Chax Chat Accessibility Podcast
138 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsJoin Chad Chelius and Dax Castro (CHAX) as they chat about important document accessibility topics, trends and maybe even complain a little now and again.
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Episodes
What Matters Most: A Native AT User’s Perspective
May 25, 2024 00:07 - 29 minutes - 42.2 MBThey say the best way to learn a language is by working with a native speaker, and learning Assistive Technology is no different. We are thrilled to have Kristen Witucki from Tamman Inc join us today on Chax Chat to talk about her experience as a native assistive technology user. Kristen walks us through the way she uses NVDA and JAWS, her setting preferences, and how the use of this technology affects her day to day life. Kristen works with Tamman Inc both as an Assistive Technology Com...
Understanding Alt Text, Actual Text, Extended Descriptions and Captions
May 18, 2024 04:21 - 31 minutes - 45.1 MBEffective use of alt text, actual text, extended descriptions, and captions are essential for helping the users of accessibility tools read the document the way you intended. Most documents contain more than words alone. Graphics, graphs, photos, and even stylized formats are used to enhance the reader experience. But oftentimes, these visual elements disrupt or even create a barrier for users of AT. In today’s episode of Chax Chat, Chad Chelius and Dax Castro discuss some of the pitfalls ...
Designing with Accessibility in Mind
May 09, 2024 21:31 - 31 minutes - 44.9 MBToday on Chax Chat we talk about designing with accessibility in mind. Creating an accessibility-first mindset is essential to the success of creating documents that maximize accessibility from the start and avoid the time drain of accessibility at the end or redoing the work when the inevitable last-minute change comes. Join Chad Chelius and Dax Castro as they break down Designing accessible trifolds Implementing accessible QR codes Captions Table of Contents, and; Reasons to avoid...
What a Pane! Tags, Content and Order Pane Explained
April 30, 2024 05:55 - 42 minutes - 60.3 MBAdobe InDesign offers several features to manage the tags and content of your document for accessibility, but not all panes are built the same! In today’s episode of Chax Chat, we are going to explore all three of these windows, the benefits and purposes they serve, and when or when not to use them. Today we will be defining assistive technology, unraveling the tags pane, the order panel, and the content pane. We will also be defining assistive technology and learning more about how to wo...
Word to PDF Pitfalls: Unraveling barriers you may not be aware of
April 23, 2024 07:36 - 36 minutes - 51.9 MBMicrosoft Word is said to be one of the best applications for making accessible documents, but how true is that claim? There are a lot of practices that designers use that set them back while working within Word. Join Chad Chelius and Dax Castro as they talk about some of the most common issues document creators encounter when working within this application, best rules to follow to avoid those issues, and how to remediate your document when issues arise. Listen in and learn why you should...
InDesign Accessibility Tips we wish we knew sooner!
April 16, 2024 08:15 - 37 minutes - 53 MBLearn our favorite tips, tricks, and shortcuts to creating accessible documents in Indesign! Every application has hidden secrets, some so good you wish you knew them sooner. Join Chad Chelius and Dax Castro as they share their experiences behind these shortcuts, how they found them, and how each tip can help you become a quicker, more proficient document accessibility expert. In this episode, we will cover how to name and outline heading levels, adding styles to headers, editing all ...
Accessibility Lawyer Eve Hill and the Risks of Non-Compliance
April 09, 2024 03:18 - 34 minutes - 50.1 MBAvoiding a lawsuit is as easy as implementing accessibility correctly the first time. But as many of us know, we still aren’t quite there yet. There is a lot of work that needs to be done if we are going to truly have an internet that is accessible to everyone. Many businesses and public entities offer services, products, and information that everyone needs access to, regardless of their ability, and sometimes it feels that a lawsuit is the only way to jumpstart that process. To get an ins...
7 Things that Fail Document Accessibility but will pass your Checker
April 02, 2024 20:59 - 30 minutes - 42.7 MB“Automation does not guarantee compliance!” is the inspiration behind today’s episode. Here at CHAX Accessibility Training. Accessibility Checkers are one such tool. They check for particular issues, but just because a checker does not flag accessibility issues does not mean your documents are compliant. Today we are going to unravel the 7 things that Fail Accessibility but will pass your Checker! Passing the PAC Checker or Acrobat Checker is only the first step to remediating a document. ...
