Your Secret Accessibility Weapon, Healsi Pure Artesian Still Water

Your Secret Accessibility Weapon, Healsi Pure Artesian Still Water ![rw-book-cover](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9x2zYX23fhw/maxresdefault.jpg) 🔗 **Source:** [Your Secret Accessibility Weapon, Healsi Pure Artesian Still Water](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x2zYX23fhw) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: #accessibility #wordpress #content-management #legal-compliance > author: Equalized Digital > source: Accessibility Craft Podcast > reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x2zYX23fhw > date created: 2024-12-19 14:30 > > # 🏷️ Title: Your Secret Accessibility Weapon, Healsi Pure Artesian Still Water >  ## 🧰 Action Inbox - [H1] Implement user role restrictions for content creators — prevent accessibility issues from admin access #wordpress - [H2] Install audit history tracking for accessibility compliance — documentation protects against lawsuits #legal-compliance - [H3] Evaluate content creator permissions — remove unnecessary admin privileges #content-management ## 🧭 Table of Contents - [[#📝 Summary]] - [[#📖 Main Content]] - [[#🗒️ Notes]] - [[#📚 References]] - [[#🗣️ Paraphrase]] - [[#📰 Newsletter]] - [[#✅ Action Items]] - [[#🧪 Hypotheses]] - [[#📊 Methodology]] - [[#❓ Questions]] - [[#🔮 Future Research]] - [[#💡 Implications]] - [[#🧠 Learning Styles Assessment]] - [[#📊 Accessibility Assessment]] - [[#🌍 DEIB Assessment]] - [[#✅ Logical Validity]] - [[#🛡️ DARVO Analysis]] - [[#🎯 Conclusion]] ### 🔗 References - [Accessibility Craft Podcast](https://accessibilitycraft.com) - [Equalized Digital Accessibility Checker](https://equalizedigital.com/accessibility-checker) ## 📝 Summary - Episode 160 of Accessibility Craft discusses protecting websites from accessibility issues introduced by content creators - California's proposed legislation would make web developers and "resource providers" liable for accessibility violations - A New York federal court dismissed an accessibility lawsuit when defendants proved they took commercially reasonable steps to remediate issues - User role restrictions, training, and documentation tracking are key strategies for preventing content-related accessibility problems - The hosts review Healsi pure artesian still water from Portugal as their craft beverage ## 📖 Main Content This episode explores how content creators can inadvertently introduce accessibility issues to websites and strategies for prevention. The discussion covers recent legal developments including California's expanded liability bill targeting "resource providers" - anyone who constructs, licenses, distributes or maintains websites for compensation. This broad definition could include theme/plugin developers, content creators, and hosting companies. The hosts emphasize that 44% of organizations lack basic accessibility knowledge, with 67% of issues originating in the design phase. Training and proper user permissions are crucial, as many websites have excessive administrator accounts when most users only need editor or author privileges. ## 🗒️ Notes #### ⏱️ [00:00](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw?t=0) — [H1] Craft beverage introduction: Healsi water - Key idea: Portuguese artesian water with silica and pH7 balance - Evidence: "$2 per bottle for fancy water with crystalline bottle design" #### ⏱️ [05:23](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw?t=323) — [H2] New York lawsuit dismissed for accessibility remediation efforts - Key idea: Courts will dismiss cases when defendants prove commercially reasonable accessibility steps - Evidence: "Defendant submitted evidence of continuous accessibility work since 2023" #### ⏱️ [08:45](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw?t=525) — [H1] California's expanded liability bill for "resource providers" - Key idea: New legislation targets anyone who maintains websites for compensation - Evidence: "Includes content creators, plugin developers, and potentially hosting companies" #### ⏱️ [12:30](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw?t=750) — [H2] Content creators as top source of accessibility issues - Key idea: People entering content often lack accessibility knowledge - Evidence: "44% of organizations said teams lack basic accessibility knowledge" #### ⏱️ [18:15](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw?t=1095) — [H1] User permissions and role restrictions - Key idea: Most content creators shouldn't have administrator access - Evidence: "Websites with 15+ administrator accounts when only 2-3 needed" #### ⏱️ [22:40](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw?t=1360) — [H2] Training importance for accessibility outcomes - Key idea: Organizations with effective training are 2.5x more likely to be proactive - Evidence: "67% of accessibility issues originate in design stage before content entry" #### ⏱️ [28:10](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw?t=1690) — [H3] WordPress user role breakdown - Key idea: WordPress has specific roles with different capabilities beyond just admin - Evidence: "Editor can edit all posts, Author only their own, Contributor can't publish" #### ⏱️ [32:20](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw?t=1940) — [H2] AI and future collaboration challenges - Key idea: WordPress 7.0 real-time collaboration will include AI agents - Evidence: "Need to think about permissions for AI agents working alongside humans" #### ⏱️ [35:45](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw?t=2145) — [H1] Documentation and audit trails for legal protection - Key idea: Tracking accessibility improvements over time provides legal protection - Evidence: "Audit history add-on tracks daily accessibility snapshots" #### ⏱️ [39:30](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw?t=2370) — [H3] Granular permission controls needed - Key idea: Default WordPress roles may be too broad for specific organizational needs - Evidence: "PR person needs to edit press releases but not pages" #### ⏱️ [42:15](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw?t=2535) — [H2] Color picker restrictions for brand compliance - Key idea: Technical controls can prevent accessibility and branding issues - Evidence: "Hide color picker, provide brand palette to ensure contrast" #### ⏱️ [45:20](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw?t=2720) — [H1] Blame tracking and accountability systems - Key idea: Need to track who made which edits for legal and training purposes - Evidence: "NASA requested accessibility reports showing who caused problems" ## 📚 References - [SafeArt Law Firm Accessibility Updates](https://www.saferart.com) - [Accessibility Checker Plugin](https://equalizedigital.com/accessibility-checker) - [User Role Editor Plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/user-role-editor/) - [Stream Activity Log Plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/stream/) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase - Content creators without accessibility training frequently introduce compliance issues through improper use of colors, headings, images, and media uploads - Legal protection requires documenting ongoing accessibility improvement efforts rather than achieving perfect compliance from day one - WordPress user permissions should follow principle of least privilege, with most content creators needing editor or author roles rather than administrator access ## 📰 Newsletter **Protecting Your WordPress Site from Content Creator Accessibility Issues** Recent legal developments highlight the importance of managing who can do what on your WordPress website. A New York court recently dismissed an accessibility lawsuit because the defendant could prove they'd been actively working on improvements - showing documentation matters! Meanwhile, California's proposed legislation would make anyone who maintains websites liable for accessibility issues, including content creators and developers. This makes proper user roles and training more critical than ever. **Key Actions:** - Audit your WordPress users - do they all really need administrator access? - Install accessibility tracking to document your improvement efforts - Train content creators on basic accessibility practices The WordPress community continues building better tools for accessibility management, but the foundation starts with proper permissions and ongoing education. Resources: [Learn WordPress](https://learn.wordpress.org/), [Developer Docs](https://developer.wordpress.org/), [WP-CLI](https://wp-cli.org/) ## ✅ Action Items #### WordPress - Core: Review user capability system for more granular content permissions - Community: Develop accessibility training materials for content creators - Documentation: Create user role best practices guide for accessibility compliance - Plugins: Enhance user role editor plugins with accessibility-focused templates #### OSPO - Policy & Governance: Establish content creator access policies and training requirements - License Compliance: Review liability implications of California's "resource provider" legislation - Developer Support: Provide guidance on implementing proper user role restrictions #### Community - Maintainers: Create accessibility governance templates for content management - Contributors: Develop user permission audit checklists and implementation guides ## 🧪 Hypotheses - Organizations with more restrictive user permissions have fewer accessibility violations in content - Websites