Our Latest Blogs
Digital Accessibility is a fascinating, complex subject that can seem to be quite scary but actually, the principles of it are quite logical and straightforward.
The biggest challenge we find is getting people started on their digital accessibility journey.
We love sharing our experiences and our thoughts through this blog.
Whether it is looking at accessible web design, an accessibility audit or any other aspect of digital accessibility, we hope that you find them interesting and engaging.
![TEDx Logo](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/blog-images/1_tedX.jpg&w=500&h=500)
Changing the world, one website at a time
I spent the weekend putting the finishing touches together for my...
![Web accessibility wheelchair symbol on a computer keyboard](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/blog-images/GettyImages-641691132.jpg&w=500&h=500)
You cannot use a mouse or a keyboard, what do you do?
Some of us have significant challenges This is the daily experience for one of my fab testers, Iona. A brain...
![Blind person using computer with braille computer display and a computer keyboard](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/stock-images//GettyImages-536674480w.jpg&w=500&h=500)
What is it really like to use a screen reader?
What are screen readers? I talk about screen readers a fair bit. They allow blind people to use websites. Blind...
![A cafe inside an old hotel. There is a curving staircase in the foreground.](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/blog-images/cafe.jpg&w=500&h=500)
What is a website accessibility statement?
Why did I write this post? I ran a poll last week in which I asked some questions about website...
![Access by Design Logo](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/blog-images/logo2.jpg&w=500&h=500)
A fresh new logo for 2022 with a brand new website to follow soon!
We have 3 websites: Access by Design,...
![Banner with statement, a stop sign and a wheelchair sign with a red cross on it](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/blog-images/disabled-cookie-banner.jpg&w=500&h=500)
Is this an acceptable Cookie Banner?
Whether you think this is acceptable or not, this is the Cookie Banner that exists on countless websites across the world.![A traffic accident scene showing a significantly damaged car in the middle of the road. Firefighters in yellow gear are on-site, with emergency vehicles including fire engines and an ambulance present. Hoses are laid out on the ground, and trees line the street.](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/accident-photos/car-long-4.jpg&w=500&h=500)
It is not just about Cookie Banners...
A life-changing accident... June 11th 1989. Jess and I were teenagers. She was the singer in my band and we were...
![Premier Motorhomes website Home Page screenshot](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/premiermotorhomes-2022/premiermotorhomes.uk-home-page.jpg&w=500&h=500)
Premier Motors have had a freshen up for 2022!
Sometimes your website just needs a fresh coast of paint rather than a complete rebuild, this was exactly the...
![UK Government Petition Graphic](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/blog-images/UK-Gov-Petition-Graphic.jpg&w=500&h=500)
Ban Cookie Banners
If you are blind and use a screen reader to visit websites, a cookie banner can make your life much difficult and, in some cases, can prevent you actually getting into the website at all.![A broken cookie with a banner over it saying #bancookiebanners](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/blog-images/bancookiebanners.jpg&w=500&h=500)
You can now help rid the world of Cookie Banners!
It has finally happened! Now YOU can do your bit in ridding the world of Cookie Banners!...
![Close-up of a wheelchair user holding a mask in their left hand](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/stock-images//GettyImages-1215234786-w.jpg&w=500&h=500)
Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities
It is wonderful to see the buzz around this day. Gradually, the mainstream media is beginning to realise how...
![Chocolate chip cookie with crumbs isolated on white background](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/stock-images//GettyImages-1085151392.jpg&w=500&h=500)
Let us rid the world of cookie banners!
A lot of companies have cookie banners because they believe it is required by law. This is technically true...
![Post-apocalyptic image](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/stock-images//GettyImages-1179812840-w.jpg&w=500&h=500)
The Law of Unintended Consequences #bancookiebanners
There are many reasons why I hate Cookie Banners. I do not dislike them. I do not find them irritating. I...
![TEDx Logo](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/blog-images/1_tedX.jpg&w=500&h=500)
I am speaking at a TedX event on Website Accessibility for Disabled People!
I am so excited to announce that I am going to be speaking at TedX Lukely Brook on Wednesday...
![Karine Elharrar, an Israeli Government Minister and a wheelchair user](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/blog-images/Karine-Elharrar.jpg&w=500&h=500)
Oops, sorry, we didn’t think of that….
As the BBC reported yesterday, an Israeli Government Minister, Karine Elharrar, had to return to her hotel 50...
![A computer keyboard with a glowing ACCESSIBILITY key. The key features an accessibility icon of a person in a wheelchair. The background is a blend of blue, purple, and pink hues, creating a modern and vibrant look.](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/stock-images//GettyImages-1147350187-w.jpg&w=500&h=500)
Today is Purple Tuesday!
Did you know that today is Purple Tuesday? It is known as the UK’s official Accessible Shopping Day and...
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Is your website printer friendly?
Have you ever printed Have you ever tried to print off a page from a website?...
![A person in a wheelchair, dressed in a blue blazer and jeans, looks to their right at the base of a flight of stairs. They are on a paved outdoor area with a lamppost in the background.](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/stock-images//GettyImages-475992862-w.jpg&w=500&h=500)
This is why you need to take action now!
Accessibility Audit Enquiry I had a chat with a travel company this week. They had some concerns about how accessible...
![A wheelchair symbol drawn in the sand, the tide is coming in](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/stock-images//GettyImages-530187851-w.jpg&w=500&h=500)
“Hey you! You in the wheelchair, stand up!”
I cannot imagine that anyone reading this article would ever say this to someone who is in a wheelchair....
![Blind person using computer with braille computer display and a computer keyboard](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/blog-images/GettyImages-536674480w.jpg&w=500&h=500)
Blind people do not use the internet. How could they, they cannot see the screen.
It started with a conversation I was having a chat with a very nice lady last week. We had met...
![A person wearing a blue jacket holds a smartphone horizontally to take a photo of a scenic landscape at sunrise or sunset. The image on the phone's screen shows another person photographing the viewer. The background features rolling hills under a colorful sky.](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/blog-images/homepage-banner-more-square.jpg&w=500&h=500)
Here is one easy way to resolve your website accessibility issues!
I am delighted to announce that today is the day that Run Your Own Website Version 2 is officially...
![9 Accessibility Badges, all in different colours](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/stock-images//accessibility_badges.jpg&w=500&h=500)
Website accessibility: what is it and why is it important?
It’s time to make sure your website is accessible to all demographics. Find out what that means and why...
![Web accessibility wheelchair symbol on a computer keyboard](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/blog-images/GettyImages-641691132.jpg&w=500&h=500)
Click Here… Click There… Click… Where????
The answer to these questions may seem obvious Would you invite someone sitting in a wheelchair to stand? Would you...
![Wheelchair sign against green nature background](https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/themes/access2022/images/timthumb/timthumb.php?src=https://accessbydesign.uk/abd/wp-content/gallery/stock-images/510335803.jpg&w=500&h=500)
Your website and accessibility. All you need to know in one video!
Do you have a website? If you do and you are...