Part 2: Top 10 Accessibility Questions Newbies Ask
March 27, 2024 05:13 - 48 minutes - 68.7 MBThere is no doubt that the subject of accessibility and remediation can be a confusing landscape for those just starting out in this wonderful industry. Today, we tackle part two of our Top Ten Questions in accessibility and remediation! Some of these answers might surprise you, as we both learned something new in this episode, too. We discover new tools, like PDFix, review our top applications, discuss some of the oddities in the industry, and so much more. Whether you are new to document...
Accessibility Usage Survey Results Unraveled
March 12, 2024 06:12 - 32 minutes - 47.1 MBUnderstanding how people use accessibility technology is essential to creating accessible media. In this episode, Chad Chelius and Dax Castro dive into the 2024 WebAIM “Screen Reader User Survey #10 Results” to get an inside look on who uses screen reading tools, and where they use them. They cover age, location, favorite reader, and more. Even though we are exploring a relatively small sample size, the information here is invaluable. So sit back, grab your favorite drink, and get our take o...
Understanding the User Experience of Assistive Technology
March 05, 2024 14:00 - 34 minutes - 54.1 MBIn this episode Chad Chelius and Dax Castro discuss what it means to understand the user experience of a screen reader as well as accessibility technology at large. Creating documents and digital media has its challenges, but what if your product does not respond the way you expect it to? Learn about how to adapt your understanding to the end user experience in today's episode. We are also excited to share two new A11y terms just for you! Introducing Chax-ified and Chax-essible! Other topics...
Revealing Nested Tag Structure Secrets
February 22, 2024 22:12 - 46 minutes - 66.2 MBIn this episode, we unravel nested tag structures. Chad and Dax break down lists, TOC, footnotes, and tables. Learn what the most basic way to create a list structure is and how Dax had to hit the books once again to make sure he wasn't telling tales. Chad talks about footnotes and references and why you might hear "Link Link" in your TOC elements. If you struggle to understand which tags get nested inside others, then you definitely want to listen to this episode!
Adopting Document Accessibility: How to get your boss to listen
February 06, 2024 17:55 - 39 minutes - 56.8 MBIn this episode, we interview Kelly Swanson and Sherri Smith from the Center for Schools and Communities to understand how Sheri was able to initiate interest in document accessibility and start a successful document accessibility program within their organization. Kelly shared key insights from a manager's perspective that can help others in their quest to implement accessibility at a program level.
Accessible QR Code Structure Revealed
January 26, 2024 07:23 - 36 minutes - 52.4 MBIn this episode, Dax Castro and Chad Chelius talk about the troubles with creating QR codes and reveal the common mistakes people make when trying to make them accessible. They show you how to create them, how to set the placement correctly, and what your options are when it comes to making accessible QR codes for your documents. Chad even shows how you can use InDesign to make your QR codes right in the program. If you struggle with accessible QR codes definitely tune into this episode!
The Top 5 Questions Document Accessibility Newbies Ask
December 29, 2023 01:15 - 36 minutes - 52.4 MBIn this final episode for 2023 we look back at the most frequently asked questions by people just starting out in document accessibility. We also dropped a major announcement about the future of Chax Training and Consulting. So you definitely don't want to miss this episode. Top 5 Questions: Do Span Tags Matter? Do Container Tags Matter? How Long Should Alt-text Be? Can I have more than one H1 in my document? What is the difference between deleting a tag and artifacting one? If y...
The Top 10 Questions Document Accessibility Newbies Ask: Part 1
December 29, 2023 01:15 - 36 minutes - 52.4 MBIn this final episode for 2023 we look back at the most frequently asked questions by people just starting out in document accessibility. We also dropped a major announcement about the future of Chax Training and Consulting. So you definitely don't want to miss this episode. Top 5 Questions: Do Span Tags Matter? Do Container Tags Matter? How Long Should Alt-text Be? Can I have more than one H1 in my document? What is the difference between deleting a tag and artifacting one? If y...
Can you have forms in Tables?
