What runtime remediation can — and cannot — do
The Access Shift team · · 5 min read
Runtime automation patches a meaningful slice of the technical web-content criteria in WCAG 2.2 AA. It is a strong baseline — not a legal certification. Here is an honest look at where it helps and where you still need people.
Access Shift is an accessibility automation tool, not a legal certification. No automated tool can guarantee conformance with any accessibility law on its own. We say that on every marketing surface for a reason: the gap between what software can patch and what a real audit covers is exactly where overlay-only vendors have gotten into trouble.
What the widget addresses well
A large share of the most common, programmatically detectable WCAG 2.2 AA failures can be patched at runtime where they appear in the DOM. Our remediation script focuses on those technical web-content criteria:
- Missing or generic image alternative text, with decorative-pixel detection.
- Unlabeled buttons, icon-only controls, and SVG-only icons.
- Form fields missing required, invalid, and autocomplete hints.
- Insufficient color contrast, within safe limits.
- Missing landmarks, focus indicators, and language attributes.
- WCAG 2.2 additions such as target size, dragging alternatives, and accessible authentication.
What it cannot do
Runtime remediation cannot fix every issue. Meaningful sequence, complex cognitive load, the quality of alternative text for nuanced images, and entire non-web channels covered by EN 301 549 are beyond what any script running in the browser can reliably evaluate or repair. These require human judgment.
That is why we recommend pairing the widget with periodic source-level audits and manual testing by people who use assistive technologies. Automation handles the repetitive, detectable issues at scale so your team and your auditors can spend their time on the problems that genuinely need a person.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a widget fix every WCAG 2.2 AA issue automatically?
- No. A runtime widget patches common, programmatically detectable web-content failures. Issues that require human judgment — meaningful reading sequence, the quality of alternative text, complex cognitive load, and non-web channels — fall outside what any in-browser script can reliably evaluate or repair.
- Does runtime remediation replace a manual accessibility audit?
- No. It complements one. Automation gives you breadth and speed; a human audit by assistive-technology users gives you depth. The most defensible programs run both, which is why Access Shift recommends pairing the widget with periodic source-level audits.