Accessibility specialists

Common accessibility misconceptions

Posted on by Ela Gorla in Design and development, Standards, Testing, User experience

Our Common accessibility misconceptions series sheds light on many misunderstood aspects of accessibility.

Covering a range of topics from disabilities and assistive technology to implementation practices and testing tools, these posts are for anyone who wants to better understand how to build products that work for everyone.

Common misconceptions about disability

With around 1.3 billion people in the world recognised as having a disability and many more experiencing temporary and situational disabilities, we are all likely to benefit from accessible products.

Explore the types of disabilities that can impact people's experience on the web, how we should think and talk about people with disabilities, and the benefits of offering inclusive products.

Common misconceptions about screen readers

Many people working in digital would have heard of screen readers but not all may know how they work and who uses them and how.

Discover what you should and shouldn't do when building products to ensure they work well for people using screen readers.

Common misconceptions about WCAG

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have been regarded as the international standards for web accessibility for over 20 years. Everyone working in digital should be familiar with its requirements and know how to meet them. However, there often still is confusion about what WCAG covers and how it should be used.

Explore some common misconceptions about WCAG, including what products it applies to, and what conformance level you should aim for.

Common misconceptions about implementing accessibility

What are the best tools and practices to use to build truly accessible products? And how to make sure your products remain accessible overtime?

These questions are answered while while unveiling common misconceptions about AI tools, obverlays, and design systems.

Common misconceptions about testing accessibility

With so many tools and methodologies available, it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to testing accessibility.

Explore who is responsible for accessibility testing and what the best approach is.

Next steps

Find out more about Sustainable Accessibility and how we can help your organisation achieve long-term accessibility, or our Assessments to learn how we can help your organisation validate the accessibility of your products.

Ela Gorla

Ela is a Principal Accessibility Specialist. She specialises in sustainable accessibility and inclusive user research.

Ela started her career in accessibility consultancy in 2008 and has since helped small and large companies, as well as public organisations, achieve their accessibility goals. Ela was part of the accessibility team in Barclays, playing an important role in integrating accessibility into governance processes and producing accessibility guidelines and standards.

Alongside consultancy, Ela has a deep knowledge of inclusive user research practices and extensive experience training. She has contributed to the W3C Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines as a tester and has participated in the Scope Big Hack advisory board.

Ela Gorla
Photograph of Ela with long pink hair and a smile with the sun behind her as she looks into the camera

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