December 08, 2023 01:54 - 37 minutes - 53.3 MBIn this episode, Chad and Dax discuss the merits of having form fields inside tables. When is it okay? When should you avoid tables as a means of laying out accessible form-based documents? Listen in and you will learn what to ask and how to determine if it is okay to put your form in a table. We also take a quick look at the new PAC 2024 interface and our thoughts on the new release.
Questions about Implementing Accessibility in an Organization
November 06, 2023 11:07Skip koi pond chat @3:42 How to approach gaining accessibility knowlege @5:43 How long does it take to implement an accessibility workflow into an organization @7:36 What is the best way to implement accessibility in an organization @8:56 The struggles of content creators in PowerPoint @9:58 Setting the Reading Order (Tag Order) in Venngage @10:59 How to convince the decision-maker to give designers the right tools @12:21 Venngage model of a discoverable learning experience @17:13 H...
An Accessible Alternative to Canva: Venngage CEO Eugene Woo
October 09, 2023 15:00 - 34 minutes - 51.8 MBYou have heard us mention Venngage a few times and have featured it on our podcast. Now we thought it would be great to invite Venngage CEO, Eugene Woo on the program to talk about is journey in creating this accessible online design tool. We talk about the struggles and costs of going down the road of accessibility but more importantly, the cost of NOT going down that path. Eugene also discusses how they took the opportunity to teach unfamiliar users about accessibility as they create their...
Accessible Pie Charts: Can they be TOO accessible?
October 06, 2023 07:39 - 36 minutes - 52.5 MBChad and Dax take this session to talk about the possibility of having too much accessibility in the form of multiple patterns in pie charts. They discuss the merits of several approaches to making pie charts visually more accessible. Stick around to hear them give out some secret sauce for troubleshooting tables that just don't seem to want to pass accessibility. Their tip might just save you hours of needlessly hunting for the mislabeled property. Oh, and if you want to skip the koi pond...
Colorblind Considerations when Creating Accessible Charts and Graphs
September 20, 2023 00:10 - 31 minutes - 30.1 MBAre you using accessible color contrast and colorblind-friendly designs? Chad answers the question: "Does it really Matter if I make my designs colorblind compliant?" Learn some important colorblind statistics and find out who needs to make their designs accessible? We share some things you can do to make your graphic colors accessible and review the WCAG success criteria 1.4.1 Use of Color. Dax gives you some easy ways to make your maps more accessible and Chad shares the color contrast ...
Who does the Reading Order affect? This Guest: Sonya Lewis!
September 12, 2023 07:50 - 30 minutes - 43.1 MBSenior UX Researcher, Inclusive Designer and Accessibility Design Lead Sonya Lewis agrees to be our guest this week to talk about how the Reading Order in PDFs impacts her ability to apply for heathcare enrollement, participate in her workplace and overall online presence. Chad and I loved her response when we asked the question "What do you say to people who think the Reading Order in PDFs doesn't really matter?" Be sure to listen in to hear Chad ask an important question about Snoop Dogg a...
An Accessible Alternative to Canva?
September 05, 2023 21:15 - 30 minutes - 43.1 MBWe stumbled on to an online design tool that is giving Canva a run for their money. We show you our first impressions about the product and the accessibility features it has and a few ways we might suggest improving it. We also reveal the new EASY way to set the PDF/UA Identifier in Adobe Acrobat. Dax mentions the upcoming guest and their struggles with reading order in PDF documents. Finally, Chad reveals some insights on Form Tags: Before or after the text label?
Is Alternate text for hyperlinks really required?
August 24, 2023 08:00 - 42 minutes - 58.4 MBListen to Chad and Dax talk about alternate descriptions for hyperlinks and what WCAG has to say about it. We mention PDF/UA-2 set to remove the mandatory requirement for alternate link descriptions. Chad shares a users comment "I want users of assistive technology to have the same crappy experience a sighted person has when reading long URLs." You will get a chuckle out of our "Six Degrees of separation from Dyson," and why where the link takes you matters. Later on we discuss how visual...
Do I really need to set the Reading Order in my PDF?