with audit history tracking are more likely to successfully defend against accessibility lawsuits - Training content creators reduces accessibility issues more than technical restrictions alone - AI collaboration tools will require new permission models beyond traditional user roles ### 📊 Methodology - Survey WordPress sites comparing user role distribution with accessibility scores - Analyze legal case outcomes based on documentation quality and improvement tracking - A/B test training vs technical controls for accessibility outcomes ### ❓ Questions - How can WordPress better support granular permissions for specific organizational needs? - What liability protections exist for agencies that hand off websites to clients with admin access? - How should user permissions evolve for AI-assisted content creation? ### 🔮 Future Research - Impact of California's "resource provider" legislation on WordPress ecosystem - Effectiveness of different user role configurations for accessibility outcomes - Integration patterns for AI agents in WordPress permission systems ### 💡 Implications - Practice: Website maintainers need immediate user role audits and restrictions - Policy: New legislation may require contractual protections for developers and agencies - Security: Over-privileged users create both accessibility and security vulnerabilities - Education: Content creator training becomes legally necessary, not just best practice ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment Reading level estimate: 12th grade (technical podcast transcript) #### 👀 Visual learners - Present: Bottle design discussion, website interface descriptions - Improve: User role permission diagrams, accessibility workflow charts #### 🔊 Aural learners - Present: Full podcast audio available with clear speaker identification - Improve: Timestamped audio clips for key concepts #### 🗣️ Verbal learners - Present: Clear definitions of WordPress user roles and capabilities - Improve: Analogies for permission concepts (restaurant roles, construction safety) #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners - Present: Step-by-step plugin installation and configuration guidance - Improve: Interactive user role audit checklist, hands-on permission exercises #### 🧠 Logical learners - Present: Legal case analysis, statistical data on accessibility issues - Improve: Decision trees for user role assignment, cost-benefit analysis #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners - Present: Multi-host discussion format, community perspectives - Improve: Peer review templates for user permission audits #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners - Present: Individual reflection prompts about current practices - Improve: Self-assessment worksheets for permission audits #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners - Present: Ecosystem thinking about WordPress community impacts - Improve: Lifecycle analysis of accessibility issues from creation to resolution ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment #### Screen reader semantics - Present: Clear heading structure, speaker identification - Improve: ARIA labels for timestamp links, table summaries for user roles #### Keyboard navigation - Present: Standard podcast player controls - Improve: Skip links to major topics, keyboard shortcuts for timestamps #### Contrast and readability - Present: Standard text meets contrast requirements - Improve: High contrast mode support, larger text options #### Media and captions - Present: Full transcript provided with speaker identification - Improve: Interactive transcript with highlight sync to audio ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment #### Cultural breadth - Present: US-focused legal discussion with international water product - Improve: Global accessibility law comparisons, international compliance examples #### Inclusive language - Present: Clear technical explanations, defined jargon - Improve: Plain language summaries, accessibility terminology glossary #### Representation - Present: Mixed gender hosting team, varied professional perspectives - Improve: Diverse case studies, multiple organizational contexts ### ✅ Logical Validity #### Strong reasoning - Deductive strength: Clear connection between user permissions and accessibility outcomes - Inductive strength: Legal precedents supporting documentation value - Causal reasoning: Training and technical controls reduce accessibility violations #### Fallacies - Appeal to authority: Some reliance on statistics without methodology details - False dilemma: Presenting admin vs restricted access as binary choice ### 🛡️ DARVO Analysis - No DARVO patterns detected - discussion maintains focus on proactive solutions - Tone emphasizes shared responsibility and improvement rather than blame - Legal discussion presented factually without minimizing legitimate accessibility needs ## 🎯 Conclusion Content creators are a significant source of accessibility issues on WordPress websites, but this can be managed through proper user role restrictions, comprehensive training, and documentation tracking. Recent legal developments emphasize the importance of demonstrating ongoing accessibility improvement efforts rather than achieving perfect compliance. Organizations should immediately audit their WordPress user permissions, implement tracking systems, and establish training programs for content creators to protect against both accessibility violations and legal liability. ## 🧱 Refactor Appendix ### 📚 Literature Split Pad ### [H1] Documentation protects against accessibility lawsuits > [!quote] [Accessibility Craft Episode 160](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw) by Equalized Digital via YouTube. Published 2024. Accessed 2024-12-19. > "New York federal court dismissed lawsuit when defendants proved commercially reasonable accessibility steps." Legal precedent shows proactive accessibility work with documentation provides strong defense. [view highlight](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw?t=323#H1) #xref #articleseed ID:rw_001 ### [H2] California legislation expands accessibility liability > [!quote] [Accessibility Craft Episode 160](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw) > "Resource providers defined as anyone who maintains websites for compensation including content creators." Broad liability definition affects entire WordPress ecosystem beyond developers. [view highlight](https://youtu.be/9x2zYX23fhw?t=525#H2) #xref ID:rw_002 --- ### 🔖 Atomic Split Pad (Zettel Candidates) #### [Z1] Content creators cause majority accessibility violations - Applies to organizations with multiple website contributors - Referenced at timestamp 12:30 and throughout episode - Links: [[WordPress-User-Roles]] [[Accessibility-Training]] #### [Z2] User permissions prevent accessibility issues - Most effective when combined with training and technical controls - Referenced at timestamp 18:15 and examples throughout - Links: [[WordPress-Security]] [[Content-Management]] --- ### ✏️ Fleeting Queue - [F1] Research California "resource provider" bill status — monitor for WordPress impact #fleeting #inbox - [F2] Audit current client websites for excessive admin accounts — implement role restrictions #fleeting #inbox - [F3] Develop content creator accessibility training checklist — prevent common violations #fleeting #inbox --- ## Full Transcript [00:08] Welcome to Accessibility Craft, where we [00:10] explore the complex challenges and [00:12] emerging trends that are shaping digital [00:14] accessibility while sipping on unique [00:15] craft beverages. This show is proudly [00:18] produced by Equalized Digital, the most [00:20] trusted name in WordPress accessibility. [00:23] Join us every week as we break down [00:25] accessibility news and share the expert [00:27] strategies we've used to help make [00:28] millions of websites more accessible. [00:31] Grab a drink. The show starts now. [00:35] >> Hey everybody, it's Amber and I am here [00:37] today with Chris. [00:39] >> Hey everybody [00:40] >> and Steve. [00:42] >> Hello everyone. [00:44] >> And this is episode number 160 of the [00:48] Accessibility Craft podcast. If you want [00:51] to find show notes and a full [00:53] transcript, you can find those if you go [00:54] to accessibilitycraft.com16. [01:00] Now, we start every episode off with a [01:02] beverage. What is our craft beverage of [01:05] the day, Chris? [01:08] >> Water. The craft beverage of the day is [01:11] water. [01:13] >> He told me that he was ordering water [01:15] and I was like, what? Like sparkling or [01:18] flavored? That's what Paula said to me, [01:20] too. I was talking to her about how [01:21] she's going to edit this. She's like, [01:22] "Is it flavored?" I was like, "No, I [01:23] think it's just water." [01:25] >> Oh, this No, no, no. It's not just [01:27] water. Not if you read the website of [01:29] HeelC pure artisian still water. It [01:33] >> from Portugal. [01:34] >> Yeah, from Portugal. It is rich in [01:37] silica, whatever that means. It's pH7 [01:40] balanced and they seem to be positioning [01:44] it as a very as a very fancy water as is [01:47] evidenced by the crystalline structure [01:50] like it was carved from a glacier or [01:52] something or cut like a diamond. But uh [01:55] >> the bottle [01:57] >> it is a really cool bottle design. [01:58] That's kind of what grabbed my attention [02:00] and I was just like, you know, [02:01] restaurants now with like water somier [02:04] and water menus, but I I've always been [02:08] curious to try a really fancy water. And [02:11] so I bought the really fancy water that [02:14] looked legitimately really fancy that's [02:16] available on Amazon and had it shipped. [02:19] >> How much did a case or how many did we [02:22] get? 12. [02:24] >> Yeah, I was actually surprised by this. [02:25] So, we sent Yeah, it's like a case of 12 [02:27] and the 12-pack was like around 30 [02:30] bucks. So, it's $2 a bottle for a 16 [02:34] bottle. Um, [02:35] >> it's like airport pricing for your [02:38] water. And you could have that same [02:40] pricing at home. [02:42] >> Oh, no. I think you probably would be [02:44] paying like two to 3x that for this in [02:46] an airport. [02:47] >> What were you pointing out there, Steve, [02:49] when you showed the bottle? [02:50] >> The bottom's The bottom's all crystally [02:53] looking, too. Like the [02:54] >> Yeah. Yeah. It's like a kaleidoscope. [02:56] For the listening audience, Steve's got [02:58] his the base of his bottle up to the [03:00] camera and he's like rotating it. That [03:02] is It's kind of trippy with the with the [03:04] light patterning inside the the bottle [03:07] itself. But I'm going to crack mine open [03:08] and I'm going to see if I can taste [03:10] silica. Uh [03:12] >> okay. So, while you do that, I Googled [03:14] this cuz I was like, is silica like [03:17] plast? [03:18] Silica is a naturally occurring chemical [03:21] compound made of silicon and oxygen [03:24] abundant in sand, rocks, and clay. It is [03:27] used in industry to manufacture glass, [03:30] ceramics, and electronic components, and [03:33] in consumer products such as cosmetics, [03:36] food, and to improve tire durability. [03:40] >> Yeah. [03:41] >> Do you want to drink your fancy water? [03:44] Well, that's after processing. But yeah, [03:46] silica comes from sand and it's used in [03:48] all sorts of things. [03:49] >> I don't know. [03:49] >> Are we doing like our normal [03:53] >> How does it [03:54] >> It smells like nothing. [03:56] >> Mine didn't make any sense. [03:57] >> It didn't fit. [03:58] >> It's not still water. This might be our [04:01] most boring. [04:02] >> I do think everyone has to go to heels.u [04:08] hsi.eu [04:11] EU and check out their website, which I [04:14] think is the most BSfilled website I [04:18] have ever seen. I still haven't tasted [04:22] this water yet because I want to build [04:24] up to this a little bit more. It's got a [04:27] whole list of chemical compositions. And [04:30] here's what it said. I mean, this [04:32] incredible image of this super buff dude [04:35] with leggings and no shirt standing [04:38] upside down on his hands on some sort of [04:41] like barbell thing straight. I mean, [04:44] he's very Yeah, apparently this will [04:46] help you get so ripped like that dude. [04:49] And it says it helps with your bone [04:51] health, detoxification, [04:55] nails, hair, and skin, heart health. [05:00] This water is going to save your life. [05:03] >> You mean literally like water? [05:06] >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like does the [05:09] >> All water does like the net special [05:12] water [05:13] >> from Portugal. [05:14] >> Yep. This is special water. That's [05:16] pseudocience at its finest right there. [05:18] Oh my goodness. [05:20] >> I'm not getting much on the nose. Wait. [05:22] >> Yeah. Yeah. I know. [05:24] >> Smell water. [05:24] >> I mean, it does taste tastes like water [05:26] though. [05:27] >> Does it taste different to you? [05:29] Okay, so I have water from [05:33] north of Austin, Texas, and it's been [05:35] filtered through our refrigerator. [05:38] Also, our water here is really hard, so [05:40] we also have a water softener. [05:42] >> Mhm. [05:43] >> And that water compared to this water. [05:49] >> Our water is probably going to taste a [05:51] little salty or something. [05:53] >> Not salty, but it's softer. [05:57] Yeah, [05:58] >> this fancy water there is a distinct [06:00] flavor difference. [06:02] >> Yeah. So like there's a difference [06:04] between like purified water and natural [06:07] water like spring natural spring water. [06:09] >> So a lot of times natural spring water [06:12] has a little bit more of a a taste to it [06:14] than purified water [06:16] >> because it has more minerals. [06:18] >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. [06:19] >> That haven't been filtered out. [06:21] >> Right. [06:22] Now I did the same thing. Amber, this is [06:24] water from the Great Miami buried valley [06:27] aquifer. It is a massive productive [06:30] underground water source serving as the [06:33] sole source of drinking water for over [06:35] 400,000 people in the Dayton region. So, [06:38] we we have this like natural aquafer and [06:41] you get this just beautifully like [06:44] filtered pure water. Like I've lived in [06:47] areas, you know, around here like where [06:50] you get it from the water tower and it's [06:52] like real hard has the stuff in it. You [06:53] have to have a softener. [06:55] >> So I'll compare the two. Let's see. [06:59] >> Yeah. While Steve tastes that, I [07:00] remember being in places or going to [07:02] places where it's like the the water [07:03] tastes like chemicals or lawn clippings [07:05] out of the tap. It's gross. [07:08] >> Texas area, the lakes that they get [07:10] their water out of, I always think it [07:12] tastes like grass or something weird [07:14] like dirt. [07:16] What? [07:16] >> So, there's definitely a difference of [07:18] taste. Like the Dayton water tastes like [07:20] tap water. Like it has like a I don't [07:23] know if it's because it's got, you know, [07:24] they put fluoride in it or whatever, [07:26] right? Like I don't have reverse [07:28] osmosives. [07:29] >> Anything beyond what the refrigerator [07:30] does, but this tastes like natural [07:33] spring water to me. Like if I was to go [07:34] to the store and buy natural spring [07:36] water in a bottle, that's what this [07:37] tastes like. Do you like the flavor of [07:40] the like this water, the bottled water [07:45] better than your tap water, Steve? [07:49] >> Yes. [07:53] >> I have no basis comparison, but I I like [07:55] the water. I feel like as as far as [07:57] bottled waters go, it's a little bit [07:58] above average for what I would typically [08:02] get. And I give them like an 11 out of [08:05] 10 for their bottled design. Like I love [08:08] the bottle. It's really cool. [08:11] >> Yeah. [08:11] >> Yeah. I like the bottle. I find their [08:15] website hilarious because I always think [08:18] it's a little bit ridiculous when food [08:20] and beverage companies make these like [08:23] over-the-top health claims. [08:26] >> I think as far as water goes, it's [08:28] water, but it's pleasant to drink. Now, [08:32] my suggestion would be to add a little [08:34] bit of carbonation and cola flavoring [08:36] and sweetener, and you end up somewhere [08:39] around here, like around the Coke [08:43] category. [08:45] That would really take it apart for me. [08:47] >> Yeah. [08:49] >> But overall, it's pleasant to drink. [08:51] >> I'm not sure that if it had the [08:54] additions that Coke has, if they could [08:56] have the ripped dude on their website [08:58] anymore. Diet Coke's mostly water. So, [09:01] you still get the water benefits. [09:02] >> All right. [09:03] >> I'm one thumbs up on water. I don't know [09:05] about anybody else, but [09:07] >> I mean, I'm always two thumbs up on [09:09] water. I drink a lot of water all day [09:12] long. [09:13] I'm just in the middle about like, would [09:15] I actually buy this again? Probably not. [09:19] I don't know. Maybe that's actually one [09:20] thumb down. It's bad, but it's also [09:23] like, would I go out of my way to get [09:25] this water? No. Yeah, I definitely [09:27] prefer my water soaked in like some tea [09:30] leaves or some some ground up roasted [09:32] beans for sure. That's my preferred [09:35] water delivery system. [09:38] >> Fermented in a barrel over many years. [09:41] >> Yeah, there you go. [09:42] >> Well, should we talk some current [09:43] events? [09:45] >> Let's do it. [09:46] I saw, we'll put a link to this as [09:48] always in the show notes that Safearth, [09:52] which is a law firm that writes a lot [09:53] about accessibility laws, had written an [09:56] update about a lawsuit that got [09:59] dismissed in New York federal courts. [10:02] And it was dismissed [10:05] as moot based on the defendant submitted [10:08] evidence that it had taken what is [10:10] considered commercially reasonable steps [10:12] to make its website accessible. and the [10:15] plaintiff had not proven otherwise, [10:19] which I thought was really interesting [10:20] because we talk a lot about these, oh, [10:22] you always have to settle and that sort [10:24] of thing. And then here's an example of [10:26] a case where they had a whole history of [10:31] we've been working on this since 2023. [10:34] Here's what we've been doing. When they [10:35] reported problems, we went and fixed [10:37] them. And so the judge just said, "Yeah, [10:40] this lawsuit can't move forward." which [10:43] I thought was kind of a nice positive [10:46] example. [10:47] >> Yeah. I mean, if you've done the work [10:49] and you can prove you've done the work, [10:51] you shouldn't have to pay settlements [10:54] just for the sake of, you know, I think [10:57] we've covered this in prior episodes, [10:59] right? It's