Newsletter

Accessibility expertise is still needed despite AI.
Issue 11-2025


Domingos de Oliveira (netz-barrierefrei.de):

Dank GenAI brauchen wir jetzt keine Expertinnen mehr zur digitalen Barrierefreiheit. Sagt kaum jemand, denken viele. Vermutlich die gleichen Leute, die an Zauberpillen AKA Accessibility Overlays für Barrierefreiheit glauben.

Das Problem: Digitale Barrierefreiheit ist nach wie vor ein Nischenthema. Dort versagt GenAI besonders, weil es sehr wenige relevante und hochwertige Beiträge gibt, also zu wenig Trainingsmaterial. Das führt zu Antworten eher mangelhafter Qualität. Eine Expertin zur Barrierefreiheit erkennt das recht schnell. Ein Laie müsste weiter forschen, tut es aber meistens nicht. Deshalb brauchen Accessibility Consultants sich fürs Erste keine Sorgen um ihren Job zu machen.

Interesting articles

Oliver Haake-Klink explains how the Accessibility Cloud combines automatic and manual checks for digital accessibility. Interview with Oliver Haake-Klink about Accessibility Cloud

This article offers tips on how to design QR codes to be high-contrast, understandable and accessible in order to avoid barriers. Designing accessible QR codes

This article explores how AI-powered interfaces can support people with low levels of technical proficiency without creating new barriers.

Artificial Intelligence: Access for the Non-Technical

The beta version of the free PDF Accessibility Checker PAC 2026 offers an AI-based check. PAC 2026 beta with AI-supported exams is here!

This article shows how user stories help to implement accessibility in a more user-centered way in web projects. User Stories for Accessible Websites – Detlef Beyer

Continuing in English: A study calls for deaf people to be actively involved in the development and procurement of AI systems with sign language integration in order to avoid misunderstandings and discrimination. BSL is Not for Sale: A Deaf-led approach to AI procurement (PDF)

GenAI is rapidly changing how people interact with websites. This article explores how this impacts digital accessibility. Accessibility in a Zero-Click Web: Preparing for an AI-Mediated Future

The article shows how accessible research makes science more diverse and innovative – to the benefit of all researchers. Make research accessible – it benefits all chemists

Microsoft Word can now correctly detect floating images with screen readers. This corrects a common problem that occurs when exporting accessible PDFs from Word. Floating images now accessible for screen readers in Word

A comprehensive online book on digital accessibility with practical explanations, checklists, and case studies. It can be read online for free or purchased in print. The Book on Accessibility

A study shows that neurodivergent employees benefit significantly more and are more satisfied with AI assistants like Microsoft 365 Copilot than neurotypical colleagues. Study finds neurodiverse workers more satisfied with AI assistants

An update to the toolkit that automatically supports image descriptions (alt text), thereby improving the accessibility of media. Image Description Toolkit 3.0 available

The article explains how AI agents and accessibility can reinforce each other: Accessible structures help AI agents – and ultimately all users. AI agents and web accessibility – a symbiotic relationship

A scientific pre-print paper dealing with accessibility issues in conjunction with AI or agents in the web context. arXiv 2507.19549v1

The article shows how inclusive design turns raw data into stories that everyone can understand – and what costs arise from inaccessible dashboards. Got Data, Now What? Storytelling Through Accessible Design

An interactive project that shows how AI systems can exclude people – and how to identify and prevent these exclusions early in the design process. ITL AI Recognize Exclusion

An article with four key principles: keep an eye on results, involve people with disabilities early on, treat accessibility as a core requirement, and pay attention to bias in training data. Tips for Designing Accessible AI

The text explains why accessibility must be integrated into technology projects from the very beginning and not as a late "add-on". The Need for Accessibility Excellence

A toolkit/platform project focused on web overlays and accessibility – providing tools and examples for alternative access methods. Overlays.dnikub.dev

A blog post about how single-page applications (SPAs) often cause usability and accessibility problems – and how moving back to classic pages offers advantages. Why Moving Away from SPAs Improves Usability, Accessibility and SEO

Good news of the month

The declaration “From Margins to Mainstream: Integrating Accessibility and Universal Design Across Higher Education Curricula” was signed in Nicosia on September 9, 2025. It calls for the full integration of accessibility, universal design, and assistive technology into higher education. AccessibleEU – One Signatories Nicosia Declaration

Luxembourg will launch a project (“Bewosst”) in the hospitality sector in October 2025 to strengthen inclusion and accessibility in hotels and tourist facilities. AccessibleEU – Luxembourg works to bring inclusion to its hospitality industry

In Slovenia, courts are introducing automatic transcription and live subtitling to make the justice system more accessible for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. AccessibleEU – Slovenian courts introduce automatic transcription and live captioning

The app Be My Eyes and the British retailer Tesco are launching a pilot collaboration in the UK: Blind and visually impaired customers receive direct visual support via the app when shopping in the store – e.g., when selecting products, checking promotions or using self-service checkouts. Be My Eyes and Tesco team up

In Mannheim, an inclusive mural was created that contains tactile and tangible elements, allowing blind and visually impaired people to experience art. First inclusive mural “The Blind Germany” in Mannheim

An innovative pregnancy test enables blind and visually impaired women to independently experience results through tactile and acoustic signals. Pregnancy Test for Blind Women

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