August 15, 2023 23:18 - 53 minutes - 50.1 MBCAUTION: Highly controversial accessibility topics in this podcasts: Do we need to set the reading order in my PDFs? 2. Title Tag or H1? We discuss a real-world situation where someone's barrier to information in a PDF is not vision. However, because of a traumatic event this person has dyslexia and requires audio input to fully understand the content on the page they are reading. We discuss how reading order is affected by the source document. We look at MS Word and InDesign and discuss...
7 Questions to ask yourself before creating an accessible infographic
July 31, 2023 11:23 - 40 minutes - 56.5 MBThis week's podcast is truly an amazing goldmine of information if you struggle with creating accessible infographics? Chad Chelius and Dax Castro walk through 7 Questions to ask yourself before creating an accessible infographic: What do we want the user experience to be? What is the most important information? Does Content order matter? Does color or line weight indicate additional information? What is the volume of data? (Do I need an alternate presentation?) Can I support the ...
Recosoft Plugin that converts Powerpoint to InDesign with accessibility tags
July 26, 2023 07:50 - 40 minutes - 37.7 MBIn this episode we talk with Recosoft Founder, Paul Chadha about Decks MoveIn. This is a great plugin for creating InDesign documents from PowerPoint slides. We all know that PowerPoint was never meant to be a desktop publishing software. It is a presentation tool. However, there are times when we need to push the content limits. Instead of spending an hour or more fixing your PDF, just move from PPT to InDesign and let the Decks MoveIn plugin from Recosoft help speed up the process. Stick a...
Accessible Document Covers and Maps
July 21, 2023 23:28 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MBIn this accessibility podcast episode, we discuss designing with accessibility in mind when it comes to the covers of magazines and maps in your PDF documents. We talk about the importance of reading order and understanding how a user might want to read the document from both a screen reader and a sighted user experience. This is a really great episode packed with some really interesting ideas on methods for presenting accessible content. For sure one of my favorite podcasts to date!
PDF Navbars: Barrier or poor user experience?
July 12, 2023 06:35 - 42 minutes - 63.8 MBIn this episode we talk about the difference between barriers, violations and poor user experiences. We review a practice we are seeing more and more of, navigation bars inside PDF documents. We discuss a few solutions using Adobe InDesign to use these navigation bars in a more accessible way. Listen in and Chad will give you a huge time-saving way to incorporate those nav bars in the most accessible way possible. Dax talks about ways to structure your PDF document to improve the user experi...
What California Assembly Bill AB 1757 means for Document Remediators
June 29, 2023 02:14 - 42 minutes - 59.6 MBIn this episode we cover the potential risks for remediation professionals concerning the newly released Assembly Bill AB 1757. We also reveal a very important bug in the latest update of Adobe Acrobat. Stick around to hear Chad and I explain the difference between alt-text, actual text and expansion text. Then Chad reveals how to turn off the new switched layout in the latest Acrobat Interface Update. Make sure you listen to the end to hear how Adobe fixes long style names and Chad reveals ...
Accessible PowerPoint Presenting Tips
June 20, 2023 08:48 - 45 minutes - 43.6 MBJoin Chad Chelius and Dax Castro as they discuss some great tips for presenting accessibly when giving a PowerPoint (or OneNote) presentation. If you stay til the end you will get the URL to the handout that goes along with their talking points. I bet there are at least a few you hadn't considered!
WebAIM statistics that might surprise you about NVDA and JAWS
May 23, 2023 09:21 - 34 minutes - 32.3 MBChad and Dax take a look at some interesting new trends from the WebAIM report published every few years. #9 has some really interesting turns in the statistics that we take a closer look at.
What can we do to get companies to care beyond GAAD?
May 23, 2023 08:33 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBAccessibility Advocate Cam Beaudoin joins Chad Chelius and Dax Castro on Global Accessibility Awareness day (GAAD) to talk about ways to keep your company motivated to take action to improve accessibility beyond the celebratory day.
EN 301 549 European Accessibility Standard: How much do you know?
May 08, 2023 10:24 - 24 minutes - 23.2 MBChad Chelius and Dax Castro talk through some of the nuances of the European Accessibility Standard, EN 301 549. Do you know which countries adopted this standard? Some things we found were surprising and others just made sense. Stick around to hear our discussion on Reflow and why it is missing from the accessibility standard.