like, is there a real [11:00] barrier or is it just like a a slight [11:03] quirk or a mild inconvenience? Do you [11:06] actually have standing or are you just [11:08] there with your hand out asking for a [11:10] few thousand dollars? [11:12] Yeah, it's when you ignore the problem [11:14] is when you can really get in trouble. [11:16] It's where you acknowledge the problem. [11:18] Even if you acknowledge accessibility [11:20] issues with your website in an [11:21] accessibility statement, that still [11:23] shows that you're acknowledging it and [11:25] that you're giving some timeline or some [11:29] description on what you're planning to [11:31] do and when you're planning to do to [11:33] remediate it. And you know, this [11:35] underscores too like the accessibility [11:37] checker has an add-on called audit [11:39] history that allows you to track the [11:41] accessibility of your website over time. [11:43] So every day it'll kind of take a [11:45] snapshot of your accessibility stats to [11:48] see if have actually been working [11:50] towards making your website more [11:53] accessible. So I just think it [11:55] underscores the fact that this isn't an [11:57] all or nothing thing. It just means that [11:59] you need to be working in that direction [12:02] and it really could save you when a [12:04] claim comes up whether it's a valid [12:06] claim or it's you know one of these kind [12:08] of as they described a copy and paste [12:11] accessibility lawsuit. [12:14] >> Yeah. I mean I think for me the biggest [12:15] takeaway that I had on this is that [12:17] documentation is really important. I [12:20] mean any website that we're doing [12:22] remediation on for our clients we always [12:24] have the audit history add-on installed. [12:27] we're tracking and that gives you that [12:29] peace of mind and the ability to see [12:31] changes over time and compare versus [12:35] just the here's what it is right now. [12:38] And I think that's really what saved [12:41] this company is because they were able [12:43] to produce records that show what [12:45] they've been doing. So whether you're [12:47] using our plugin or you're just taking [12:51] your own notes and screenshots over time [12:53] or whatever, I think recordkeeping is [12:55] probably really important. [12:58] Got to be able to tell a story with [13:01] evidence and examples and and data [13:03] that's compelling. [13:06] >> Yeah. So, speaking of accessibility [13:10] lawsuits, [13:12] California, everyone's so excited about [13:14] this, I'm sure, has an updated version [13:16] of its previously proposed bill that [13:19] would make web developers responsible [13:21] for accessibility violations back in [13:25] committee this year. So, who knows [13:26] what'll happen, if it'll die in [13:28] committee or if it will move forward. [13:31] This version actually goes beyond [13:33] literal developers. [13:36] It uses new language where it [13:38] specifically references quote resource [13:41] providers which they define as an entity [13:46] that in exchange for money or any other [13:48] form of renumeration [13:51] constructs, licenses, distributes or [13:54] maintains for online use an internet [13:57] website or resource to be used within or [14:00] in conjunction with an internet website. [14:03] So, this would apply to the third-party [14:07] theme and plug-in developers that we've [14:09] talked about, but more interestingly, I [14:12] think it also applies to content [14:14] creators or people who enter content on [14:19] a website if they are paid to do so. And [14:21] it doesn't exclude individuals if you [14:23] read the language. I mean, this also [14:25] seems like, sorry to interrupt, I was [14:27] just going to say it also seems like [14:28] it's really taking a square aim at like [14:32] subdomainbased or embeddible SAS [14:35] services like the career platforms and [14:39] HR platforms and other systems like that [14:43] too. [14:44] >> It also sounds like it might open the [14:46] door for hosting companies. [14:48] >> Well, yeah, that's what I thought was [14:50] interesting because it says or [14:52] maintained. [14:53] Mhm. [14:55] >> Oh, [14:56] >> maintaining a website is a really like [14:58] you maybe you didn't build it, but a [15:00] client came to you and is like, "Hey, [15:02] can you run my plug-in updates and [15:04] manage my site for me on an ongoing [15:06] basis?" That's maintaining a website, [15:08] right? [15:09] >> Yeah. [15:09] >> So, very interesting. I know, of course, [15:11] we've talked a lot about the need to [15:13] choose themes and plugins and third [15:15] party embeds carefully, but I'm thinking [15:19] that with so many different [15:20] accessibility problems that are coming [15:23] from content, I think maybe we should [15:25] today have a conversation about how to [15:28] protect your website from your content [15:31] creators. But first, let's take a quick [15:34] commercial break. [15:36] This episode of Accessibility Craft is [15:38] sponsored by Equalized Digital [15:40] Accessibility Checker, the WordPress [15:42] plug-in that helps you find [15:44] accessibility problems before you hit [15:46] publish. Thousands of businesses, [15:47] nonprofits, universities, and government [15:50] agencies around the world trust [15:51] Accessibility Checker to help their [15:53] teams find, fix, and prevent [15:56] accessibility problems on an ongoing [15:58] basis. New to accessibility? Equalized [16:01] Digital Accessibility Checker is here to [16:03] teach you every step of the way. Whether [16:05] you're a content creator or a developer, [16:07] our detailed documentation guides you [16:09] through fixing accessibility issues. [16:11] Never lose track of accessibility again [16:14] with realtime scans each time you save. [16:16] Powerful reports inside the WordPress [16:18] dashboard and a front-end view to help [16:21] you track down hard to find issues. Scan [16:23] unlimited post and pages with [16:25] Accessibility Checker free. Upgrade to [16:27] Accessibility Checker Pro to scan your [16:29] website in bulk, whether it has 10 pages [16:32] or 10,000. [16:33] Download Accessibility Checker today at [16:36] equalizedigital.com/acessibility-checker. [16:41] Use coupon code accessibility craft to [16:43] save 10% on any plan. [16:49] All right, we are back. So, on my note [16:53] of protecting your website from your [16:55] content creators, which sounds weird [16:56] because it's almost like they're who I [16:59] want to edit my website. Why am I [17:00] protecting it from them? But [17:02] unfortunately, I think we figured out [17:03] that people who enter content on [17:06] websites are not always the most [17:07] knowledgeable people. Sometimes, but [17:09] sometimes they're not. And if we're [17:11] going on this idea that content creators [17:14] are a top source of accessibility issues [17:17] on your website, [17:19] what would you guys say is the best way [17:22] to protect your website from them? [17:25] >> I mean, that's a really big question. [17:27] big organizations, universities and [17:29] stuff sometimes will have some bit of [17:32] governance guidelines around how they [17:34] handle content, but you know, most most [17:37] people don't and most people don't have [17:39] the time or the resources to really [17:41] think about it all that much. I I look [17:43] at things from a technical standpoint a [17:45] lot of times and there's things that you [17:47] can do to try to build some kind of [17:50] gating inside of your WordPress admin to [17:53] try to control what editors, content [17:57] creators have access to and what they [17:58] don't have access to. User permissions [18:01] and user capabilities inside of [18:03] WordPress can be modified to take [18:05] certain capabilities away from certain [18:08] roles. You know, editors come with a [18:11] certain set of capabilities out of the [18:14] box, but you can actually modify that as [18:16] well to kind of try to keep them where [18:18] you want to keep them. In accessibility [18:20] checker, we do a little bit in regards [18:23] to this and we've had a lot of [18:25] conversation about doing a lot more [18:27] around governance and you can you can [18:30] block uploading PDF files so that you [18:33] know it if you've listened to any of our [18:35] previous episodes uh we talk a lot about [18:37] PDFs and how accessible PDFs can be. So [18:42] if you just cut that off at its source [18:43] where nobody can even upload a PDF then [18:45] you've you've solved kind of the problem [18:47] there. Now you may be creating another [18:50] problem outside of the website. How do [18:53] you get that information from this PDF [18:56] to the website? But that's a whole [18:57] another thing. So we allow you to [19:00] utilize that to kind of block uploading [19:02] PDFs in a way to kind of create a little [19:04] bit of governance. Like you can't do [19:06] that because it may be inaccessible. You [19:08] need to go take that PDF, upload it [19:11] through our service that checks it for [19:13] accessibility before it gets uploaded to [19:15] the website. [19:18] Yeah, the other big one is training and [19:23] because you know we're talking about [19:26] protecting [19:27] uh accessibility outcomes or hedging [19:30] against what people might do sometimes [19:33] but training can help hedge against a [19:36] lot of this in a much bigger way. So [19:38] teaching best practices around proper [19:40] content entry or