give you those answer is two business days or less. Same great report you've seen earlier https://drive.google.com/file/d/19rSHKlSe7ww9aqvxNWXpgRAHs2goxgjE/view
delivered to you fast.
Sound like something you or your team would be interested in? Let me know!
We’ve gained a number of new followers recently—shoutouts 
@FediFollowsFediFollows has moved!—so maybe it’s time for a re-#introduction?
Hi! We’re elementary, an #OpenSource software company with a focus on #InclusiveDesign! We make #elementaryOS—the thoughtful, capable, and ethical replacement for Windows and macOS—plus #AppCenter, the pay-what-you-can app store.
We’ve been contributing to the desktop #Linux space for about 16 years now and we’re 100% funded by regular people just like you 💕
We have a pretty strong stance on #Privacy and don’t believe in advertising as a revenue model. You are not the product! https://blog.elementary.io/you-are-not-the-product/
We believe that #accessibility features should be first class https://blog.elementary.io/accessibility-features-are-just-features/
And we’re all in on #Decentralized technologies like 
@FlatpakAppsFlatpak https://blog.elementary.io/elementary-appcenter-flatpak/
Hello there! Here's my #Introduction.
I'm Jamie, a critical illness survivor powered by classic rock and metal and regular infusions of coffee.
I'm from Birmingham, England and am currently based in the UK.
During the day I work in Cisco Unified Communications and Telecoms. Been in IT and Telecoms for a fair while. NetWare 3.11, SINIX / Reliant UNIX kind of a fair while. Been around, seen a lot.
By night I'm a husband (recently clocked up 10 years of marriage to my wife) and a Tortie Cat daddy. Meow.
We mask the hell up. COVID is not over.
We work remotely very successfully and advocate it.
We are disability, accessibility, LGBTQ* and workplace mental health advocates with lived experience.
Wouldn't say that I'm exciting, dynamic or charismatic but there's a whole bunch of stuff I'm kind of nerdy about so Fedi is the place to be, right? 😀
#Introduction #Accessibility #MentalHealth #LGBTQ
#TransRightsAreHumanRights
For all the push for functionality in social media, the focus on moderation is just... barely considered?
Why do we never learn the lessons of the last failed project?
One could also replace Moderation with Accessibility and it would also be accurate, although people seem to think things would continue to function regardless.
Borrowed from the excellent original "Dependency" by #XKCD:
https://xkcd.com/2347/
Finally got a chance to read 
@sundressAlice Boxhall's thoughtful post outlining the "Why" behind the state of accessibility on the web and it is spot on! If you haven't already, please give it a read: https://alice.boxhall.au/articles/a-threat-model-for-accessibility-on-the-web/.
Web Developers & Designers
This is your friendly reminder that low vision users exist. We need font sizes that are dramatically larger than yours.
Many of us use the “minimum font size" NOT zoom, because we need bigger text, not bigger images.
I'm on the very low end of low vision needs, but my 20pt minimum font size breaks SO MANY web sites.
This pic shows how big fonts are on my screen (thumb & ruler for context).
#accessibility #webdesign
It is impossible to overstate the contribution Glen Gordon has made to the #accessibility industry. More important even than that, his meticulous attention to detail and his understanding that something must be more than accessible, it must be efficient, has helped countless people to be productive at work, at school, and just when living life.
Glen devised many concepts that are now just thought of as the way things are done in a graphical user interface.
On top of all that, he is one of the nicest, most humble people I’ve ever met and worked with. I have heard from several young people following the National Federation of the Blind’s National Convention, at which we honored Glen with the prestigious Kenneth Jernigan award and he offered some wise advice, that Glen inspired them.
You are a legend, Glen. And although the words seem ridiculously inadequate, all I can say in conclusion is, thank you so much for all you have done.
I am pasting Glen’s LinkedIn post for those who are not over there.
Glen Gordon, Screen reading for the blind software pioneer, 24 minutes ago • Visible to anyone on or off LinkedIn, 1st
Today is a very sad day for me, since after nearly 32 years, it’s the first day that I’m no longer working on the JAWS screen reader.
I’ve voluntarily resigned my position at Freedom Scientific/Vispero because I found myself unable to continue working for a company that’s changing in ways that are moving away from my personal values.
As recently as the 2025 NFB convention, I was thinking that I’d be working on JAWS far into the future. Much to my surprise, a recent influx of new Executive leaders and customer facing product related changes convinced me that it was time to leave.
I leave behind a group of smart and passionate colleagues, and products which are the best in class. It’s been a great journey, and I thank all of you who have been users of Freedom Scientific software for some or all that time.
