Issue #28 • 04 August 2026

Hi Reader.

Last month at the American Council of the Blind's National Convention in St. Louis, I was invited to join a group of blind friends for barbecue after a full day of sessions. I felt honored to come along, since the table included some distinguished company: a former president of the ACB and the UN ambassador from Antigua, who is totally blind. What started as a simple meal turned into a crash course in disability advocacy, one I'm still turning over.

The outing had no shortage of moments. Two Lyft drivers needed a firm, patient reminder that guide dogs ride in the car, no exceptions, because federal law requires it. A packed waiting area needed some gentle but insistent encouragement to make room for blind members of our group who'd been standing far too long. Our server got a generous tip up front, because attentive, unhurried service makes all the difference when you can't read a menu or catch someone's eye across the room. At one point, a guide dog settled in under the table and decided my shoe was the perfect spot to rest, and relieve herself, for the rest of the meal. And at the end of the final course, I found myself walking that UN ambassador to and from the restroom and back to our table.

I was glad to speak up for my friends, but it also wore on me that I had to, that the job of making two Lyft drivers follow the law, or getting a room full of strangers to notice who was still standing, kept landing on me. And if I'm honest, a lot of why it worked is uncomfortable to sit with: I'm a white man with enough vision that I don't "look blind." People listened to me in moments they might not have listened to my friends. That's not something I'm proud of. It's just how the world still works sometimes, and pretending otherwise doesn't help anyone.

Where have you felt the tension between being grateful for the access your own privilege affords and frustrated that it's needed at all?

Upcoming events

WP Accessibility Day 2026

I'm excited to share that I'll be speaking at WordPress Accessibility Day 2026. My session, "AI, Accessibility, and WordPress: Deciding What to Trust, Test, and Do Yourself," digs into how to use AI tools responsibly in accessibility work without losing sight of what still needs a human eye.

WordPress Accessibility Day is a free, volunteer-run, 24-hour global event dedicated to demystifying web accessibility for WordPress developers, designers, content creators, and users. This year's event runs October 7 and 8, livestreamed at no cost, and is pre-approved for IAAP continuing education credits. Sign up for email updates now so you don't miss registration details and the full schedule as they're announced.

Accessibility around the web

​Designer pair launch ColorSym, giving publishers a free tool for colourblind-friendly board game creation - Mike Didymus from BoardGameWire

Two tabletop designers have released ColorSym, a free, open-source symbol system that lets colorblind players tell components apart without relying on color alone. Released under Creative Commons and a free font license, it's built to read correctly from every angle around a table, and its creators hope it becomes a shared standard the board game industry can adopt without fees or paperwork

​France made me a Knight and my quest is Braille - Haben Girma

Deafblind lawyer and author Haben Girma was recently named a Knight by France, and used the honor to spotlight a troubling move to phase Braille out of French education. Her post, and the comment thread underneath it, is a sharp reminder that Braille isn't a relic. For the people who read and write with it, it's literacy itself.

​WCAG Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) 2.0 - W3C Accessibility Guidelines Working Group

The W3C has published WCAG-EM 2.0, an updated methodology for evaluating the accessibility of websites, web apps, mobile apps, PDFs, and other digital products. Rather than adding new WCAG requirements, it establishes a consistent process for planning, sampling, testing, and reporting accessibility evaluations. One of its biggest shifts is an emphasis on evaluating complete user journeys, such as purchasing a product or submitting a form, instead of treating pages as isolated experiences. Looking for a practical way to assess your own site? Pedal Point's Focused Accessibility Report (FAR) provides a standards-based evaluation that identifies your highest-impact accessibility opportunities and gives you a clear roadmap for improvement.

Have an awesome August!

Simon Miner Pedal Point Solutions

Is your website accessible?

Need help with web accessibility consulting, testing, treatment, or training? Pedal Point Solutions can help. Start with a free accessibility snapshot of your website.

Explore Case for Vision This stand transforms my iPhone into a hands-free magnifier--helping me read, explore, and stay independent wherever I go. Learn about Case for Vision

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