Web Design Update: January 13, 2026

[Laura Carlson]

+++ WEB DESIGN UPDATE.
- Volume 26, Issue 29, January 13, 2026.

An email newsletter to distribute news and information about web design and development.

++ISSUE 29 CONTENTS.

SECTION ONE: New references.
What's new at the Web Design Reference site?
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/
New links in these categories:

01: ACCESSIBILITY.
02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.
03: EVENTS.
04: HTML.
05: JAVASCRIPT.
06: MISCELLANEOUS.
07: TYPOGRAPHY.
08: USABILITY.

SECTION TWO:
09: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site?

[Contents ends.]


++ SECTION ONE: New references.

+01: ACCESSIBILITY.

Common Misconceptions About Testing Accessibility
By Ela Gorla.
"…In this post we tackle some of the most frequent misconceptions about accessibility testing…"
https://tetralogical.com/blog/2026/01/07/common-misconceptions-about-testing-accessibility/

User Impact of Inaccessible PowerPoints (Video)
By Pope Tech.
"Learn how PowerPoint accessibility issues like missing slide titles and incorrect reading order affect screen reader and keyboard users, with a VoiceOver demonstration on macOS."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7hitCKfDaI

User Impact of Inaccessible PDFs (Video)
By Pope Tech.
"This video shows how inaccessible PDFs create barriers for screen reader and keyboard-only users by comparing an untagged PDF with a properly structured, accessible PDF using VoiceOver on a Mac."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYhd3W8XPr0

Brief Note on Application Keyboard Shortcuts
By Adrian Roselli.
"…this post is to tell you not to stress about what keys a screen reader uses. This is because screen readers have pass-through commands, which tell the screen reader to ignore the next key or combo and pass it through to the application (whether an installed application or the web browser running your application)…"
https://adrianroselli.com/2026/01/brief-note-on-application-keyboard-shortcuts.html

Judging Severity in Accessibility Issues
By Joe Dolson.
"…Issues are important in different ways, and every issue needs an independent assessment. I think it's useful for people receiving my assessments to have an understanding of where a severity indicator comes from; but how they resolve those issues is often a more internal challenge, and not one that I can directly influence.…"
https://www.joedolson.com/2026/01/judging-severity-in-accessibility-issues/

How to Create Audio Description for YouTube Videos
By 3Play Media.
"…Once you have your audio description file, you can add it to your video using these steps…"
https://www.3playmedia.com/blog/how-to-add-audio-description-to-youtube-videos/

5 Accessibility Checks to Run on Every Component
By Hidde De Vries.
"…Components don't just improve your design and development workflows; they can actually have a massive impact on product accessibility. Let's examine five key aspects we can test and document during development…"
https://zeroheight.com/blog/5-accessibility-checks-to-run-on-every-component/

How I Evaluate an ACR (VPAT®)
By Adrian Roselli.
"ACRs are Accessibility Conformance Reports, which are the output of a VPAT, or Voluntary Product Accessibility Template maintained by ITIC, or the Information Technology Industry Council (which is why VPAT often has a ® symbol hanging off it). An organization may fill out the template to indicate how or if its offering conforms to WCAG, Section 508, EN 301 549, or all three…"
https://adrianroselli.com/2026/01/how-i-evaluate-an-acr-vpat.html

Designing Accessibility for Real Use, Not Dashboards
By Anna E. Cook.
"Accessibility isn't proven by a score, it's proven when people with disabilities can actually use the product…"
https://annaecook.com/writing/2026/1/5/designing-accessibility-for-real-use-not-dashboards

Fireside Chat with Adrian Roselli
By Steve Faulkner.
"…I don't give him much stick as we discuss a range of subjects such as AI, Conferences, WCAG, laws, the US and other stuff…"
https://html5accessibility.com/stuff/2026/01/08/adrian-roselli-fireside-chat-30-12-2025/

Able Player 4.8 - Release Candidate & Call for Translators
By Joe Dolson.
"I'm just getting the release candidate for Able Player 4.8 ready. This isn't as large a release as the last one, but it does include some pretty significant changes"
https://www.joedolson.com/2026/01/able-player-4-8-release-candidate-call-for-translators/

Who Wants To Be An Accessionaire? - WCAG Quiz Game
By Accessionaire.com
"Test your WCAG knowlege…"
https://www.accessionaire.com/

On Abbreviating Accessibility
By Ricky Onsman.
"…writing a11y is strategically lazy, convenient and efficient. The only reason any of this is an issue is because a11y happens to look like it can be pronounced. Just because it can, doesn't mean it should. For clarity and common sense, I recommend using a11y as a written abbreviation and saying it out loud as accessibility. But you do you. If you want to pronounce a11y as alley and it makes sense to whoever you're talking to, go right ahead…"
https://onsman.com/on-abbreviating-accessibility/

ADA Reform and the Path to a True Win-Win for Businesses and People With Disabilities
By Glenda Sims.
"…That balance starts by remembering a simple truth: access delayed is access denied. The real path forward is committing to accessibility and taking proactive responsibility to sustain it by design…"
https://www.deque.com/blog/ada-reform-and-the-path-to-a-true-win-win-for-businesses-and-people-with-disabilities/


+02: CASCADING STYLE SHEETS.

Strikes Accessibility Claims From CSS Carousel
By Adrian Roselli.
"This MDN article is making some unfounded claims about the baseline accessibility of CSS carousels, so this PR strikes them. I've left the other statements about what considerations and concerns are in place for accessibility…"
https://github.com/mdn/content/pull/42681


+03: EVENTS.

