Blog

• Tactile indicators for installing and connecting devices

  How do companies make devices accessible for non-visual use? Some thoughts and a question for feedback and experience.

• Don't start testing accessibility with a screen reader

  Screen readers are great, and they deserve a lot of love. But let me give you a better option to start testing with.

• Community, corporations and more

  Summer 2023 I made an overview of things I was doing. Summer 2024 is behind us, and now I've got a new list. And my goodness, what a list it is. How much can one person do in a year?

• How to find the accessible name of a button with Google Chrome

  You just ran an automated test and it tells you your buttons don't have accessible names. What does that mean, why does it matter, and how do you check this yourself?

• The unclear case of usability widgets on your website

  There are lots of tools/addons/widgets you can add to your website, with the intent of improving usability or accessibility. You can also build multiple versions and variations, to cater to different people and needs (or for compliance).

• Be flexible about what people need (and don't assume).

  Your assumptions about facilitation and accommodation can be wrong. They're often shaped differently and smaller than you think. Awareness is key.

• A tool for sharing messages and images

  I've been looking for something for months. It's a tool that's a mix of IndieWeb, accessibility and nonexistence. There are plenty of tools out there that do -some- of what I want. But none of them seem to do all of it. I'm now calling for your help. I'm looking for a programmer to build this.

• No, your website does not have a mobile version

  Designers often (if they're nice) design multiple versions of a website. The designs get names like "mobile version", "tablet version" and "desktop version". I appreciate the effort, but I've noticed confusion stemming from these terms. They are often counterproductive.

• Politieke partijen niet digitaal toegankelijk

  Onderzoek wijst uit dat alle landelijke politieke partijen mensen digitaal uitsluiten. Een groot deel van de bevolking heeft geen toegang tot hun website.

• The added value of (neuro)diversity

  People like people who are like them. That's practical for making friends. It's not when you want a well-rounded team.

• Let's start a club

  Newsletters aren't for me. I do love sharing though. I came up with some alternatives including a Discord server. Let me share with you why I think that's a good idea.

• Burn your toast

  There's a simple question I ask myself whenever I consider the usage of a toast-component.

• An audit won't solve your issues

  Accessibility audits are great, except when you want to solve issues. Structural issues require inspection beyond the surface, and solutions beyond patching up.

• Accessibility is not binary

  Often when people talk about accessibility, it appears to be this binary thing. Something either is or isn’t accessible. And that’s true, but it also isn’t.

• Aria-roles do very little

  Look at modern websites at you'll see their code covered in aria-roles: a pretty <div> with role="button" here, a nice <a> with role="link" further along, and so on. But what is an aria-role, and what does it actually do?

• What you should (not) put inside an anchor link

  The anchor link is one of the most elemental of HTML-elements. The idea of linking things is kind of the core idea of HyperText (the HT in both HTML and HTTP). And oh my, do we love to (ab)use links on the web! But what should be inside a link?

• Accessibility, design systems and management.

  I’ve spent years working in accessibility doing everything from printing and hanging up posters, to joining and leading a Design Systems team. These days I apply my experience as a freelance consultant and these are a few of the things I’ve done recently.

• The universal focus state

  Designing a focus state? A focus state that works on every background is a great starting point. Understand how it works, and improve it for your use-case!

• What is accessibility?

  Products can be made in a way that they can be used by everybody, including people with disabilities. Not everybody knows this, or how to do this. Working in the field of accessibility means supporting people to build accessible.

• Compose your components

  Build the most components you can to have the least amount of work. I'll tell you why that's logical.

• Knowing what to expect (maybe my favorite accessibility principle)

  There are some useful principles to keep in mind when considering accessibility and inclusive design, but this one is probably my personal favorite. It helps a lot of people (including me, which makes it super important 👀) and can apply to so many situations. Always make sure people know what to expect.

• Inclusion beats optimization

  Why accessibility has priority over other issues

• Color and contrast, what does it mean?

  The color contrast ratios mentioned in WCAG can give you an insight in how usable your color palette is. How that works isn't very transparent. Learn more about how the color contrast ratio is determined, and what that means for you (and your palette).

• A closer look: "A family evacuated from Afghanistan arrives at Dulles"

  I shared an image of Afghan refugees too haphazardly. Let's have a second look.

• A photographer’s view on alt text

  Images are visual communication. Consider what you’re trying to communicate before you do.

• The value of less

  We might not always be able to make the best choices from a set of options. But we can always aim for less. Stay agile and flexible.

• Your website is history

  Everything you put on your website is old. Every website is an archive. The web is a collective history.

• I made this website with HTML

  This website is 100% semantic. There are no <div>s or <span>s. Every element has been chosen to play a role, because every element has a role.

• Semantics, what does it mean?

  When people talk about the quality of HTML code, it is often about semantics. But what are semantics? What is semantic HTML, and why should you care about it?

• Accessible HTML Toggle Button (Switch)

  Everybody loves toggle switch on mobile, or so I've heard. But if you're building a website, how do you reproduce this without excluding people.

• The Guide to Accessible Web Components

  Web Components are a newly supported standard. They're a great match for Design Systems because they're futureproof and work with any framework. Building proper UI Web Components can be quite a task though, especially if you want them to be accessible. Here are some pointers on what to look out for.

• Personal update

  I think I'm allowed at least one personal message these days. There's no thread or solid reasoning in this. My mind is still mushy so there should be typo's, but it's the mind I have. 🎉 But to me it's all about gratitude and privilege.

• An introduction to Web Monetization

  Web Monetization is a new proposed API standard. It makes websites able to request a stream of very small payments from a visitor. The best part, you can already use it and it's easy!

• Google, please be good

  Around one billion people in the world experience some form of disability. These people are also more likely to have other burdens. These include lower education, inadequate health care, lower wages and an increased cost of living.

• Why I blog again

  It's been a while since I've spent some time and energy on my website. The content was outdated. The overall structure and design no longer offered what I needed from a website.