Chax Chat Accessibility Podcast
Episodes
Are You Fixing the Wrong Thing?
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are you spending hours "fixing" things in a PDF that your screen reader users will never notice? In this episode Chad Chelius and Dax Castro ask a...
Accessible and Amazing! An Author's Journey.
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When a PR and communications pro falls in love with accessibility, what happens next? In this episode of the Chax Chat Podcast, Chad Chelius and Dax C...
Accessible Audio Description
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of Chax Chat features guest Roy Samuelson, a renowned audio description performer and consultant, who discusses the craft and impact of a...
Tag, You're It: Google Docs Joins the Accessibility Game
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by Michael Hans' recent blog post, 'Google Docs Adds PDF Accessibility Tagging', Chad and Dax are exploring recent updates to Google Docs' PD...
Guest: Microsoft - Accessibility for Word and PPT
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chad Chelius and Dax Castro welcome Microsoft's Shireen Salma and Ylva Kravis to unpack new accessibility features in Word and PowerPoint, including t...
What makes a Table Accessible?
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wondered why making tables accessible is so tricky? Or why it matters at all? In this lively episode of Chax Chat, Chad Chelius and Dax Castro br...
Why Your Document Passed the Checker… but Still Fails Your Users
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wondered why your document gets a thumbs-up from automated checkers, but still trips up real users? Do you find yourself wishing that technical c...
The Most Misunderstood Accessibility Features in Acrobat
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Think you know Adobe Acrobat? Think again! Chad and Dax pull back the curtain on the most misunderstood Acrobat features, busting myths about tag tree...
The Pleading Problem: Line Numbers and Screen Readers
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A listener recently asked: How do you make legal documents with line numbers accessible? And Dax and Chad have answers! They dive into this niche but ...
Step-By-Step Screen Reader Testing with NVDA and JAWS
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Born Accessible: Why Inclusive Design Starts Before You Export
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Accessibility isn't the cherry on top, it should be baked in to your designs from the start! In this episode, Dax and Chad break down common design pi...
What Makes a Document Truly Accessible
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Accessibility checkers are helpful, but they don't tell the whole story. In this episode, Dax and Chad break down what really makes a document acces...
Special Considerations for Accessible Multi-language Documents
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Designing accessible multilingual documents goes way beyond translation. In this episode, Dax and Chad unpack the many layers, from alt text limitatio...
PDF Forms: Designed to Be Filled and Accessible
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forms are one of the trickiest types of PDF's to make accessible! In this episode, Chad and Dax break down why forms can be so frustrating, how taggi...
Challenges and Considerations for Excel and Accessibility
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Chax Chat, hosts Chad Chelius and Dax Castro tackle real-world challenges in document accessibility, focusing on tools like Microso...
Tips for Exporting from PowerPoint to PDF
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of ChaxChat, hosts Chad Chelius and Dax Castro delve into document accessibility with a focus on real-world challenges and professiona...
From White Paper to Practice: Making Accessibility Real
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What really drives accessibility—compliance, inclusion, or brand trust? Chad and Dax unpack an IAAP white paper on motivations, share how automation...
Template Traps: When Accessibility Isn't Built In
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Chax Chat, Chad Chelius and Dax Castro take a hard look at the hidden risks of relying on templates for accessible content. They un...
AI and Remediation: Help or Hype?
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Chax Chat, Chad Chelius and Dax Castro dive into the world of artificial intelligence and its role in accessibility. From AI-genera...
Mastering PDF Accessibility: Common Pitfalls and Pro Tips
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Chax Chat, Chad Chelius and Dax Castro tackle some of the most common challenges in document accessibility. From overlooked tagging...
What is the one accessibility tool you need?
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is really a trick question. In this episode we discuss how to answer the question "What is the one tool you use for accessibility?" Chad and Dax ...
What Matters Most: A Native AT User's Perspective
25 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
They say the best way to learn a language is by working with a native speaker, and learning Assistive Technology is no different. We are thrilled to h...
Understanding Alt Text, Actual Text, Extended Descriptions and Captions
18 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Effective use of alt text, actual text, extended descriptions, and captions are essential for helping the users of accessibility tools read the docume...
Designing with Accessibility in Mind
09 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today on Chax Chat we talk about designing with accessibility in mind. Creating an accessibility-first mindset is essential to the success of creating...
What a Pane! Tags, Content and Order Pane Explained
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Adobe InDesign offers several features to manage the tags and content of your document for accessibility, but not all panes are built the same! In tod...
