WCAGdesk
BFSG / EAA / WCAG glossary

Accessibility overlay

A JavaScript widget (accessiBe, UserWay…) that re-renders a page at runtime. Marketing compliance, not legal compliance.

An accessibility overlay is a third-party JavaScript widget that modifies the page after it loads. It does not change the source HTML that enforcement tests, and independent researchers have documented that overlays often break screen readers. In April 2025 the US FTC fined accessiBe $1M over deceptive compliance claims.

An overlay produces no dated evidence and is not a defence to an Abmahnung — see why overlays fail BFSG.

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