The Accessibility Breakdown

Mark Miller

Each week, we break down the three hottest topics in digital accessibility and celebrate all who “lead by accessibility.”

  1. 6d ago

    Episode 21: Screen Reader Insights, Accessibility Bug Bounties & AI Agent Barriers

    In this episode of Accessibility Breakdown, Mark Miller and Justin Stockton explore screen reader preferences, accessibility bug bounties, and the barriers created by blocking personal AI agents. Their discussion of WebAIM’s Screen Reader User Survey #11 examines JAWS’ continued popularity, perceptions of free and low-cost alternatives, and how familiarity and everyday workflows influence assistive technology choices. The hosts then consider Chris Yoong’s proposal for accessibility bug bounties, weighing the potential for ongoing user feedback against challenges in defining and validating issues. Finally, Taylor Arndt’s article sparks a conversation about Amazon’s AI agent restrictions, the importance of using personally configured tools, and why accessibility perspectives need to be included when companies make policies that affect digital access.

  2. Oct 16

    Episode 20 - Accessible Websites, Screen Reader Barriers, and Automated Testing on U.S. WDS

    Mark Miller, Justin Stockton, and guest Keith Casebonne examine how accessibility and artificial intelligence increasingly affect one another. They discuss AudioEye research showing that inaccessible websites can sharply reduce AI-agent task completion while increasing token use and energy demands, then connect those findings to Michael Taylor’s account of navigating the web with a screen reader. Taylor’s resourceful workarounds illustrate the potential of AI and emerging assistive technologies, but the group emphasizes that individual ingenuity cannot substitute for accessible design. The conversation closes with concerns about proposals to automate accessibility testing for the U.S. Web Design System. The hosts argue that today’s AI cannot fully assess human experience and may reproduce existing accessibility failures, creating new technical debt across critical government services. Their broader conclusion is that AI should remain a carefully managed tool within a human-first accessibility process, not a replacement for expert review, authentic user testing, or the responsibility to build inclusive digital experiences.

  3. Sep 24

    Episode 19 – UX Prototypes, Overconfident Accessibility, and the Automation Trap

    This episode examines three timely questions at the intersection of UX, accessibility, and AI: why AI prototyping ranks highly among UX methods, how the Dunning-Kruger effect can create misplaced confidence in accessibility work, and why fully automating accessibility testing remains unlikely. Mark Miller and Justin Stockton emphasize early testing with people with disabilities, healthy skepticism about automated results, and the continuing importance of human experience as technology evolves.

  4. Sep 16

    Episode 18: 2026 Mid-Year Report, Accessibility Roles, and VPAT Transparency

    Mark Miller and Justin Stockton break down three accessibility pieces that connect the dots between litigation trends, organizational staffing, and the practical politics of sharing conformance information. The conversation matters because it shows how accessibility failures are still showing up at scale, why one accessibility hire is rarely enough, and why VPATs and accessibility statements are as much about trust as they are about compliance.

  5. Sep 8

    Episode 17: AI, federal regulations, sign language tools, and Hyperblam

    Mark Miller is joined by Justin Stockton and guest Steve Faulkner for a wide-ranging conversation that touches on AI-assisted legal research, sign language translation technology, and a browser-based music tool built with accessibility in mind. The discussion is part analysis, part industry reflection, with each speaker bringing a distinct perspective shaped by years of accessibility work. We discuss how AI can help surface disability-related changes in U.S. federal regulations, why local knowledge still matters when evaluating AI output, and what it means to build creative tools on the web without losing accessibility. The episode also explores the limits of expertise, the value of lived experience, and why large companies may be the ones able to tackle certain accessibility challenges at scale.

  6. Sep 1

    Episode 16 - Event Accessibility, ROI, and the Cost of Backsliding

    Mark Miller, Justin Stockton, and Stephen Cutchins from Cvent discuss three accessibility stories that all point to the same lesson: accessibility is not just a compliance issue; it is a trust, revenue, and experience issue. Stephen brings deep event-industry perspective from Cvent, while Justin adds practical examples from meetup and concert access, and Mark ties it together with the larger business and culture impact.

  7. Aug 26

    Episode 15 - Accessibility Game Theory, AI, and the politics of assistive tech

    Mark Miller, Justin Stockton, and guest Pete from Onward Accessibility break down three accessibility articles that each take a very different angle on the same question: who benefits when accessibility is treated as a business, technical, or political problem. They dig into game theory in procurement, the limits of building for AI instead of people, and the ethical tensions around Meta donating smart glasses in Ireland.

  8. Aug 18

    Episode 14 - Plain Language & Unicorns

    Mark Miller and Justin Stockton break down three accessibility-focused articles covering plain language as an accessibility feature, the myth of the all-in-one accessibility specialist, and how return-to-office mandates can disproportionately harm disabled workers. The episode connects writing, organizational structure, and workplace policy back to a shared accessibility theme: if you design for real people, you improve access for everyone.

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About

Each week, we break down the three hottest topics in digital accessibility and celebrate all who “lead by accessibility.”

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Miller
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mark Miller