About Overlays

Digital Accessibility Services (DAS) has received an increasing number of inquiries about the possible benefits associated with so-called “accessibility overlays.”

We discourage use of such overlays in an attempt to comply with accessibility standards or the University’s Digital Accessibility Policy.

Generally, these overlays are promoted as an easy path to accessibility, while ignoring user testimonials and barriers experienced by many consumers with disabilities.

At Harvard, we seek to promote tools and practices that are rooted in equitable user experiences, informed by established accessibility standards, and sustainable over time.

Digital Accessibility Services can instead help you and your site contributors to:

• Have your site crawled with a licensed tool to identify any detectable barriers 
• Train you and your team to make content accessible when added or changed
• Understand best practices for media accessibility