Top 7 Accessibility Struggles of new PDF Remediators
May 02, 2023 06:55 - 43 minutes - 41.6 MBIn this podcast, Chad Chelius and Dax Castro talk about the top 7 things that usually come up for people just starting their PDF remediation journey. How many of these have you experienced? Not only do we talk about them, we help you solve them! Listen in as we cover the following 7 struggles for new PDF accessibility remediators. What is the correct size for accessible text? My content disappeared! Reading Order messed up my Tags Tree! Links in my header/footer are not being tagged...
What is the difference between WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 for PDF Documents?
April 25, 2023 05:48 - 43 minutes - 40.5 MBThis episode of Chax Chat discusses what you need to know when transitioning from WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and getting ready for WCAG 2.2 for your PDF documents. We cover: 1.4.10 Reflow AA - Users with low vision who need to make things larger. The content will wrap inside the viewport instead of causing horizontal scroll. 1.4.11 Non-Text Contrast AA: Extends 3:1 contrast minimums to important graphical information, visible focus indicators and other interactive controls when those indicators are neces...
Video Podcast: How do you know if your document is compliant?
April 18, 2023 16:42 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBChad and Dax jump in front of the camera for this episode. You can find the video on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@a11y. In this eposide we cover the steps to making sure your document is compliant and usable. Many people do not understand what it means to be accessible and think that passing the PDF checker is all that is needed to "be accessible." You do not want to miss the key steps we cover that you need to make sure your document is actually usable for people using assis...
How to use the ISO-32000 PDF/UA Standard to understand accessible document structure
April 11, 2023 09:24 - 37 minutes - 51.8 MBAccessibility Podcast: How to use the FREE ISO-32000 PDF/UA Standard PDF Standard ISO 32000-2 is available for free! Chad and Dax peel back the cover of the 1003 page PDF/UA standard. They focus on Chapter 14 and key areas you might find useful. Download the standard at PDFA.org/sponsored-standards and follow along with us. Make sure you are using MS Edge because we found the cart has some compatibility challenges. Chax hits 25,000 podcast downloads Pave the Way to Global Accessibilit...
Pave the Way to Global Accessibility Awareness Day
April 04, 2023 07:05 - 39 minutes - 54.6 MBGuests Jeremy Seda IT Accessibility Coordinator and Jacalyn Stallings Vocational Rehab Counselor tell us all about the upcoming Pave the Way for Global Accessibility Awareness Day at North Idaho College April 19th. We talk about creating a culture of change and a few teaching moments related to unintended microagressions. It was great to hear Jeremy's approach to keeping momentum and building a culture of intentional accessibility at North Idaho College. Jacalyn brought up an amazing benefit...
Mapping Custom Style in MS Word and Adobe InDesign
March 28, 2023 06:48 - 37 minutes - 51.2 MBShould certifications be hard? Chad and I discuss Karl Groves' recent article that discusses the question and why we agree. Chad and I discuss another great question: "Do links always need alt-text?" We take a look at what WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose says and whether it supports, or doesn't support the idea that hyperlinks always need alt-text. You have to listen to Dax's analogy as he compares an insole and a shoe to an annotation and the link text. Listen to the What do you think? Did you kn...
How to convert PowerPoints and PDFs to InDesign with PDF2ID
March 13, 2023 10:00 - 35 minutes - 49 MBSpecial guest Harpaul Chadha (Paul) from Recosoft Corporation, joins us to talk about solutions for creating InDesign files from Accessible PowerPoint and PDF documents! WHAT??!?! Yep. PowerPoint to InDesign is a thing and DecksMoveIn makes it happen, accessibly! Paul talks about how DecksMovein considers accessibility when importing your content. This plugin transfers your reading order, alt-text and creates styles to properly import your PowerPoint content into InDesign. Chad and I m...
Canva Accessibility Considerations and dealing with Inline Elements in Word
March 07, 2023 06:37 - 28 minutes - 38.7 MBChad and Dax talk about the journey of accessibility for the online design platform, CANVA. You may be surprised to know that just a few months ago there were no tags available for any CANVA document. While they have made some improvements and documents are now saving with some semblance of tags, there is still a long way to go to meet the WCAG Success Criteria 1.3.1 Info and Relationships. If you are using CANVA as a design platform you do not want to miss this episode. Share this post wi...
