Intopia

Time for Trivia Tuesday!  In web accessibility guidelines, "Sensory Characteristics" refer to descriptions of components that rely on shape, colour, size, visual location, orientation or sound. Instructions provided for understanding and operating content should not rely solely on sensory characteristics. Poll: Which of the following instructions would fail WCAG criterion 1.3.3 - Sensory Characteristics? A) Click the green NEXT button at the bottom of the page  B) See comparison table below  C) Click the round button to the right  D) Select a plan link above Vote in the poll below or comment with your answer. We apologise for anyone who is seeing the poll close not long after it opens, we are aware of the issue and are working with LinkedIn to fix it. Please let us know if you are having this problem.

New blog on the Intopia website: Headings give a page its shape. When they're not constructed correctly, it affects the digital accessibility for screen reader users, people scanning with extensions, anyone asking AI for a summary. In this piece (originally published as part of HTMHell’s 2025 Advent Calendar) Steve Barnett walks through the three most common heading structure and semantic HTML mistakes he sees in his accessibility work, and how to put them right. It’s a practical read that sets out why and how to use headings to make things easier to understand for everyone. Read 'Giving pages a clear shape by using headings': https://lnkd.in/drZKATv5 Let us know what 'stood out' to you! #Accessibility #WebDevelopment #InclusiveDesign #A11y

In early February, 40 or so accessibility colleagues came together from five countries to celebrate Intopia’s 10th birthday. But we’ve been so busy making the world more accessible, that we haven’t had a chance to post the party photos!!! Well... Here they are. We got almost the entire team together for three nights in Melbourne. People flew in from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US and Asia - including several who’ve worked together for years and never actually met. The agenda was ridiculous in the best way: Radio controlled car racing with Blair Collins from Ultimate RC Hobby Shop. A drinks reception where we got to say thank to some of our favourite clients in person. A murder mystery morning in the Ghost of Alfred room at the Espy run by Uplift Events. Topped off by a beautiful team dinner (and a few essential speeches) at Cumulus Inc Atlas restaurant. And in between all of that fun? ...More fun! Board games, art and craft, a little quiet time, accessible bingo and lots of lovely catch-ups. We’re a remote team spread across 13 time zones and we love it. Our slack never sleeps. But every now and then, it’s great to be together in person Ten years. Five countries. One slightly geeky, very wonderful gang. Here’s to ten more! #Intopia10thBirthday #DigitalAccessibility Ash Ling Kirsty James Rusty Benson Russ Weakley Julie Grundy Jeff Smith Darren Chew Vanessa G. Dan Thomas Chris Pycroft Michelle M. Julia S. Leeanne Meldrum Sam Kanta, PhD Jacinta G. Tess Hutley Praneita Narayan Christopher P. Madhavi Herle May-Fei Lee Claire Webber Taiyo Totsuka Ani Chiang Breanna Wilson Peyton Menzies Steve Barnett Kim Collins Ayesha S. Bobby Ly Alex Stoiche Lauren Eisentrager Nathan Ortiz Peter Moricz Serene Mishteler Beau L.

Time for Trivia Tuesday!  Under WCAG 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast, custom visual indicators that communicate a component’s state, such as focus outlines, must have at least 3:1 contrast against the adjacent colours they touch. Most focus indicators appear around the outside edge of a control, so the outline needs to contrast with the background behind the component. Sometimes, though, a focus indicator is designed so that part of it appears inside the component and part appears outside. In these cases, the outline is touching two different surfaces: the component’s interior colour and the page/background. Poll: If a button’s focus indicator appears partly inside the component and partly outside it, which parts of the indicator must meet the 3:1 contrast requirement? A) Only the portion outside  B) Only the portion inside  C) Both portions  D) At least one portion (either) Vote in the poll below or comment with your answer.

“Accessible design is boring.” Ever heard that? We think it’s one of those opinions that says more about the person than the problem. In our latest blog, Intopia’s Bobby Ly makes a different case - that establishing accessible colour combinations upfront doesn’t limit creativity. It removes the frustration of discovering late that your palette doesn’t work for everyone. Brand guidelines already work this way. Nobody calls those ‘boring’. They call them ‘necessary’. Bobby’s piece is worth reading if you’re a designer, a design leader, or anyone who’s ever been told accessibility makes things ugly. Constraints don’t kill creativity. They just prevent the wrong kind of freedom. Here’s the full piece: https://lnkd.in/gvbJSxux #AccessibleDesign #ColourCombinations #ColourContrast

We spend all day every day helping organisations make their tech usable. Apparently that extends to our merch too! Thanks for the shout out Seth Kane

Time for Trivia Tuesday!  The Accessibility Roles and Responsibilities Mapping (ARRM) framework helps teams understand who is responsible for different aspects of accessibility across design, content, and development. It encourages shared ownership rather than placing all responsibility on one role. Poll: Which of the following is NOT primarily a front-end developer task in ARRM? A) Mark up form labels  B) Ensure keyboard access  C) Write image alt text  D) Manage focus order Vote in the poll below or comment with your answer.