Yes, I’m retiring, in the sense that I’m of retirement age and not actively seeking another job. But I’m resigning in the sense that I felt I needed to take a principled stand.
I will continue doing my part to improve the state of accessibility. What that will look like will evolve over time.
#introduction Italian, European, citizen of the world. Internet user since 1998 but started with PC in 1989. Formerly facebook, now stable on Mastodon - formerly "talksina" on MastodonUno italian instance; still "talksina" as handle into Linkedin, WordPress .org profile, google (till it lasts) and github, as it's impossible to edit profile name. I believe in data liberation and ownership. I work on accessibility (web and apps), I have a disability myself (totally blind). Blogger, WordPress user and MarkDown lover, interested in electronic voices and creating audio-dramas with text-to-speech. AI user, moderately optimistic. HIV awareness advocate. Firmly against tech-based "age verification" on sexuality related sites. Education should do the job, allowing governments to control Internet is introduction to censorship. #accessibility #WordPress #blind #disability #hiv #advocacy
Mezzo Fediverso italiano mi conosce ma siccome mi sto un po' alla volta liberando del vecchio nick "talksina" in cui non mi riconosco più, sto gradualmente migrando da @talksinaElena Brescacin a qui. Principalmente per liberarmi dalla schiavitù dei 500 caratteri. Immagine del profilo per ora no, aspetto di farne una coi nuovi occhiali addosso. Continuerò a occuparmi di #WordPress, #accessibility e anche attivismo #hiv se serve. #introduzione #fediverso
I geeked out a bit too much on these accessibility audits 🫣 Want to see what one looks like? https://drive.google.com/file/d/19rSHKlSe7ww9aqvxNWXpgRAHs2goxgjE/view Let me know if you want me to look at your app, too! #iOS #Android #Accessibility #A11y
This is why nobody should ever try and vibe code a screen reader. Do not listen to the blind people that think this is a good idea. They are wrong. https://sightlessscribbles.com/posts/20250902/ #AI #AIHype #Accessibility #A11y
Another giant introduction
Hi everyone! I don't know what happened to my pinned introduction, so here is a somewhat new one.
I've been here in the Fedi since 2017. You can listen to an interview at the link below.
I'm a blind and gay writer. I keep a blog. I call it my soul on the internet because you won’t get the same thing every time. I write huge rants. I write short narrative stories about eating ice cream like it's the first time I'm having an orgasm. I write lyrical musings about crying in the shower. I pen essays about battling with a smart fridge. You'll never get just one thing with me and my website.
As for fiction, I write M/M Romance featuring blind and or disabled people, because disabled people deserve happy endings too. My romances generally always have a HEA instead of an HFN. I'm not the best with series. I also tend to enjoy doing novellas rather than full length novels, but I do novels as well. It's just that novellas are my comfort zone.
My Romances are quite angsty. They ask a lot of questions of the reader, and they feature things I'm extremely proud of, like in my young adult Romances I feature things like supportive gay dads to a teenager. I don't shy away from potentially triggering subjects because it mirrors my own life.
That being said, if you don't like angsty Romances, I'm probably not your author but I also pen happy Romances too, like one I just finished where a Chef that's lost his sense of taste falls in love with a Blind taste tester because of a job he put out onto the internet. I love exploring dynamics such as that in a very slow, character centric, way.
My blog/website has everything about me. It's the best way to get inside of my head. I don't use video based spaces often because I'm blind so video spaces really don't interest me.
My blog is also a podcast for folks that prefer listening to reading.
I listen to podcasts religiously, especially fiction podcasts. Podcast audiobooks. Fiction audio dramas. All kinds of fiction podcasts.
I'm an audiobook reader.
I love reading character driven stories.
Some additional things that bring me profound joy.
Boy bands. Anime. Video games. Nerd media. Cookies. Video game music. Chocolate. Ice cream. Cats. Listening to audio only let’s Plays via podcasts. Cookies. Yes, I said it twice! That's how much I love them!
I rarely wear clothes that match. I wear things for comfort. Fabrics that feel good to me.
I take extensive social media breaks, especially in the summer/fall time because that's when I'm doing events, hanging out with offline people, and terrorizing my local town.
I'm huge into local activism and local change because I believe that all local progress, especially on a mass scale, will cause national politics to buck up and maybe actually do things for its voter base.
I'm a tech geek that hates everything tech culture. I also hate everything hustle culture. Influencer culture. Bletch.