Word to PDF Pitfalls: Unraveling barriers you may not be aware of
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Microsoft Word is said to be one of the best applications for making accessible documents, but how true is that claim? There are a lot of practices th...
InDesign Accessibility Tips we wish we knew sooner!
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Learn our favorite tips, tricks, and shortcuts to creating accessible documents in Indesign! Every application has hidden secrets, some so good you w...
Accessibility Lawyer Eve Hill and the Risks of Non-Compliance
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Avoiding a lawsuit is as easy as implementing accessibility correctly the first time. But as many of us know, we still aren't quite there yet. There i...
7 Things that Fail Document Accessibility but will pass your Checker
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"Automation does not guarantee compliance!" is the inspiration behind today's episode. Here at CHAX Accessibility Training. Accessibility Checkers are...
Part 2: Top 10 Accessibility Questions Newbies Ask
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There is no doubt that the subject of accessibility and remediation can be a confusing landscape for those just starting out in this wonderful industr...
Accessibility Usage Survey Results Unraveled
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Understanding how people use accessibility technology is essential to creating accessible media. In this episode, Chad Chelius and Dax Castro dive int...
Understanding the User Experience of Assistive Technology
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Chad Chelius and Dax Castro discuss what it means to understand the user experience of a screen reader as well as accessibility techno...
Revealing Nested Tag Structure Secrets
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we unravel nested tag structures. Chad and Dax break down lists, TOC, footnotes, and tables. Learn what the most basic way to create ...
Adopting Document Accessibility: How to get your boss to listen
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we interview Kelly Swanson and Sherri Smith from the Center for Schools and Communities to understand how Sheri was able to initiate ...
Accessible QR Code Structure Revealed
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dax Castro and Chad Chelius talk about the troubles with creating QR codes and reveal the common mistakes people make when trying to ...
The Top 10 Questions Document Accessibility Newbies Ask: Part 1
29 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this final episode for 2023 we look back at the most frequently asked questions by people just starting out in document accessibility. We also drop...
Can you have forms in Tables?
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Chad and Dax discuss the merits of having form fields inside tables. When is it okay? When should you avoid tables as a means of layi...
Questions about Implementing Accessibility in an Organization
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Skip koi pond chat @3:42 How to approach gaining accessibility knowlege @5:43 How long does it take to implement an accessibility workflow into an o...
An Accessible Alternative to Canva: Venngage CEO Eugene Woo
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You have heard us mention Venngage a few times and have featured it on our podcast. Now we thought it would be great to invite Venngage CEO, Eugene Wo...
Accessible Pie Charts: Can they be TOO accessible?
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chad and Dax take this session to talk about the possibility of having too much accessibility in the form of multiple patterns in pie charts. They dis...
Colorblind Considerations when Creating Accessible Charts and Graphs
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you using accessible color contrast and colorblind-friendly designs? Chad answers the question: "Does it really Matter if I make my designs colorb...
Who does the Reading Order affect? This Guest: Sonya Lewis!
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Senior UX Researcher, Inclusive Designer and Accessibility Design Lead Sonya Lewis agrees to be our guest this week to talk about how the Reading Orde...
An Accessible Alternative to Canva?
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We stumbled on to an online design tool that is giving Canva a run for their money. We show you our first impressions about the product and the acces...
Is Alternate text for hyperlinks really required?
24 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Listen to Chad and Dax talk about alternate descriptions for hyperlinks and what WCAG has to say about it. We mention PDF/UA-2 set to remove the manda...
Do I really need to set the Reading Order in my PDF?
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
CAUTION: Highly controversial accessibility topics in this podcasts: Do we need to set the reading order in my PDFs? 2. Title Tag or H1? We discuss ...
7 Questions to ask yourself before creating an accessible infographic
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast is truly an amazing goldmine of information if you struggle with creating accessible infographics? Chad Chelius and Dax Castro wal...
Recosoft Plugin that converts Powerpoint to InDesign with accessibility tags
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk with Recosoft Founder, Paul Chadha about Decks MoveIn. This is a great plugin for creating InDesign documents from PowerPoint ...
Accessible Document Covers and Maps
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this accessibility podcast episode, we discuss designing with accessibility in mind when it comes to the covers of magazines and maps in your PDF d...
PDF Navbars: Barrier or poor user experience?
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk about the difference between barriers, violations and poor user experiences. We review a practice we are seeing more and more ...
What California Assembly Bill AB 1757 means for Document Remediators
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we cover the potential risks for remediation professionals concerning the newly released Assembly Bill AB 1757. We also reveal a very ...
