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Chax Chat Accessibility Podcast

Chax Chat Accessibility Podcast

Dax Castro & Chad Chelius 100 episodes Nov 10, 2026

Chax Chat Accessibility Podcast features Chad Chelius and Dax Castro discussing document accessibility topics, trends, and practical issues. The hosts share insights and commentary aimed at people who create or work with accessible documents. Episodes may also include occasional complaints and informal conversation about the accessibility field.

Episodes

Alt Text, Tables, or Alternate Formats? Choosing the Right Approach
Alt Text, Tables, or Alternate Formats? Choosing the Right Approach Nov 10, 2026 35:29 Join Chad Chelius and Dax Castro as they explore how to choose an accessible alternative for complex charts, graphics, and tables. They discuss when alt text can communicate a chart's purpose, when readers need individual data points, and why hiding a table behind a graphic is no longer their automatic solution. From meaningful body copy and table summaries to linked alternatives and structured te
Accessible Letterhead Mistakes You're Probably Making
Accessible Letterhead Mistakes You're Probably Making Oct 27, 2026 25:30 Letterhead may be designed to lock in an organization's branding, but it can also lock meaningful information away from screen reader users. When logos, contact information, board listings, and hyperlinks are placed in Microsoft Word's header or footer, important content may disappear from the reading order and links can create untagged annotation errors in the exported PDF. In this episode of Cha
Tags Tree Tips You Should Know
Tags Tree Tips You Should Know Oct 13, 2026 40:59 Automated accessibility checkers can flag errors, but they cannot always tell you whether a heading is tagged correctly, a nested list has the right structure, or several pages of content never entered the tags tree at all. In this episode of Chax Chat, Dax Castro and Chad Chelius explain what it means to "walk the tags tree" and why this manual review remains essential to accessible PDF remediati
What's New in Accessibility
What's New in Accessibility Sep 29, 2026 31:54 Accessibility software does not always move quickly, but several recent updates are changing how accessible documents are created, remediated, and tested. In this episode of Chax Chat, Chad and Dax break down the advances that are actually worth knowing about. They cover accessible PDF forms exported from Word, improved table headers and scope in InDesign, MathML support, PowerPoint reading-order
Nested Tags to Watch Out For
Nested Tags to Watch Out For Sep 15, 2026 37:47 What happens when a PDF tag is technically in the right place, but a screen reader never voices it? In this episode of Chax Chat, Chad and Dax dig into nested tags and the places where the standard, accessibility checkers, and real-world assistive technology do not always agree. They explore captions nested inside figures and tables, QR codes that combine figures and links, table summaries, and mu
Instantly Improve InDesign Accessibility
Instantly Improve InDesign Accessibility Sep 1, 2026 30:13 Can one InDesign plugin turn hours of PDF remediation into a few minutes of source-document work? In this episode of Chax Chat, Chad and Dax walk through MadeToTag and explain why they consider it essential for creating accessible PDFs from Adobe InDesign. They explore its seven-task workflow, including export-tag mapping, Articles panel review, alternate text management, document metadata, langua
Accessible Graphic Novels
Accessible Graphic Novels Aug 18, 2026 32:36 How do you make a highly visual graphic novel accessible without flattening the story into a series of disconnected image descriptions? In this episode of Chax Chat, Chad and Dax explore the unique accessibility challenges created by panels, speech balloons, visual action, pacing, suspense, and complex reading order. They present a seven-step approach for preserving the experience, including under
Complex Infographics: A Tactical Approach
Complex Infographics: A Tactical Approach Aug 4, 2026 41:41 Complex infographics can be one of the most challenging accessibility problems to solve. In this episode, Chad and Dax break down a practical framework for evaluating, designing, and remediating complex visual content. From water cycle diagrams and flowcharts to data-rich visualizations, they explore how to determine the intended user experience, choose the right delivery method, and decide when a
TOCs vs. Bookmarks: Which Serves Users Better?
TOCs vs. Bookmarks: Which Serves Users Better? Jul 21, 2026 38:59 In this episode, Chad and Dax explore one of the most overlooked accessibility features in document design: the table of contents. They discuss why a properly built TOC often provides a better user experience than bookmarks, how screen reader users interact with document navigation, and why automated TOCs are worth the effort. We dive into common objections to using table of contents features, pra
If You Are Not Listening, You Are Not Finished
If You Are Not Listening, You Are Not Finished Jul 7, 2026 48:22 You're always surprised at how many people who are document remediation specialists have never listened to their document using assistive technology. Passing an accessibility checker does not guarantee a good user experience. In this episode, Chad and Dax break down the real-world issues that only show up when you actually test your documents with assistive technology. From acronyms and ligatures
The Hidden Cost of PDF Navigation
The Hidden Cost of PDF Navigation Jun 23, 2026 36:04 PDF navigation menus might seem helpful, but are they actually creating barriers for assistive technology users? In this episode, Chad and Dax unpack the hidden accessibility challenges caused by page navigation in PDFs, including "Back to TOC" buttons, navigation bars, bookmarks, and linked page controls. They explain why something that feels intuitive for sighted users can become frustrating and
Understanding PDF Forms and the User Experience
Understanding PDF Forms and the User Experience Jun 9, 2026 44:01 If you've ever struggled to understand why PDF forms are inaccessible, you need to listen to this episode! Chad and Dax dive deep into one of the most frustrating areas of document accessibility: PDF forms. From tooltip confusion and form field tagging to radio buttons, checkboxes, tables, and AEM Forms, they unpack why forms continue to create accessibility barriers for users of assistive technol

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