As for links, the only two links of mine you'll need are below but I also included an interview link.
My podcast, https://weirdwritings.pinecast.co/
My website. https://sightlessscribbles.com/
Interview with me on Fediverse #Accessibility https://audio.firesidefedi.live/@firesidefedi/episodes/robert-kingett-accessibility-in-the-fediverse
#Intro #Introduction #Introductions #Fediverse #Mastodon #Romance #RomanceLandia
This week we’re at the #PyConFR 🇫🇷 sprints! 25 contributors working together on #Django, our website, #marketing, #accessibility, and discussing the future of Django ⭐️
Edit: https://github.com/joinloops/loops-server/releases/tag/v1.0.0-beta.3
Alt-text, Ad + AI Disclosures and Previews are coming to Loops (Studio).
Just wrapping up Edit support and it will be pushed shortly 🚀
Would be really cool to have something baked into #ActivityPub to directly suggest alt text to media when it is missing on other people's posts, as an evolution to #alt4u. With dedicated notification. Apps could support the feature with a neat side-by-side media and alt text field, and one-click "accept suggestion" in notification.
I'm using 
@Tusky and even though I enjoy suggesting alt text, not being able to write the post with the image clearly visible makes it too difficult.
#accessibility
📣 Call for Participation
W3C will hold a virtual "Workshop on Smart Voice Agents" from 25–27 February 2026 to explore stakeholder needs, use-cases, and gaps in Web standards for voice agents.
Topics include #accessibility, internationalization, modality integration, #trust, #security, and business models. Attendance is free and open to all.
https://www.w3.org/2025/10/smartagents-workshop/
Submit your talk proposal by 27 November!
Weil ich das heute schon ein paar Mal gesehen habe: Links gehören nicht in die bildbeschreibung, dort kann man sie nicht anklicken. Verlinkungen ausschließlich in den Tröt. #Accessibility #Bildbeschreibung
As someone who is totally blind, the Fediverse is the only place where I have ever been able to follow people such as photographers, artists, or even those who post pictures of their cats or the food they ate. The reason is that most of them use alt text. They take the time to describe the images that my screen reader can't recognise. Some write the descriptions themselves, and others use tools such as altbot. Some worry that their descriptions aren't good enough, especially when they are new at this. Let me assure you, not only are they good enough, they are extremely appreciated! If the rest of the world thought as you did, it would be a much better place. Don't hesitate to ask if you're unsure of something, but never think that we don't notice your effort.
#appreciation #accessibility #altbot #alttext #blind #blindness #fediverse #gratitude #images #inclusivity #peoplewhocare #pictures #technology
*sigh* any lawyers on here wanna help me sue every one of these overlay companies? I've got all the time in the world to be a plaintiff, and the knowledge to make them look like donkeys in court. https://chrisyoong.com/blog/nhs-trusts-and-accessibility-overlays #Law #Accessibility
What convinced you to start adding alt text to images you post online?
WCAG 2.2 is now ISO/IEC 40500:2025. The formal recognition enables more countries to formally adopt WCAG 2.2. ISO/IEC 40500:2025 is free from the ISO website. Supporting resources and translations are free from the W3C website. You can read more and share our press release https://www.w3.org/press-releases/2025/wcag22-iso-pas/
NEW ACCESSIBILITY SHIRT!
A11Y is going to space!
If you saw my tees at #a11yTOConf and wondered where you could squander money on them…
The POURP shirt:
https://aardrian.threadless.com/designs/pourpn-atkinson-hyperlegible-white-text/mens/t-shirt/classic
The W*C*A*G shirt (brown version):
https://aardrian.threadless.com/designs/w-c-a-g/mens/t-shirt/classic
This is a perfect example of how nebulous #screenReader #accessibility is, and why it confuses so many laymen. I am looking at a web page right now that has a "Download" button. The button is an a (anchor) tag, with a div inside of it with the CSS class for a download button.
Obviously this is awful HTML, but it works fine, if you can see. There's a big fat button with "DOWNLOAD!" in all caps on the screen. Clicking this button starts the download. Seems good, no?