Accessible PowerPoint Presenting Tips
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join Chad Chelius and Dax Castro as they discuss some great tips for presenting accessibly when giving a PowerPoint (or OneNote) presentation. If you ...
WebAIM statistics that might surprise you about NVDA and JAWS
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chad and Dax take a look at some interesting new trends from the WebAIM report published every few years. #9 has some really interesting turns in the ...
What can we do to get companies to care beyond GAAD?
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Accessibility Advocate Cam Beaudoin joins Chad Chelius and Dax Castro on Global Accessibility Awareness day (GAAD) to talk about ways to keep your com...
EN 301 549 European Accessibility Standard: How much do you know?
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chad Chelius and Dax Castro talk through some of the nuances of the European Accessibility Standard, EN 301 549. Do you know which countries adopted t...
Top 7 Accessibility Struggles of new PDF Remediators
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Chad Chelius and Dax Castro talk about the top 7 things that usually come up for people just starting their PDF remediation journey. ...
What is the difference between WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 for PDF Documents?
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of Chax Chat discusses what you need to know when transitioning from WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and getting ready for WCAG 2.2 for your PDF documents....
Video Podcast: How do you know if your document is compliant?
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chad and Dax jump in front of the camera for this episode. You can find the video on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@a11y. In this eposid...
How to use the ISO-32000 PDF/UA Standard to understand accessible document structure
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Accessibility Podcast: How to use the FREE ISO-32000 PDF/UA Standard PDF Standard ISO 32000-2 is available for free! Chad and Dax peel back the cover ...
Pave the Way to Global Accessibility Awareness Day
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Guests Jeremy Seda IT Accessibility Coordinator and Jacalyn Stallings Vocational Rehab Counselor tell us all about the upcoming Pave the Way for Globa...
Mapping Custom Style in MS Word and Adobe InDesign
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Should certifications be hard? Chad and I discuss Karl Groves' recent article that discusses the question and why we agree. Chad and I discuss another...
How to convert PowerPoints and PDFs to InDesign with PDF2ID
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Special guest Harpaul Chadha (Paul) from Recosoft Corporation, joins us to talk about solutions for creating InDesign files from Accessible PowerPoint...
Canva Accessibility Considerations and dealing with Inline Elements in Word
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chad and Dax talk about the journey of accessibility for the online design platform, CANVA. You may be surprised to know that just a few months ago th...
Accessible Table Secrets
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Accessible Tables Podcast Chad and Dax jump feet first into dispelling some myths about accessible tables and have a change in thinking about another ...
ADA Digital Accessibility Lawsuits and Trends Report with Jason Taylor of UsableNet
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join Chad Chelius and Dax Castro as they welcome Jason Taylor Chief Innovations Officer at UsableNet to discuss the ADA Digital Accessibility Lawsuits...
Accessible Epubs: What you need to know
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join our guests Christine Foushi and John Foliot of Content Industries as they talk about accessible epubs. We explore the different versions, how the...
Multi-line Hyperlinks: Why they happen and what do to about them!
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Listen to Chad and and Dax talk about the accessibility problems that are created when typed hyperlinks span multiple lines. We give you the reasons w...
Accessibility Checkers: Are they enough?
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Guest David Herr, VP of Enterprise Solutions at Allyant joins us to talk about accessibility checkers and discuss the answer to"Are they enough?" Do y...
Speeding up Accessibility for Adobe InDesign
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join Chad Chelius, ADS and Dax Castro, ADS for a special podcast featuring the benefits of using Axaio's MadeToTag plugin for Adobe InDesign. Do not f...
Exciting Alt-text Announcement for Adobe Bridge
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest Caroline Desrosiers of Scribely joins us to talk about her role in the upcoming Adobe Bridge update for accessible meta data. She also discu...
When to edit the source or PDF document
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The question of when to edit the source versus the PDF document almost seems obvious to answer. But our discussion might surprise you. We also talk ab...
Understanding the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Word
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Accessibility Podcast #32: Understanding the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Word. There is so much packed into this podcast that I can hardly beli...
A Footnote and Endnote Epiphany
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chad talks about his recent discovery of solving the Acrobat error that pops up when you have an Lbl (Label) as a footnote tag without an accompanying...
The "Last Mile" approach to document accessibility
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chad and Dax talk about the "Last Mile" approach to creating accessible documents. They discuss the tools to help you get your documents passed that l...
5 Ways to get your team on board with accessibility?
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
5 Ways to get your team on board with accessibility. 1. Start with awareness by asking: a. Did you know how this works for screenreader users? b. ...