For the fifth in our '10 years of Intopia' series, we're tackling one of the biggest barriers to getting started with accessibility: the terminology. So here's a quick guide to 10 words and phrases you'll hear a lot, explained in plain English. 1 - 'Assistive technology' is any tool that helps people with disabilities use digital products. Screen readers, switch devices, voice control, magnifiers. There's an entire ecosystem of tech that people rely on every day. 2 - 'WCAG' stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, but everyone just says 'WCAG'. It's the most popular international standard for digital accessibility. If someone mentions "double-A compliance", this is what they're talking about. 3 - 'Focus order' is the path the keyboard takes through a page. When you press tab, where does it go next? A logical focus order helps people navigate. A messy one sends them jumping all over the place. 4 - 'ARIA' helps fill the gaps when HTML can't fully describe what something is or does. It adds extra information for assistive technology. It’s really useful when you need it. 5 - A 'keyboard trap' is when you tab into something and can't tab out. It's exactly as frustrating as it sounds. If someone gets stuck in a modal or menu, they can't continue. Always provide a way out! 6 - A 'screen reader' is software that turns text, buttons and images into speech or braille. It's how many people who are blind or have low vision experience digital products. Good code makes it a good experience. 7 - 'Perceivable' means people can actually tell a piece of information is there. Can they see it, hear it or otherwise sense it? If not, it doesn't exist for them. 8 - 'Operable' means people can actually use something. Keyboard, mouse, voice, switch, whatever they use to interact. If someone can't operate it, it's not accessible. 9 - 'Understandable' means people can make sense of it. Is the language clear? Does the product behave predictably? If people are confused, something needs fixing. 10 - 'Robust' is about future-proofing your product. It works with assistive technology today, and it'll keep working as browsers, devices and tech evolve. The more you understand, the easier accessibility gets. We've got free courses at Intopia Learn to help you keep going: https://lnkd.in/gUks-iu3 And if you want to go deeper, our All Access Pass gives you every course for over two-thirds off: https://lnkd.in/gU52Gvnb #accessibility #a11y #digitalinclusion #intopia10

Our very own Sarah Pulis, Co-Founder and Accessibility Services Director at Intopia, will be speaking at ACS Victoria’s 'From Idea to Impact: Inclusive Technology in Practice' event in Melbourne on Tuesday 14 April. Sarah will talk about how to move from ideas about inclusion to real, practical outcomes. She’ll share how teams can design and build digital products that work better for more people, and how to avoid common accessibility barriers. This session is a great opportunity for anyone working in technology, design, or product to learn how to put inclusive design into practice. When: Tuesday 14 April 2026, 5:30–7:30pm Where: ACS VIC / The Hub, Melbourne Register: https://lnkd.in/gZnqFfDx

What's CSUN without a party? Intopia turned 10 this year, and we were never going to let the largest accessibility event in the world pass without marking the occasion. So we did what any self-respecting Australian accessibility consultancy would do at a conference in Anaheim: threw a drinks reception for about 35 of our closest industry friends and colleagues. We got to celebrate our special milestone with clients, colleagues and industry friends from the USA, Canada and farther afield - many of whom we've worked with for years, and count amongst our closest friends in the international accessibility world. There were birthday goodie bags! Squishy stress bunnies! Warm pretzels and popcorn! (And of course Tim Tams, because apparently we're contractually obligated.) Ten years ago, we were a small team with big ideas about how accessibility should be done. Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us. Here's to the next ten. #CSUN #INTOPIA10THBIRTHDAY #ACCESSIBILITY Stewart Hay Bobby Ly Christopher P. Dan Thomas May-Fei Lee Divya Nagaraja Nandita Gupta Deanna Ferrante, CPACC Alaina Beaver, PhD Michael Elgo Adrian Roselli Mary Roemmele Michael Blume Shawn Henry Andrew Kirkpatrick Joe Dolson Jennison Asuncion Brian Glidewell Brian McNeilly Ted Drake Ken Bigler Kate Sonka Carden Wyckoff, CPWA Kurt Iobst, CPACC Seth Kane Simon Varey, PhD Douglas Alan Schepers Mike Mello May-Fei Lee Lucy Greco Ryan McCleary Chris Gaulin