Well, no. This div has no actual textual content, and the anchor tag has no href or text either. So this huge honking button is entirely invisible to screen readers. How do I even begin to explain this to, say, a customer support rep? :)
I see people are again blaming screen readers when being politely asked to maybe use fewer emoji and Unicode characters as decoration. Too easy to blame something you don’t understand than to be considerate.
https://adrianroselli.com/2021/10/blaming-screen-readers-red-flag.html
#accessibility #a11y
Today is the Global Accessibility Awareness Day - and so Apple sat down with me to talk about how I build truly accessible apps. 🦾
The interview is now live on the *front page* of the App Store 🥹
Wagtail Space is a go! We're on the hunt for speakers right now. If you have a great Wagtail story to tell or a story about #AI, #Accessibility , or #Sustainability that would be relevant to our audience, we definitely want to connect. 😁
- error fields are marked in red, non error in green, good luck if you are colorblind
- good luck also to know what the error is. Did you put an invalid post code, or just forgot about a mandatory field, who knows, right?
- and don't get me started on placeholders as labels (the worse is that, there is an actual label with the star to indicate mandatory fields, but they are hidden with a big display none)
When it comes to accessibility, and UX, never assume something is "common sense". Always make sure this "common sense", makes it to production.
Ruminating on the potential for #AI in #accessibility https://www.aaron-gustafson.com/notebook/opportunities-for-ai-in-accessibility/
Wix going all "use text marquee to add scrolling effect to content you want to highlight", how about, no? This is an accessibility nightmare, there's a reason the HTML marquee tag was removed.
Also, scroll animations, again, please no. Or at least, respect prefers-reduced motion.
Those examples appear while their new studio loads. Just looking at them made me nauseous. I have prefers-reduced motion switched off, but, I still get the very annoying example. Meh.
Many people still misunderstand screen readers — who uses them, how they work, and what inclusive design really means.
Ela Gorla has unpacked the most common myths and what they reveal about digital accessibility on the TetraLogical blog:
https://tetralogical.com/blog/2025/10/14/common-misconceptions-about-screen-readers/
There’s an accessibility bug on Mastodon: you cannot add custom alt text to your profile or header image. This means people using screen readers can’t know what these images show, so important info is missing for visually impaired users. ♿
Please help by upvoting and commenting on the issue so it gets more attention from developers 👇
https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/36439
Let’s make Mastodon more inclusive for everyone! 🤗
CC 
@Mastodon
Hey everyone! I'm Matthew Whitaker, an Emmy Nominated professional blind touring musician, producer, singer, songwriter, and accessibility advocate. My musical journey has led me to collaborate with legends like Stevie Wonder, Christian McBride, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Kim Tibs. You might have seen my performances on shows like The Harry Connick Jr. Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Showtime at The Apollo.
I'm passionate about making technology accessible for blind users and love working with developers to achieve this. A Juilliard graduate, I currently serve as the Minister of Music at New Hope Baptist Church in Hackensack, New Jersey, where I was born and raised.
Beyond music, I enjoy video and audio games, skiing, indoor rock climbing, and bowling. I love spending time with family and exploring new musical and non-musical adventures. Excited to connect with you all here!
Learn more about my work on my website: [www.matthewwhitaker.net](http://www.matthewwhitaker.net).
#Music #Accessibility #BlindMusician #Collaboration #Innovation #Juilliard #Community #Gaming #Adventure #Faith #Family #NewHorizons
By now you know that Microsoft is now defaulting to saving new Word documents directly to OneDrive. I guess Excel will be the next inline. The cynical take is that this is incredibly convenient for them, especially if they plan on using that data to train future LLMs. Imagine paying for software only to have your data automatically funneled into their cloud. Plus, what happens when you're offline and need those files? Just use the LibreOffice and just say no to all Microsoft products.
I am getting really tired of that word 'Just" in these kinds of rants. For a huge amount of people, there's no such thing as "just switch", because in a lot of cases these people are considered "just" a minority that are "just" so difficult to keep in mind when developing these alternatives, I bet I only "just" made you think of them again "just" now. So with all due respect, kindly "just" f*ck off telling me what I should "Just" switch to until #accessibility actually "just" works. Until then, "just" do better at being "just". Ok? Can we do that?
This coming from "just" another #accessibility professional who sometimes "just" gets a little tired of bringing it nice and polite and "just" wants to tell people to "just" feckin' follow the myriad accessibility standards that have only existed for, I dunno ... "just" a couple of decades?
If you build an app that is fighting fascism, anywhere in the world, please reach out. I’d be delighted to offer as much free accessibility consulting as you need.
#accessibility
Hey fediverse, today is the World Sight Day!
How about, as a small gift for the blind and visually impaired folks on here, we step up our alt text game!
Visit https://alttexthalloffame.org to learn why this is important.
This article might also be useful!
https://stefanbohacek.com/blog/polls-about-alt-text-on-social-media/
And follow 
@alttexthalloffame for occasional tips and some great examples of well-written alt text!
