Accessibility hints

[xanderificnl]

Fortunately there is a lot we can already do to improve the accessibility of websites. Client hints may even provide another way to inform us of what a user needs. I do believe there is a risk to privacy (though it would be opt-in), but I believe the gains may be worth it. Hopefully this is the right place - and I didn't read over anything related - for such a discussion.

I'm thinking about headers such as Sec-CH-UA-Perceivable, Sec-CH-UA-Operable, etc. as per WACG

A few examples:

A webpage may use such information to pre-apply certain [changeable] preferences for users, such as font-size, contrast, item spacing. It could also provide a simpler layout, i.e. for screen readers and such. Certain JavaScript events such as mouseover could be adjusted to click, i.e. for certain motor disabilities this may be useful, etcetera.

FWIW, I'm not advocating that developers bypass the WACG or other standards.

[amtunlimited]

I do think accessibility is a good use-case for client hints; this is a better place for that.

Are there these kinds of settings available in other ways (e.g. already existing CSS or JS APIs)? In general, it would be better to define an API in that way first. Is there, for example, an already existing way for client/userr-agents to advertise that they prefer a high-vis version of a site, or a site optimized for screen-readers?

Of course, it would be preferable if sites are just optimized for screen-readers by default, but that's neither here nor there...