the common pitfalls or [19:43] accessibility mistakes that people can [19:45] make. Teaching the importance of [19:47] accessibility to everyday people, why it [19:50] matters. Kind of giving people that more [19:52] foundational insight because for some [19:54] people it's like when it's brought up [19:56] just in professional conversations, it [19:58] may have been the second or third time [19:59] they've ever heard the word at least, [20:01] you know, in a digital reference. I [20:03] still hear what does that really mean? [20:06] questions all the time in conversations. [20:09] Um, a lot of people just need knowledge. [20:11] And I I did look up a couple of [20:13] interesting stats that I thought were [20:16] particularly revealing here. So, the [20:18] first one came from an organization [20:21] called Fable that does a lot of [20:23] accessibility training and team [20:25] upskilling services. But they did some [20:27] studies and in their study 44% of [20:31] organizations said that their teams lack [20:34] accessibility knowledge like basic [20:36] accessibility knowledge and 67% [20:38] originate in the design stage. So before [20:42] before things are even you know making [20:44] it to the the end of the production life [20:46] cycle. And if you think about, you know, [20:48] even if it's like someone just adding [20:50] pages or modifying content on your [20:52] website, there was probably a plan that [20:54] was being formulated around that content [20:56] before it even got entered. And so if [20:59] you can train people, they can even [21:01] catch things before they even start [21:03] typing their first character into the [21:05] website editor. Uh, and then the other [21:07] one that I thought was particularly [21:09] interesting came from Level Access, but [21:11] they said that organizations that had [21:14] quote highly effective accessibility [21:16] training programs were two and a half [21:19] times more likely to approach [21:21] accessibility proactively rather than [21:23] reactively, which we've established at [21:25] Nauseium on this podcast. Saves a ton of [21:28] time and resources in generating [21:30] accessible outcomes. So, training is [21:32] essential. [21:34] >> Yeah. And I mean, I do think that's a [21:36] big reason why we have accessibility [21:38] checker to try and provide that hands-on [21:42] training at the moment of content [21:43] injury, but for sure having any of that [21:45] beforehand. I'd like to circle back to [21:49] what Steve talked about about like roles [21:51] and permissions and what you give access [21:54] to because I actually think permissions [21:57] is I don't know maybe like the secret [22:00] weapon or a really big thing that you [22:03] need to consider. Back when we used to [22:06] build websites like I was talking about [22:08] earlier in our marketing agency day, we [22:10] would hand them off to our clients and [22:12] we would grant them administrator access [22:14] on the website. And I don't think I [22:15] really thought about permissions much [22:17] except for in the guise of I was just [22:19] thinking this is their website. They own [22:22] it. They should have full control. And I [22:25] always felt like it was wrong when I [22:26] heard agencies that wouldn't give full [22:30] control. But now I'm finding myself [22:33] actually thinking [22:36] about that differently and wondering if [22:37] that is actually a good idea. mostly [22:41] because we have gotten access to [22:42] websites for auditing or remediation [22:44] purposes where there have been 15 plus [22:48] administrator accounts in the lingo of [22:50] WordPress like top level users that can [22:53] do literally anything. And it seemed [22:56] like on those websites, anytime they [22:58] needed to add a user, they just gave [22:59] them full control, not just of editing [23:02] content, but the ability to modify the [23:04] headers, footers, and other global [23:06] areas, plus the ability to add plugins, [23:08] which is super scary if you think about [23:10] that. And so, let's dive into that. Is [23:16] rethinking user roles and permissions on [23:18] websites the missing piece of the puzzle [23:21] that will help organizations avoid [23:23] adding accessibility issues to their [23:25] website? [23:28] >> I don't think it's the I don't think [23:29] it's the missing piece, but I think it [23:31] is one of the pieces of the puzzle. [23:34] Oddly enough, I, you know, when I ran my [23:36] own agency years ago and I would have [23:38] support clients that I had on, we called [23:40] them care plans and and I would not give [23:43] them admin access out of the box if they [23:46] were on a retainer with me to maintain [23:48] the website because I took it from the [23:50] standpoint, if you've hired me to [23:52] maintain this website, I'm responsible [23:54] for the security. I'm responsible for [23:56] the updates. There's not really any need [23:58] for the client to actually have admin [24:00] access at that point. I will say there [24:03] were the caveats where there were [24:05] certain clients that would request to [24:07] have that later on down the road and and [24:10] I would grant that. But I I think you're [24:12] totally right and I think that not just [24:16] around content entry and accessibility, [24:20] you know, making sure that they can only [24:23] touch the content area, the areas that [24:25] they should be touching, not the global [24:26] elements of the page. And because global [24:29] elements are duplicated throughout the [24:31] whole website. So if you introduce an [24:33] accessibility problem there, you're [24:34] probably introducing it hundreds, [24:36] thousands, hundreds of thousands of [24:38] times. Who knows? [24:39] >> Everywhere. [24:40] >> Yeah. Yeah. But I I think we're actually [24:43] moving in an even greater direction with [24:46] AI and AI is opening the door to like [24:49] security exploits, right? So if if an AI [24:53] can find security exploits even faster [24:56] nowadays, they're there's more of a [24:59] issue with just installing any plugin, [25:01] right? You don't want like a content [25:02] creator going, "Oh, I want to add this [25:04] block. I need this block for this piece [25:06] of content. I'll just go install this [25:08] plugin without validating the source [25:11] that that plugin came from. Is this a [25:12] trusted company? Do they have a long [25:14] track record? Is there a lot of [25:16] installs? Is there statements about [25:19] security? Is there statements about [25:21] accessibility of that plug-in? And and [25:24] not only that, I we can even go a step [25:27] further. So WordPress 7.0 it is bringing [25:30] in a feature called real-time [25:32] collaboration. So it's kind of like [25:34] Google Docs where two people can work on [25:36] a post at the same time and you can kind [25:37] of see what they're doing and you won't [25:39] necessarily conflict with each other. On [25:41] the surface, that seems like, okay, [25:43] that's kind of cool for a content [25:45] creation standpoint, but really what [25:47] it's for, and I think one of the big [25:50] benefits of it's going to be for AI to [25:52] work in your website alongside of you. [25:54] So now you're going to have to start [25:55] thinking about website permissions and [25:58] capabilities and restrictions, not just [26:00] with humans, but with agents as well, [26:03] and are those agents having the right [26:05] security practices, the right [26:06] accessibility practices as well. So, you [26:10] don't want to just have an admin user [26:12] that an agent is attached to just doing [26:14] anything willy-nilly on the website. The [26:16] same as you probably don't want to have [26:18] a human doing that as well. [26:19] >> Yeah. We're going to have to get super [26:22] granular and super specific about who or [26:25] what in the case of an AI can do what on [26:28] a website. Just like in like a real [26:30] world situation, right? Like thinking [26:32] back to my restaurant days, you wouldn't [26:34] take someone who's like a porter who [26:37] does general cleanup tasks and carries [26:40] things around the kitchen, runs errands, [26:42] and stick them on the grill at 700 p.m. [26:45] on a Friday and ask them to start [26:46] grilling steaks, right? It would be an [26:49] unmitigated disaster. It's the same [26:51] reason you don't give a client admin [26:52] privileges or, you know, your junior [26:55] level person the ability to do anything [26:57] on your website. or in a different [26:59] vernacular, you wouldn't take a brand [27:01] new guy on a construction and stick them [27:03] in as a as a crane operator moving [27:06] multi-tonon objects around a downtown [27:08] area with skyscrapers. You know, it's [27:10] there have to be methods and processes [27:13] and training steps and vetting and and [27:16] all of that stuff. So, I think like [27:18] Steve said, it is a component, maybe one [27:20] of the bigger components as we're [27:22] thinking through this or as I'm thinking [27:24] through it, but is certainly not the [27:26] only component. [27:28] Yeah, I mean I definitely think too, [27:30] especially if laws like this pass, if [27:34] you are maintaining websites, whether [27:36] they're your own websites, whether [27:38] they're websites for clients, or they're [27:40] just, you know, like you're at a college [27:41] or university, you're in web services, [27:43] anyone who can add content could make [27:48] you