Hey fediverse, today is the World Sight Day!
How about, as a small gift for the blind and visually impaired folks on here, we step up our alt text game!
Visit https://alttexthalloffame.org to learn why this is important.
Hey there! I'm one of the blind folks who read alt text on here. I'd like to say thank you for adding that so that I can also enjoy images of cartoon animals. A little effort from you means a world of difference for people like me
#accessibility #AltText #blind
Hello Masto-peeps who use screen readers!
I just learned that I need to put alt text on URLs for more accessible PDFs, but -- what should it say?
I am formatting academic citations that include a URL, so all the information about where that link will take you is in the text. I don't want it to read the URL to you and I don't want to just repeat the same information you just heard. What do you find most helpful in this situation?
Pls boost for reach!
When I moved to mementomori.social I just copied and pasted my old introduction, so it's time for a new one!
👋 I'm David (or D. or Dave). I'm queer, I'm nonbinary, I'm a parent, I'm a physicist, and I live in Helsinki. I'm currently working 50% part time so I can take care of my kid.
💁 On Fedi I post in a personal capacity about things that interest me. That does include physics, but also how to make academia (and society) a friendlier, more welcoming place. I try to learn about, develop and put into use innovative teaching and supervision methods.
🛤️ I love trains and slow travel, but I'm not really travelling so much these days since becoming a parent. I therefore try to highlight the need for scientific conferences and events to be hybrid or online, amongst other accessibility measures that benefit everyone.
🌄 The outdoors is my happy place, I spend lots of time wandering around (or these days pushing a buggy), and enjoy hiking when I can. Still trying to improve my bird recognition skills. I love gardening and gardens as well, and hope to have one I can potter about in again quite soon.
💬 I always try to add alt text, always grateful for feedback on improving what I write.
🇫🇮 I communicate in Finnish at B2 level and French at B1 level (this means I can listen to the radio and read news articles in both languages), but this account is mostly in English. Do please however feel free to write to me in Finnish or French, and apologies in advance for typos in my replies.
🙍 It can be very tempting but I try not to boost, interact with or bring up politics here, except how it intersects with my above interests. I have filters set up for many politics keywords. Politics matters a lot to me, but this is not where I discuss it, and this way I keep Fedi a place of joy for me.
🚫 I CW at least selfies, food and drink, and direct politics references.
Feel free to follow me, but unless we've interacted, I'm unlikely to follow back to keep my feed manageable.
Some tags: #introduction #queer #parenting #physics #science #LGBTQInSTEM #QueerInStem #LGBTQ #Helsinki #trains #SlowTravel #accessibility #hiking #gardening #outdoors
Avatar alt text: a profile picture of me in a lift wearing a purple hoodie with pictures of birds, and a black jacket. There is brushed metal behind my head.
Header alt text: An autumnal view down Justinjohka valley in Sápmi, viewed from Inarinpolku.
#introduction
I’m Adrian. I’m plenty of things, but the most important is that I’m a good, loyal friend.
I love iOS Development. I also love creating my own cartoons, music from pocket to stage, game dev, endurance sports, and a dash of whimsy.
I’m ever-learning, so it’s an honor to cross paths with you. I worked at Apple on #accessibility, and I’m fortunate to continue with Disney/Marvel.
I want to make the world a more inclusive place, starting with me. So welcome, and I’m glad you’re here!
Is it a new thing that macOS "find and select text in images" also makes that text available… for the VoiceOver screen reader. That’s an #accessibility feature right, not a bug? Spotted on the 
@wagtail homepage video: https://wagtail.org/
With the World Sight Day coming up on Thursday, I wonder if I should attempt to make #FediverseWorldSightDay happen, again.
Article from last year: https://stefanbohacek.com/blog/fediverse-world-sight-day-global-accessibility-awareness-day/
(It would be nice to have a day of action either way.)
Some things about me:
I am #aromantic, #asexual, #agender, and #intersex. Very #queer and #neuroqueer.
I have so many disabilities, I find it difficult to remember most of them. This includes the following: #ADHD, #Autism, #Insomnia, #Dysautonomia, #ChronicMigraines, #Type2Diabetes, #VisualSnowSyndrome, #Agoraphobia, #Dyspraxia, #ChronicDepression, #TopographicalDisorientation, etc. This list is nonexhaustive.
I am also very political.
#Accessibility is very important to me. As a #disabled person, I choose to use my privileges to help other disabled ppl as much as I can. Making #ClosedCaptions, writing #transcripts, #proofreading them, and studying #stenography are the least I can do, I think :)