Did you know that there are many accessibility overlay out in the world that can help your blog be more accessible to all of your readers? They’re popping up everywhere on the internet these days! And for good reason. By creating an accessibility overlay for your blog, you’re allowing many accessibility tools to help you better reach all of your readers. They can help provide a better reading experience for everyone.

1. The Why Behind Accessibility Overlays

Why would you use an accessibility overlay? Why not just add the information to your blog post or article? There are many people who cannot access all of the information on your site without them. For example, someone using a screen reader, someone using their phone to read your site, and people with low vision are some examples of who could benefit from them. When you create an accessibility overlay, it becomes easier for these readers to understand what they’re reading!

2. Accessibility overlays aren’t new

Did you think that this is something new? Maybe something that has only come about recently with all the buzz around blogging? Well, you’d be surprised to know that accessibility overlays have been gaining steam for years. They’re just becoming more popular now and with blogging and other social networking sites.

3. People Have Been Using Them For Years

You’ve probably heard of the NFB (National Federation of the Blind) or AFB (American Foundation for the Blind) before. You might not know that they are some of the oldest organizations in America that help people become more independent, acquire education, access information, use technology, find jobs, etc. These two groups were using an overlay back in 2004! Shaped like a browser’s toolbar, it had many links to useful information about blindness, including how to create an accessibility overlay on your website. This was coined as a “scroller,” and the AFB liked it so much that they used it for years afterward.

4. Overlays Have Many Uses

If you’re using an overlay, you’re not alone! There are many different uses out there. Here’s a few of them: Accessibility Toolbar – This is a toolbar that acts as a shortcut to accessibility related information on your site. It allows people to quickly determine if they can access your content or not and provide other helpful information such as alternative text for images. Scroller – A scroller provides all the content in one page without requiring someone to click through links to find what they want to read. This lets screen reader users more easily move through your content and keeps each page short, which helps make them load faster. Thumbnail Overlay – This is a pop-up image that lets someone know what an image is, giving them context before they choose to view it. Static Overlay – A static overlay, which looks more like a box, stays on top of your site and remains there while someone reads it. Then when they’re finished, it goes away.

5. Overlays Aren’t Only For WordPress

Do you only use a WordPress site? Then you might be under the assumption that if you want an overlay, you’ll need to use one of the many plugins available for your website. That’s not true! There are other ways out there to create accessible overlays for your blog or website . All it takes is some simple code to help people better understand what they’re reading and give them the ability to decide if they’d like to read more or move on.