responsible [27:51] if there's not a good way of tracking [27:53] who was the person who actually edited [27:55] this thing. And I don't know, maybe [27:56] that's when you got to start, we're [27:57] talking about documentation, you got to [27:59] start adding a plugin like stream or [28:00] something on WordPress where you can say [28:02] who was the last person to edit this [28:03] page because the page author is not the [28:06] same as the page editor. [28:10] If you're the page author, you don't [28:12] want to be held responsible legally for [28:14] a mistake that [28:15] >> Yeah. Or what if the AI does it? Then [28:17] who are you suing? You know, like [28:19] >> that [28:20] >> that starts to get really weird. [28:22] >> Um [28:23] >> Yeah. Speaking of accessibility too, you [28:25] know, we talked about our audit history. [28:27] Like if that number goes up considerable [28:30] amount, you can track that. And we [28:32] actually have a new feature coming to [28:34] our plug-in for from free to pro that [28:38] will allow you to receive notifications [28:40] to your inbox on the state of the [28:43] accessibility on your website. And you [28:45] can see that, hey, I got this email [28:47] today and it says my accessibility is [28:49] up, you know, 10%. What's going on on [28:52] the website? go check it out. [28:54] >> So, we're all in agreement. It sounds [28:56] like that there's probably a lot of [28:58] users on websites who should not be [29:00] administrators. [29:02] What are the other role options in [29:05] WordPress, which I know sounds like a [29:06] basic question except for I've gotten [29:08] access to so many websites now that it [29:10] seems like a lot of folks need a [29:13] refresher on their other user roles than [29:16] administrator and here's what they do [29:18] and why you might use them. So if you're [29:22] running a multi-sight, you have a role [29:24] of super admin which allows you to [29:26] control all the websites at the network [29:28] level. On a single site basis, you have [29:31] an ad administrator which can pretty [29:33] much edit anything in the website. You [29:35] have an editor which can edit all posts. [29:39] Correct? Yeah. And then author an author [29:43] role you can edit your posts but not [29:46] others. [29:48] And a contributor, [29:50] you can write and edit your own post, [29:52] but you can't publish them. And a [29:55] subscriber is one that can't really do a [29:57] whole bunch. But they can only manage [30:00] like their user profile, I think. [30:03] >> Yeah. [30:03] >> Tell me if I'm wrong about this. I think [30:05] an editor can't edit widget areas. [30:10] >> Do you know? [30:11] >> I think it is limited to posts and [30:14] pages. Yeah, [30:15] >> it's locked down because I remember [30:16] sometimes getting into websites and the [30:18] user role being an editor and I can't [30:20] like configure any of the plugins or [30:22] extensions. I can't really go into site [30:25] settings super deeply at all or even see [30:27] like site health status. A lot of it [30:29] gets locked down even one tier down from [30:32] administrator. [30:33] >> Yeah. So, one of the things that I've [30:36] been thinking about this on being more [30:38] granular with our control is I'm [30:40] wondering if these outofthe box [30:42] capabilities are sufficient or if they [30:45] actually need more separation. For [30:47] example, if you have someone's whose [30:50] only job is to come and publish press [30:54] releases because they're on your PR [30:56] team, but they also need to be able to [30:59] edit a press release maybe that someone [31:01] else published. So you make them an [31:02] editor, but should they also be able to [31:04] edit pages, which WordPress out of the [31:07] box, I think editor means for all post [31:09] types [31:10] >> and do we think [31:12] should this change? [31:16] >> Um, I mean it depends on your threat [31:18] level really and it depends on your [31:20] organization and depends on the size of [31:23] your team and a whole host of things. [31:26] Now, you can use a a plugin like the [31:28] user ro editor plugin to modify these to [31:31] remove those uh permissions to different [31:34] custom post types. And I I think you can [31:37] do that with the free plugin. I'm not [31:38] 100% sure if the free user role editor [31:41] plugin allows you to do it on a per [31:42] custom post type basis, but it [31:44] definitely lets you do it on a post and [31:46] page basis. You can start thinking about [31:49] that like, you know, exactly what Amber [31:51] said. Do they need access to all the [31:54] custom post types? Do they need access [31:56] to the media library? Maybe they need to [31:58] be able to put this press release in, [31:59] but we don't put media in there. So, we [32:02] don't put images and PDFs and stuff in [32:04] our press releases, so they don't really [32:05] need access to that. So, I think those [32:08] are things are worth thinking about, but [32:10] that that takes, you know, a casual site [32:13] administrator, I put that in quotes, uh, [32:16] and and turns them into somebody that is [32:18] a little more thorough and thinking [32:20] about these things from a little bit [32:22] more of a governance standpoint, a [32:23] little bit more of a security [32:25] standpoint. You really only want them to [32:28] have access to what they should have [32:30] access to. [32:31] >> Yeah. I know one thing we used to do [32:33] when we were building custom sites was [32:35] we would define all the colors that were [32:38] brand colors in the brand palette and [32:40] then you I think Steve were doing [32:42] something to hide the color picker [32:44] >> so people couldn't go pick random colors [32:47] which it seems like whoa that's so much [32:50] control but at the same time it's like [32:52] well that ensures contrast mostly unless [32:55] they pick two weird combinations from [32:57] the brand palette but also it keeps [32:58] things on brand which is nicer. Yeah, I [33:01] think that I think what you just said [33:03] and what Chris said earlier about, you [33:05] know, the stuff happening in the design [33:07] phase, you know, this is the whole shift [33:08] left thing that we talk about all the [33:10] time. I don't remember what the stat [33:12] was, like 60% or something of [33:14] accessibility issues are introduced into [33:16] the design phase. [33:17] >> Yeah. [33:18] >> And those are likely [33:20] like contrast issues and maybe heading [33:22] sizes and stuff like that. That's [33:24] probably where most of that comes from. [33:27] And yeah, in WordPress you can kind of [33:29] you can remove the color picker. You can [33:31] pick defined colors, but the color [33:34] picker where you can pick any color can [33:36] be removed from the block editor. And [33:38] the block editor actually has a cool [33:39] feature too now where if you do try to [33:41] do what you described, Amber, pick two [33:44] colors from the the palette that [33:46] actually do create a color contrast [33:48] issue, it does alert you and tell you [33:50] that it doesn't meet color contrast. [33:54] >> Mhm. [33:55] >> Yeah. and and looking at like I [33:57] understand the logic and the order of [33:59] thinking for how WordPress has [34:01] structured its default user roles and [34:03] like limiting things to the user because [34:04] it's just thinking about publishing [34:06] right you if you're a publisher putting [34:09] content out there you only want a very [34:10] small number of people to be able to [34:11] edit everything and for people who are [34:13] publishing you know there's two [34:15] different levels which is one is like we [34:17] trust them enough to publish their own [34:18] content and update their own content and [34:20] there's a level below that which is we [34:22] don't trust them to publish on their own [34:23] someone has to approve and I understand [34:26] like what they're going for. Going back [34:28] to the question of are these user roles [34:29] enough? Do we need to introduce other [34:31] ones? The answer is probably yes. But [34:33] thinking about a situation where a [34:35] website owner can't or won't or doesn't [34:37] have the capability to introduce custom [34:40] user roles currently in their current [34:42] iteration of their website. I think [34:45] maybe we should start treating [34:47] contributor or maybe author as the [34:50] default or the starting place because [34:52] then at least you have a a blame [34:55] mechanic, right? Where it's like [34:58] >> we know that that individual can only [35:00] control what is published under their [35:02] user. And yes, there are maybe editors [35:04] or administrators who can edit [35:06] everything. But if you keep that to an [35:07] incredibly tiny group of people or even [35:09] maybe just one individual who has that [35:11] capability, then you at least have a [35:14] mechanism to prove that if there are [35:18] accessibility deficiencies, [35:20] like you can trace it to who it came [35:22] from if it's in the content and not more [35:25] systemic. [35:27] >> So, I know this is a curveball. I did [35:29] not have this in our show notes, [35:32] but we've talked about this before [35:34] because we had a request from NASA where [35:37] they were like, can you give us an [35:40] accessibility checker report where we [35:41] can see like who caused the problem? And [35:45] we're like, this is really difficult in [35:47] WordPress because