Accessibility finding
The overlay's own widget has accessibility failures
Accessibility Error Severity: High
Part of the audit A script overlay hides problems that remain in the source. Finding id: accessibility.overlayWidgetFindings.
What it costs you
The tool that is there to help people with a disability has a barrier of its own, on every page that loads it. Its button is often the first thing a keyboard or screen reader user meets.
What to do
Report the failure to the overlay's supplier. You cannot fix their widget yourself; you can decide whether to keep it. The scanner's guidance says what is wrong: [help url]
What it checks
- Overlay widget itself not accessible
How to fix it
Take it to the supplier, then decide
- Send the supplier the element, the success criterion and the scanner's message.
- If the widget has a setting that removes the failing part, use it.
- Decide whether the overlay stays while its own widget fails.
How to check: Recrawl: no scanner reports an element inside the widget.
A real case
The US Federal Trade Commission found that accessiBe's claim that its overlay could make any website comply with WCAG was not supported. In January 2025 the company agreed to pay 1 million dollars.
Thresholds
| Name | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
min_scanners | 2 | How many scanners must report the same element of the widget before it counts as a failure. |
How to verify by hand
A screen reader user; overlays often fail them.
What this relies on
The source must conform on its own; an overlay is temporary.