Amena Kanchwala

It is a night with new moon, and the stars are not visible due to pollution. Your bus drops you at a bus stop, and you start walking towards your home. Suddenly, the streetlights go off, and there is no source of light around you. To make things worse, your mobile battery is drained, so you cannot even use the torch on your phone. You take a turn, and without any warning, your leg gets stuck in an open drain that you never noticed. You manage to pull yourself out, but your legs, shoes, and socks are now dirty. You feel shaken, but you continue walking. A little further ahead, by mistake, you step on a sleeping street dog. Just imagine what could happen next. Feeling scared, my friend? These are not imaginary situations. These are the kinds of challenges many of us face every day. And these are just a few examples. There are many more such experiences that I would like to highlight, one by one, in this article. I use a white cane to move independently. It helps me detect obsta...

Tables and grids can both look like rows and columns, but they behave very differently , especially when interactive widgets (like buttons, checkboxes, or dropdowns) are involved.   Tables Are Not Widgets A table is meant to present information — like text, numbers, or static content. But sometimes it is observed that, tables include interactive widgets inside them, such as: A checkbox in each row to select items A dropdown to change status A button to take action In such cases: Each widget becomes a separate tab stop in the keyboard tab order. This makes the tab sequence very long for keyboard users, especially screen reader users. Example : If a table has 50 rows, each with a checkbox, the user has to press Tab 50 times just to skip through checkboxes.   Grids as Composite Widgets A grid is considered a composite widget — meaning it is one large interactive component that contains many smaller interactive elements inside. Wh...

Suppose  you're doing an important financial transaction, and at the very last step, you're asked to prove you're human by solving a CAPTCHA. But no matter how hard you try, you can't get past it. Frustrating, right? You’d feel stuck and helpless. Now, think about how this might feel for people with disabilities. Many authentication methods can create similar barriers for them, leading to the same feelings of frustration. Of course, security is important—we all want authentication to be as secure as possible. But here’s the thing: it can be secure and accessible at the same time, without compromising either.   How can we ensure that authentication process is accessible? Make sure that no step in the authentication process requires mental effort. Users should not be forced to solve puzzles, recall information, or transcribe anything. This is particularly important for people with cognitive disabilities, as they may struggle with tasks like remembering usernames...

What if you’re looking at a carousel filled with captivating pictures, but every time you try to read the message, it just moves on? This would turn your curiosity into frustration, leaving you to wonder what you might have missed For those are not familiar with carousels, they are collections of items called slides, each displaying content such as images, text, or videos. Users can navigate through these slides using buttons or allow them to move them automatically. Carousels are commonly used on websites to highlight featured content or promotions. They can enhance user engagement and create visual interest. However, they also cause significant accessibility challenges for people with disabilities. Inaccessible carousels can confuse, frustrate, and ultimately exclude users from accessing key information.   How Carousel Inaccessibility Impacts Users with Disabilities ·        Screen reader users might get confused or disoriented, if slides t...