of that scenario that [35:49] anyone can edit it. And this has been a [35:51] long time. So, I don't know how much [35:53] more you've actually thought about it [35:54] since our initial conversations with [35:56] NASA about this, but how would we even [35:59] begin if we wanted to be able to track [36:00] that knowing that it's not always post [36:03] author? Like, would that be possible for [36:06] us to just create I guess you almost [36:08] have to create like a log of edits and [36:11] maybe I don't know if you could you use [36:13] the existing what is the revisions or [36:16] something in WordPress. Is that what [36:17] it's called? As long as you're on a host [36:20] that supports it. [36:22] Yeah, if you're on a host that supports [36:24] revision, [36:25] >> opening can of worms. Close the top. [36:28] >> Yeah, [36:30] >> I'm not smart enough to figure out that [36:32] problem. That's [36:34] >> what you're describing is like in the [36:36] code world, we have it. It's called [36:38] blame, right? We call it blame all the [36:40] time. Like when you find a bug in the [36:42] software, what's the first thing we do? [36:43] We run and see what developer like [36:46] actually wrote this and who was the last [36:48] one to modify How productive is that? [36:50] Actually, [36:51] >> fortunately in our company, I haven't [36:53] come across anything so egregious that I [36:55] was like like it'd be a fireable [36:57] offense, right? Like you literally are [37:00] trying to inject something malicious [37:01] into our plugin. [37:03] >> I sometimes it helps to back trace blame [37:06] just to see just to see who worked on it [37:08] and to have them fix the problem or [37:10] because they may have [37:11] >> or where a process broke, right? [37:13] >> Yeah. or if you need more training like [37:15] we were talking about earlier [37:16] >> the person where the issue originates [37:18] from and this is for like code and this [37:20] is probably for what we're talking about [37:22] here like accessibility issues that [37:25] person has more context than you do even [37:27] if they are listed as the blame. So you [37:29] want to elevate that if if you do see an [37:31] issue and bring it to that person, get [37:34] the context of their thinking of why [37:35] they implemented something a certain way [37:38] or see if you know in on the [37:39] accessibility site, are you even aware [37:41] that what you're doing is creating an [37:44] accessibility issue every time you do [37:45] this this content behavior. [37:49] The second part of your question talking [37:51] about accessibility checker and if we [37:53] were to build in a blame. So, we have [37:56] kind of a soft blame already built in to [37:59] the database where we do log the I don't [38:02] know if the ID is the author or is it [38:05] the current logged in user. [38:08] >> I'm not 100% sure. [38:10] >> I thought when we logged that it was [38:12] whoever scanned. So in the case of a [38:16] fullite scan then it would just be [38:18] whoever is running the scan. But if it's [38:21] a post like an individual on post scan [38:24] >> then [38:26] >> if it was on the editor's side then that [38:28] probably is the person who created the [38:29] content because they were editing the [38:30] post when it got scanned. [38:32] >> Yeah. Yeah. [38:32] >> But I feel like there's a gap in that [38:34] that we talked about and we were like oh [38:36] maybe we could figure out a different [38:37] way. You know, a thought on this is [38:39] interesting though because maybe you [38:40] could say for any post that it is always [38:43] just the last user who edited it because [38:46] even if like if I edit a post and I edit [38:49] something down low and above above where [38:52] I'm editing there's an image that's has [38:54] empty alternative text that really [38:55] should and accessibility checker is [38:58] flagging it but I ignore that and I'm [39:01] like well I didn't put that image there. [39:03] I'm just gonna focus on my part then it [39:05] is still kind of my fault because I was [39:07] like last touch. [39:08] >> Yeah, [39:09] >> maybe maybe that's what we need. [39:10] >> So really we have that data. So you have [39:13] the user ID of the person that initiated [39:15] the scan gets stored on the issue. If an [39:18] issue is dismissed [39:21] that user will be logged on that [39:22] dismissal and then we could cross [39:25] reference. We have the post ID. We can [39:27] cross reference to the post ID to see [39:30] who the last touch was. So essentially [39:34] we have the blame data in the database [39:36] maybe with a little bit of modifications [39:38] or another column. We have yet to [39:41] surface that data in a UI for the end [39:44] user. But I do think that that probably [39:46] is a really valuable feature to add. I [39:49] could really see that being interesting [39:51] for very large websites with lots of [39:53] contributors and authors being able to [39:55] be like a report that basically is like [39:58] here's the average accessibility score [40:00] across all content by author, right? So [40:02] you can see which of your authors maybe [40:05] would benefit from training [40:07] >> as well as the other things we already [40:08] surfaced because then that concretely [40:11] also takes accessibility as a best [40:14] practice and relates it to the humans on [40:17] your team and not just the modules of [40:19] your website or how the thing is built [40:21] or the particular solution. and it makes [40:23] it more about the people working on the [40:24] website, which I don't know, having [40:27] reports that tie accessibility to the [40:29] human beings working on the website is [40:31] probably extremely valuable and maybe [40:33] more operationally useful than some of [40:36] the other stuff we're doing. [40:38] >> Yeah. And on that note, that's probably [40:40] a good reminder to anyone listening to [40:42] this podcast that does not have unique [40:44] user roles for editors on their website [40:47] that you should not share login [40:51] for a variety of reasons. [40:54] Tracking accessibility issue causes is [40:57] one of them, but there's all kinds of [40:59] other reasons that you should not do [41:01] that. We would probably also need to [41:03] have like some kind of warning at the [41:05] top of that report if we detected that [41:07] more than 50% of the posts on the [41:09] website had one author or something [41:11] being like, "Hey, you might be a little [41:15] skewed in your user roles unless and [41:16] take a closer look at this otherwise [41:18] this report might not be helpful." [41:20] >> Um, [41:20] >> well, you could mathematically do it and [41:23] where you come up with like a score that [41:26] is also adjusted. It's like what's the [41:30] average score for the number of posts [41:34] that they provide? Because I did that on [41:36] the page builder report because there [41:38] were some components that some of those [41:40] page builders don't have. And I'm like, [41:42] it's not fair to like ding them. [41:45] >> Yeah. [41:45] >> Or not. [41:46] >> Yeah. Someone who has one really bad [41:47] article and that's the only thing [41:49] they've ever published versus [41:51] >> 100% horrible score. [41:53] >> Yeah. Yeah. versus somebody who has one [41:55] really bad article and like 20 good [41:57] articles. Okay, well then they're not as [42:00] bad as the person who did one thing [42:03] horribly. [42:04] >> So to both of those points, that's where [42:06] the accessibility checker kind of where [42:08] it tracks who's scanning is kind of a [42:11] better piece of data than the author of [42:13] the post because right, [42:15] >> I'll say this, there's posts that are [42:17] generated in our own company that have [42:19] my name as the author that I didn't [42:21] necessarily write. Mhm. [42:24] >> Yeah. You might have just like read it [42:26] as a QA, but you didn't write the whole [42:28] thing. [42:28] >> Right. Right. And that that's not just [42:30] unique to us. Most companies operate [42:32] that way. They have content writers that [42:34] are writing for certain people within [42:37] the company and setting them as the [42:39] author. And you know, people could [42:41] extend it and have two authors output on [42:43] a single post. So tracking the author is [42:46] probably good, but tracking actually [42:48] who's editing the post and how many [42:52] times in the order like the last touch [42:54] is probably more of a important piece of [42:57] data when you're trying to find blame. [42:59] Now we got to find a better word than [43:01] blame. But [43:03] >> yeah, [43:04] >> training opportunities. [43:06] >> Yeah. Yes. [43:07] >> That's what we can label it. [43:09] >> Needs the most training. [43:11] >> That's right. [43:12] >> So, okay. Okay, I feel like we should [43:14] sort of wrap up because we're about at [43:16] our time here on this episode. What [43:19] would you say your number one [43:22] recommendation is then on protecting [43:26] webs [43:28] from their content editors or authors? [43:34] >> I don't want to go first. Can someone [43:35] else go first? [43:38] >> I want to piggy back off of someone [43:39] else. [43:40] >> Yeah, [43:40] >> that's a hard one. I mean, I probably [43:42] would just summize everything we've [43:44] talked about and and this kind of [43:46] hearkens kind of back to the [43:47] accessibility thing in our little [43:49] warm-up where we talked about be