Accessible Table Secrets
February 23, 2023 07:19 - 31 minutes - 43 MBAccessible Tables Podcast Chad and Dax jump feet first into dispelling some myths about accessible tables and have a change in thinking about another common table practice. Be sure to listen how Dax's opinion on the A1 cell has changed. Chad makes a great arguement for maintaining the best practice of adding a meaningful label in the A1 cell. Make sure to say tuned to hear our plea to Adobe to allow us access to a key area of a table from the tags tree and Dax's super secret tip for trouble...
ADA Digital Accessibility Lawsuits and Trends Report with Jason Taylor of UsableNet
February 14, 2023 09:08 - 36 minutes - 49.7 MBJoin Chad Chelius and Dax Castro as they welcome Jason Taylor Chief Innovations Officer at UsableNet to discuss the ADA Digital Accessibility Lawsuits and Trends Report. Learn how they collect the data for the report. Find out what happened in 2017 that sparked the report. Chad brings up the topic of Overlays and the ensuing discussion may shock you. Dax has a suprising point of view on them. Find out the answer to the question of "Who is checking anyway?" Chad brings up the different le...
Accessible Epubs: What you need to know
January 31, 2023 10:28 - 44 minutes - 61.2 MBJoin our guests Christine Foushi and John Foliot of Content Industries as they talk about accessible epubs. We explore the different versions, how they are structured. Did you know that epubs are basically HTML 5 documents? Stay tuned to listen to us talk about the importance of metadata at the book-level rather than the data-level. We reveal the secret of converting a zip to an epub and how to reverse engineer a word doc to get to the hidden zip contents! Christine and I also have a great d...
Multi-line Hyperlinks: Why they happen and what do to about them!
January 17, 2023 13:00 - 36 minutes - 50.8 MBListen to Chad and and Dax talk about the accessibility problems that are created when typed hyperlinks span multiple lines. We give you the reasons why it happens and some workarounds to fixing it or planning for them. Make sure you listen until the end learn how to set alt-text using Adobe Bridge and our thoughts on captions and alt-text uses. You will learn when to use either. Are you using them correctly?
Accessibility Checkers: Are they enough?
January 10, 2023 16:09 - 46 minutes - 63.8 MBGuest David Herr, VP of Enterprise Solutions at Allyant joins us to talk about accessibility checkers and discuss the answer to"Are they enough?" Do you know what the standards are they are checking for? David talks about the difference between CommonLook Validator and CommonLook PDF and announces CommonLook Online. We take a moment to lament about fixing errors manually and with power tools. Make sure you stick around to hear the announcement of PAC for MAC! It is here (online)! We wrap up ...
Speeding up Accessibility for Adobe InDesign
October 18, 2022 08:33 - 37 minutes - 52 MBJoin Chad Chelius, ADS and Dax Castro, ADS for a special podcast featuring the benefits of using Axaio's MadeToTag plugin for Adobe InDesign. Do not forget to listen to the end for the special Adobe MAX giveaway! • Setting Row Headers in InDesign • Layout Tables? No problem • Fixing Complex Table • The 7 steps for accessibility using MadeToTag • Extended Style mapping • Easily edit alt-text in one place • New features releasing at Adobe MAX • Set the Initial View preset • The End ...
Exciting Alt-text Announcement for Adobe Bridge
October 12, 2022 08:04 - 40 minutes - 55.7 MBOur guest Caroline Desrosiers of Scribely joins us to talk about her role in the upcoming Adobe Bridge update for accessible meta data. She also discusses why alt-text can be so challenging and even reveals some of the questions her team uses to create meaningful descriptions.
When to edit the source or PDF document
September 27, 2022 12:54 - 34 minutes - 47.5 MBThe question of when to edit the source versus the PDF document almost seems obvious to answer. But our discussion might surprise you. We also talk about the Content Key for Alt-text in Adobe InDesign and why (for now) filling it out might just be time NOT well spent. Do not miss this episode if you are an InDesign user. We promise there are some great nuggets of wisdom in this show.