Designing with Accessibility in Mind
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Chad Chelius and Dax Castro talk about some of the key topics in their upcoming class "Designing with Accessibility in Mind" Listen in as th...
7 accessibility fails you can discover using NVDA
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Check out this episode as we walk through 7 accessibility fails you would never know where there without testing with a NVDA. We sneak in about 5 or 6...
Evaluating the Accessible User Experience
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ask yourself "What do I want the end-user experience to be?" when designing your forms? What about the heading structure of your document? Chad...
Building tables with accessibility in mind
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are so many good nuggets of info in this podcast on tables! If you struggle with tables, you cannot miss this episode. I think the biggest takea...
Interview: Large Healthcare org reveals their accessibility journey
22 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are really excited to share this week's accessibility podcast with you. We interview Senior Creative Manager "Jason" from a large healthcare organi...
The Power of Accessible SVGs
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Accessible SVGs (Scalable Vector Graphics) featuring Guest Heather Neff of Equivalent Design. If you have ever wanted to understand how smart SVG grap...
How do I hire more people with disabilities in my organization?
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Chad Chelius and Dax Castro talk about the difference in what you want and what you show as it relates to the idea of hiring more peo...
Accessible Forms - Circle gets a Square
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this accessibility podcast, Chad Chelius and Dax Castro talk about common pitfalls in creating accessible PDF forms. We passionately discuss the me...
What does it mean to be an Accessibility Advocate?
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this accessibility podcast, Chad Chelius and Dax Castro discuss what it actually means to be an accessibility advocate. Accessibility is piled on t...
Is "Just email us for an accessible version." Pass or Fail?
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This episode has lots of great tidbits but there are two standout sections of this podcast. We talk about the merits of an untagged PDF document that ...
Guest James Warnken: Screen Readers versus Magnifiers
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we are joined by accessibility advocate, blogger and TikTok personality James Warnken. We discuss James' new blog post:"Screen Magnifi...
Chax Training and Consulting Launches!
27 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chad and Dax have joined force to use their accessibility superpowers for good! Please listen to our exciting announcement in this special short pod...
Tables, Captions, Figures and Footnotes...Oh My!
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast Chad and I talk about turning the InDesign limitations of exporting Caption Tags into a benefit. We also explore some alternate pres...
Chax Chat Podcast Episodes
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
https://open.spotify.com/show/6p76kx2LHProHMFdcuRmmf
Chantilly Lace: What do I do with alt-text for color swatches?
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How do you tag a catalog that has a full page of color swatches? Chad and Dax tackle this and several other burning questions. We review our amazing t...
What level of Accessibility risk are you willing to accept?
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join Chad and Dax as they reveal several hidden techniques like disabling MS Word's Automatic Alt-text. Do you know what a Graphical Object is? Make s...
What Alt-text and Indoor Mapping have in common
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join us and our guests from Goodmaps, Evelyn Tichenor, Chief of Staff & Mike May, Chief Evangelist as we talk about indoor mapping and the challenges ...
Multiple Languages for Screen Readers
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join us this week as we talk with Amanda Mace, one of two Australia-based W3C evangelists and Office Manager for the W3C's Australian Western Region a...
Native AT User Perspective: Chris Smart
15 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Smart brings a unique perspective as a native Assistive Technology user to the world of document accessibility. Listen in as Chad Chelius and Da...
WCAG Explained PDF Download, Accessible Money and More
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do not miss the details on how to get the free downloadable PDF entitled WCAG in Plain English that covers the principles you need to know for documen...
Live from CSUN Assistive Tech Conference
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you didn't get to see us live at the Center on Disabilities at CSUN Assistive Technology Conference, or get to watch the video, here is the audio p...
Document Accessibility amidst COVID
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in this week to hear our guest Jeremy Seda from North Idaho College as we discuss some of the struggles of accessibility awareness at the college...
Document Accessibility in Higher Education
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join Chad and Dax as they preview their upcoming session at the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference on Document Accessibility in Higher Education. Th...
What are the PDF/UA Standards I need for Accessibility
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Did you miss yesterday's NEW ACCESSIBILITY PODCAST Episode on PDF/UA Standards? We cover which standard to use and why. Do you know the difference bet...
Accessible Bookmarks
08 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Who knew there were this many facets of Bookmarks for Accessibility. Listen in as Chad and Dax dissect the nuances of accessible bookmarks! I guarante...
Risk: The Accessibility Elephant in the Room
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join Chad and Dax as they have a candid discussion about a topic many shy away from: Risk. They answer the tough questions almost every accessibility ...