Shifting Left: How Teams Can Bake Accessibility Into Everyday Document Workflows
January 13, 2026.
Online
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/5317676926841/WN_-ME4xVXGSn6xNOmbRJgrBg#/registration

Building Better Documents - Usable to All
January 15, 2026.
Online
https://adasoutheast.org/events/building-better-documents-usable-to-all/

When Design Kills Usability - Meet the Custom Cursor (Funka Foundation)
January 15, 2026.
Online
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_omobHm39RWun17EJqMib7w#/registration

Designing Accessible PowerPoint Presentations
January 21, 2026.
Online
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/oZBE2qH9T-6HMRSICJs8AQ#/registration

Creating Accessible PDF Forms
January 22, 2026.
Online
https://knowbility.org/programs/be-a-digital-ally/january-2026

Digital Accessibility: Files, Slides, and Documents
January 29, 2026.
Online
https://umn.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Zuz6aWz9TXyrxwhxsg7yYA#/registration

Digital Accessibility Bootcamp
Application Deadline: January 30, 2026.
Bootcamp: June 1-August 28, 2026.
"AFB's Digital Accessibility Bootcamp is a 3-month summer experience offering computer science students the opportunity to learn how to design and build digital solutions that break down barriers, ensuring that everyone, regardless of ability, can fully engage with the digital landscape."
https://www.afb.org/internships/bootcamp


+04: HTML.

What is the Minimum Markup Needed to Create a Modal?
By Russ Weakley.
"Is it possible to build a modal dialog without any JavaScript at all?…"
https://www.maxdesign.com.au/articles/minimal-modal.html

When Download Links Aren't Links: A Critical Accessibility Failure in AI Tools Blind People Depend On
By Darrell Shandrow Hilliker.
"…The solution is simple: make sure every file intended for download is represented as a real hyperlink…"
https://blindaccessjournal.com/2025/12/when-download-links-arent-links-a-critical-accessibility-failure-in-ai-tools-blind-people-depend-on/


+05: JAVASCRIPT.

Date is out, Temporal is in
By Mat "Wilto" Marquis.
"Time makes fools of us all, and JavaScript is no slouch in that department either…"
https://piccalil.li/blog/date-is-out-and-temporal-is-in


+06: MISCELLANEOUS.

Information Is Still Free
By Jay Hoffmann.
"Blogging is so fundamentally native to the web that twenty years of commoditization has left it relatively untouched. We share information, freely…"
https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/information-is-still-free/


+07: TYPOGRAPHY.

Volvo Cars Introduce Typeface Designed With Safety in Mind
By Volvo.
"Volvo Cars introduces Volvo Centum, a custom typeface engineered for clarity and safety…"
https://www.volvocars.com/intl/news/articles/volvo-cars-introduce-typeface-designed-with-safety-in-mind/

+08: USABILITY.

How To Design for Overflow Menus (Video)
By Nielsen Norman Group.
"Ever tapped the three little dots and found… nothing useful inside? Overflow menus look simple, but when they're misused, they create confusion and slow people down. They're meant to store secondary actions related to a specific element, not to hide actions just because there's no space…"
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rzVu1bb-X3A

How Early Accessibility Solutions Evolved Into Core UX Design Principles
By Fable Tech.
"Human-centered design focuses on the needs of the people who will use your product. When following a human-centered design process, every prototype, feature, and flow loops back to an essential question: does this work for the person on the other side?…"
https://makeitfable.com/article/accessibility-is-the-origin-of-human-centered-design/

Humanizing AI Is a Trap
By Caleb Sponheim.
"LLMs humanize by design. Adding personality/emotion amplifies risk. Design real tools, not fake friends…"
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/humanizing-ai/

Don't Start with AI, Start with the Problem (Video)
By Caleb Sponheim.
"To build good products, start by identifying the problem, not the solution. Especially with AI, if you start with a technology, delivering real value to your users and customers will be difficult."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIqqLppXJPs

[Section one ends.]


++ SECTION TWO:

+09: What Can You Find at the Web Design Reference Site?

Accessibility Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/accessibility.html

Association Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/associations.html

Book Listings.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/books.html

Cascading Style Sheets Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/css.html

Color Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/color.html

Drupal Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/drupal.html

Evaluation & Testing Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/testing.html

Event Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/events.html

HTML Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/html.html

Information Architecture Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/architecture.html

JavaScript Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/javascript.html

Miscellaneous Web Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/misc.html

Navigation Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/navigation.html

PHP Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/php.html

Sites & Blogs Listing.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/sites.html

Standards, Guidelines & Pattern Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/standards.html

Tool Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/tools.html

Typography Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/type.html

Usability Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/usability.html

WebWaste & Sustainability Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/webwaste.html

XML Information.
https://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/xml.html

[Section two ends.]


++END NOTES.


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+ SIGN OFF.

Until next time,

Laura L. Carlson
Information Technology Systems and Services
University of Minnesota Duluth
Duluth, MN U.S.A. 55812-3009
mailto:lcar...@d.umn.edu


[Issue ends.]

Laura L. Carlson
Information Technology Systems and Services
University of Minnesota Duluth
Duluth, MN U.S.A. 55812-3009
http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/training/online/webdesign/

W3C Invited Expert
Accessibility Guidelines Working Group
https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/ag/participants

Pronouns: she/her/hers