Accessibility overlays don’t work

Accessibility overlays are applications and coding that “sits” between your website (or other digital content) and assistive technology.

Brad Henry, the Paciello Group
Accessibility Overlays in Digital Content

The goal — make the site accessible without needing to do anything but add the overlay.

They may look like they’re working …

Adrian Roselli

… but it likely doesn’t flow well with the entire experience. It’s possible it even conflicts with the assistive technology the user already has.

Adrian Roselli, Accessibility and UX Consultant
Be Wary of Add-on Accessibility
Karl Groves

These are products that claim to automatically fix a website’s accessibility issues. All you have to do, they claim, is insert their JavaScript snippet on your website and your accessibility problems will be repaired. These incredible claims are without basis in fact …

Karl Groves, Founder and President – Tenon.io
Web Accessibility Overlays Don’t Work

Lainey Feingold

And if you need another reason to say no, these tools don’t even protect against lawsuits.

Lainey Feingold,
Author, Negotiator, Lawyer, Speaker at Law Office of Lainey Feingold
Honor the ADA: Avoid web accessibility quick-fix overlays

Users are filing cases against web sites that use accessibility overlays. The site UprightPose uses accessiBe as of this writing, though accessiBe is not the only vendor cited in the larger tranche of cases.

Adrian Roselli,
#accessiBe Will Get You Sued