The Unsettling Irony of Accessibility Overlays

Man sits in front of a computer with his hands covering his face, looking frustrated and defeated. An accessibility overlay icon is next to him.

A grid of four GIF screenshots featuring four Disabled women doing various reactions with white caption text on each screenshot like “Spill the tea, girl” and “That’s hot.”

Three vertical images showcasing three spectacular red carpet outfits from the 2024 Met Gala, including Cole Escola in Thom Browne, Rita Ora in Marni, and Doja Cat in Vetements.

Screen capture of Alt Text Checker tool on Scribely’s website. At the top is the title, and below are instructions for using the tool, which says, “Drop a URL below and scan for common alt text issues.” Beneath that is a box to input the web address, with a Submit button.

Text image that says, “SXSW 2024.” The white text is black background, and above and below are the colorful SXSW patterns and graphics.

Ride in the Rain by John Bramblitt. A person rides a bike one-handed under an open umbrella down a tree-lined street painted with dabs and strokes of saturated yellow, marigold orange, grape purple, carnation pink, and celestial blue. Three-lanterned street lights illuminate the vivid foliage and reflect off the slick, colorful street.

Closeup of a dark wood and gold gavel hovering above a light wooden block on a wood table. A hand holding the gavel is blurred in the background.

Woman in a colorful leotard, jeans, and white sneakers stretches an arm gracefully over her head as she does a backbend next to large, sunny industrial windows. A text box displays auto-generated alt text, which says, “May be an image of 1 person.”

Bestie by Scribely logo in white centered against a blue-green background.

Someone is working at a desk and is mid action opening their notebook. An empty coffee cup, kettle, and plate of food sit on the desk.

Closeup of a silver laptop on a desk as one person operates it and another person points at the screen.

Crowd of people marching in a street in some sort of protest. A few of them hold up a fist in solidarity, while others hold up their phones to capture the moment.

Person in a warehouse aisle sitting in a shopping cart, holding a hand to their forehead as if overwhelmed or frustrated. "2023 E-commerce Content Accessibility Report."

Three teenagers all wearing matching hot pink outfits look at a smartphone, all reacting in different ways, smiling, laughing out loud, and staring with curiosity.

Beige bandage spans across a long crack in the black asphalt that cuts through the pavement like a canyon, as if the bandage is trying to mend the crack.

Front of a digital camera resting on a tripod with a small fuzzy microphone attached to the top via a red cord with a blurred building in the background.

Person with long blue hair swept back into a high bun strikes a break dance move wearing a black and yellow tracksuit with white high-top Converse Allstars.

Robot holds a paintbrush up to a canvas on an easel that appears to float in the air, painting a white robot holding a metal item with an ocean bay in the background.

Haphazardly put together robot stands in front of an easel as it paints an abstract painting on a canvas against a seamless white backdrop.

Caroline Desrosiers holds up three fingers for Scribely’s third anniversary. She wears a brown ski jacket and stands in front of snow-covered pine trees as snowflakes fall.

Digital ad with GIPHY and Scribely logos on a purple gradient background.

Person sits in a dimly lit room staring blankly into the light of their smartphone screen, head falling towards the couch like they're drained of energy.

Closeup of a smart phone fixed to a tripod recording a man with short braids and a floral shirt. He sits in front of a low beige sofa as he smiles and points at the camera.

Person uses a DSLR camera to take photos of gold tinsel and a disco ball on a table lit by a ring light on a tripod and a small spotlight shining directly onto the scene.

First person view of a person holding a smartphone and swiping social media with a blurred view of a photo gallery on a Mac behind it.

Several dusty and disintegrating framed portraits piled atop one another in an empty, run-down space.

Woman wearing a green velvet blazer throws her arms up and back with an overjoyed expression as glitter flies through the air around her.

Woman wearing glasses and a floral top holds a finger to her cheek with a slight smile on her face, looking off like she's thinking through a clever idea

Man wearing black headphones sits in a white desk chair at a white desk with his hand on a mouse, looking at a computer that appears to have code on the screen.

Closeup of a robot holding out a red flower, appearing to look down at it through a camera or sensor.

Two different hands reach towards one another, nearly touching, as if they are about to shake hands.

The front of the White House on a gray cloudy day, American flag fixed to its roof and waving in the breeze.

Rear view shot of a person wearing headphones seated at a desk and appearing to work on a computer.

Overhead shot of a person signing their name on the signature line of a legal document.

Closeup of person holding a smartphone that shows a grid of images in hues of pale pink and baby blue.

Person holding a camera walks away from camera along a path bridged with leafless trees and dusted in snow.

Shallow focus shot of a person's hands holding out a potted succulent plant towards camera.

Two women seated across from each other on the floor of a living area, microphones resting on the coffee table between them. One woman reaches towards an open laptop computer on the floor nearby.

Dancers dressed in black, all striking different elegant, angular poses from their tight formation on what appears to be a rooftop.

Person wearing white earbud headphones and a backpack walks towards camera on a busy city street with a full smile on their face.

Person wearing sunglasses, black skinny jeans, camo t-shirt, and blue denim jacket smiles and jumps with legs pulled in tight in front of a white backdrop.