aware [43:51] of accessibility. Take steps towards it. [43:54] Even baby steps can be monumental in [43:57] saving you at some point in time if a [44:00] lawsuit was to come across your desk. [44:02] Um, do that and then go a little bit [44:05] further and start evaluating your threat [44:08] levels and the potential for an employee [44:12] or a content writer or a contractor that [44:14] you've hired to come in and act in your [44:18] voice and introduce possible litigation [44:21] risk to your company. Uh, think about [44:25] the access that you give them. If you [44:27] wouldn't give anybody just a key to your [44:29] house to walk into your house all of the [44:32] time, you know, you'd limit that access. [44:33] You'd be like, you can come into my [44:34] house when I'm there or you can come [44:37] into my house and acceptable to come [44:39] into my living room and utilize my [44:41] bathroom, but it's not acceptable for [44:43] you to go into my master bedroom and [44:45] start going through my dresser drawers, [44:46] right? Pull back some of that access if [44:49] they don't need it. Like reduce those [44:50] user roles and see if anybody says [44:52] anything. Like if if somebody screams, [44:54] "Hey, I used to have access to uh the [44:56] media library and now I don't or I used [44:58] to be able to edit other people's posts [45:00] and now I don't then you can expand from [45:02] there but tighten it down as as tight as [45:05] you can and then when you find needs in [45:08] your company to where you need to open [45:10] things up open them up on a per user [45:12] basis but I think it's like anything you [45:15] just need to start thinking about these [45:16] things I think in the AI age these [45:19] things are going to become even more [45:20] important I think that uh at at the most [45:23] basic level make sure Nobody is an [45:26] administrator that really doesn't need [45:28] to be an administrator because you [45:30] really don't want people installing [45:31] plugins uh without proper vetting of [45:34] those plugins in this day and age. Mhm. [45:38] >> I also think going back to building [45:40] knowledge and and training, I think one [45:44] interesting approach might be instead of [45:47] looking at the full body of work, like [45:48] say you have a lot of accessibility done [45:50] on your website, tons of legacy content [45:52] that you have to deal with, instead of [45:54] looking at all of that as like this [45:55] monumental task that's really hard to [45:57] wrap your head around, maybe try to see [46:00] if the next new piece of content you [46:03] produce can if you can take that as far [46:06] as you humanly possibly can with [46:08] accessibility in your current makeup of [46:11] whatever your site is built with. You [46:13] know, get accessibility checker on [46:15] there. the next article you write, see [46:17] if you can solve everything in a new [46:19] piece of content and save the draft and [46:22] check the reports as you're editing [46:23] because you might learn more starting [46:25] from scratch and building something new [46:28] and trying to make it accessible than [46:30] you are than you would necessarily [46:31] trying to look at this giant website and [46:33] oh, how do I fix everything like and [46:35] maybe maybe in that process you would [46:38] learn some best practices you can do [46:40] going forward for anything new you [46:42] create and then you can always [46:43] retroactively apply that to old stuff [46:46] when you build in the time and the [46:48] capacity to do so. [46:50] >> Yeah, I think both of those are really [46:52] great tips. My final thing of course [46:54] would be is you can't really manage what [46:57] you don't measure. [46:59] Uh and so I do think our audit history [47:02] is really helpful but I also would say I [47:05] had mentioned stream earlier. I think [47:08] being aware of what the users on your [47:10] website are doing and editing and when [47:13] and anytime we have had a client that [47:17] has a lot of people on their company or [47:21] occasionally we've had one where there's [47:22] just one or two but they've done [47:24] something weird and then they come and [47:26] they're all like why is this thing [47:28] broken and then we go we're like we need [47:30] to see what they're doing so we'll go [47:32] install that. I almost feel like almost [47:34] every WordPress website now needs some [47:37] sort of logging system to help you in [47:40] debugging because sometimes something [47:43] comes up and it's helpful to just know [47:45] who did what when and I think that's [47:46] really important. [47:47] >> And to piggyback on that before we wrap [47:49] up and I know we really have to wrap up [47:50] but this is too funny and I know we have [47:52] a lot of agencies and like freelancers [47:54] that listen to this. We have encountered [47:56] a couple of situations, Amber, correct [47:58] me if I'm wrong here, where a customer's [48:00] employee has done something really bad [48:03] and then has tried to turn it back on us [48:06] and blame us for the thing that [48:07] happened. [48:08] >> Deleting the homepage, we have logging [48:10] that proves that they did it and that [48:12] was the only reason we got out of a bad [48:15] situation. [48:17] >> Yeah. Or like breaking something with [48:18] their membership software. Yeah, [48:20] >> any website that has like e-commerce [48:23] functionality [48:25] 100% needs to have stream which is a [48:28] free WordPress plugin. [48:30] So, [48:32] >> all right. Well, thanks everybody. Enjoy [48:35] your [48:36] health water full of silica and all the [48:41] pH [48:42] >> and we'll see you back here in two [48:44] weeks. [48:46] >> Bye everybody. [48:47] >> See you guys. [48:49] Thanks for listening to [48:50] AccessibilityCraft. If you found this [48:52] episode valuable, please help us reach [48:54] more people by subscribing, reviewing, [48:56] or liking the show and sharing this with [48:58] your colleagues. AccessibilityCraft is a [49:00] production of Equalized Digital, Inc. [49:02] Steve Jones composed our theme music. To [49:05] learn how Equalized Digital can support [49:06] you on your accessibility journey, visit [49:08] us at equalizedigital.com. [49:14] Heat. Heat.  📄 **Full text:** ![[Full Document Contents/Articles/Your Secret Accessibility Weapon, Healsi Pure Artesian Still Water.md|Your Secret Accessibility Weapon, Healsi Pure Artesian Still Water by YouTube]] ## Highlights - Chris Hinds: Welcome to Accessibility Craft, where we explore the complex challenges and emerging trends that are shaping digital accessibility, while sipping on unique craft beverages. This show is proudly produced by Equalize Digital, The most trusted name in WordPress accessibility. Join us every week as we break down accessibility news and share the expert strategies we've used to help make millions of websites more accessible. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01krgpkxwy0q7g40dt3fmxmcab)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - But first, let's take a quick commercial break. Steve Jones: This episode of Accessibility Craft is sponsored by Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker, the WordPress plugin that helps you find accessibility problems before you hit publish. Thousands of businesses, nonprofits, universities, and government agencies around the world trust Accessibility Checker to help their teams find, fix, and prevent accessibility problems on an ongoing basis. New to accessibility? ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01krgpkxy5vq9hveaxe4jhvd4d)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - of create a little bit of governance. Like, you can't do that because it may be inaccessible. You need to go take that PDF, it through our service, that checks it for accessibility before it gets uploaded to the website. Chris Hinds: Yeah, the other big one is training and because you know, we're talking about protecting, accessibility outcomes or hedging against what people might do sometimes. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01krgpky1f2vzbqsc5hs3eerea)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - they even start typing their first character into the website editor. Steve Jones: Mm-hmm. Chris Hinds: And then the other one that I thought was particularly interesting came from Level Access, but they said that, organizations that had quote, highly effective accessibility training programs, were two and a half times more likely to approach accessibility proactively rather than reactively, which we've established ad nauseum on this podcast saves a ton of time and resources in generating accessible outcomes. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01krgpky5xmcdp4h6qr0req3nw)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - Not just of editing content, but the ability to modify the headers, footers, and other global areas, plus the ability to add plugins, which is super scary if you think about that. Chris Hinds: Yeah. Amber: and so. Let's dive into that. Is rethinking user roles and permissions on websites, the missing piece of the puzzle that will help organizations avoid adding accessibility issues to their website? Steve Jones: Yeah... Amber: What do you guys think? Steve Jones: I don't think it's the missing piece, but I think it is ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01krgpky7vtzphh85mbws963vd)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted