Léonie Watson
tink.uk
Léonie Watson
@tink.uk
Accessibility engineer, Director of TetraLogical, Chair of W3C Board of Directors, W3C WebApps WG co-chair, writer and speaker, screen reader user, tequila drinker and crime fiction junkie.
The @tetralogical.com team has gathered for a day of retrospectives, updates, and opportunities to innovate what we do and the services we offer, plus a Christmas quiz.

There might also be a selection of Christmas hats on display, and there's a rumour going around that my hat might not be black! 😊
December 22, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Reposted by Léonie Watson
I loved this talk by @tink.uk on pros and cons of AI for a11y ffconf.org/talks/2024_l....

As for 2, yeah, I worry about that too. I'm happy the kill switch will be there for folks who want nothing to do with it, but I get why that might not be enough for some folks.
AI & Accessibility: The Good, the Bad...
Léonie Watson explores the realities of AI and accessibility, separating fact from hype at FFConf.
ffconf.org
December 18, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Reposted by Léonie Watson
Been catching up on @amyhupe.bsky.social's wonderful Systems of Harm podcast and really enjoyed this episode with @tink.uk. Covers a lot from #a11y to #AI and I always find Léonie's perspective valuable.

systems-of-harm.fireside.fm/ep2-leonie-w...
Design systems and accessibility with Léonie Watson
How can design systems help us to create more accessible user experiences? How can we win hearts and minds in the fight to create more equitable experiences for disabled people? Will AI help or hinder...
systems-of-harm.fireside.fm
December 19, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Awkward? Who? Moi? 😘 😂 💜
Deep down, I always suspected that @tink.uk was going to be trouble.
December 13, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by Léonie Watson
AI shopping assistants now pick sizes and fill carts for you.

WebExpo 2023 speaker @tink.uk asked a bold question. If agents browse for us, what even is the web now?

She zoomed in on what this means for accessibility and why the next UX challenge may involve non-human users.
Accessibility and the agentic web - TetraLogical
Imagine being in a department store that sells clothes from multiple brands and having a personal shopping assistant to help you select the clothes you want to buy. As a blind person, that's about the only way it's possible to go clothes shopping, independently at least, but few stores offer such a service, so you resort to shopping online.
tetralogical.com
December 11, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Delighted to learn that my Accessibility and the Agentic Web post was included in the first edition of a new newsletter for the design curious, thoughtfully curated by Siddharth Jha:
subgrid.kit.com/posts/subgri...

#design #accessibility #agentics
SUBGRID Issue #001
SUBGRID is a free thoughtfully curated weekly catalog of good design and design craft. Dispatched with ❤ from Canada by Siddharth S Jha.
subgrid.kit.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Reposted by Léonie Watson
@tink.uk has contributed a chapter to the upcoming book, Digital Accessibility Ethics: Disability Inclusion in All Things Tech, with contributions from 39 global accessibility and disability advocates.

Due out in March 2026, it's available now for preorder on Amazon: www.amazon.com/Digital-Acce...
Digital Accessibility Ethics: Disability Inclusion in All Things Tech
Digital Accessibility Ethics: Disability Inclusion in All Things Tech: 9781041018681: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com
www.amazon.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:09 PM
I'm happy to share that I've written a chapter for a book called Digital Accessibility Ethics: Disability Inclusion in All Things Tech, to be published on 26 March 2026:
www.routledge.com/Digital-Acce...

#DigitalAccessibilityEthics
Digital Accessibility Ethics: Disability Inclusion in All Things Tech
Digital Accessibility Ethics is a practical guide with an urgent goal: to help end tech exclusion of 1.3 billion people across the world with disabilities. The book introduces the first Digital Access...
www.routledge.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:43 PM
The #W3C Workshop on Smart Voice Agents will be in February 2026, and the call for speakers is open until 27 November 2025. More info here:
www.w3.org/2025/10/smar...

#voice #agents #agentics #AI
W3C Workshop on Smart Voice Agents
www.w3.org
October 30, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Looks like the DoJ is not going to issue the expected rulings on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) after all:
newenglandbizlawupdate.com/2025/10/15/d...

Under the current US administration, this is like a surprise, only not so much...

#accessibility #a11y #ADA
DOJ shelves ADA rulemaking on digital accessibility
In a surprising regulatory rollback, the Department of Justice has withdrawn two key rulemaking efforts under the Americans with Disabilities Act, including long-awaited rules on digital accessibility...
newenglandbizlawupdate.com
October 16, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Reposted by Léonie Watson
We’re delighted to see our Director, @tink.uk, featured in @calvium.bsky.social's latest article.

It explores Léonie’s pioneering journey, her role in shaping web standards, and her commitment to creating a more inclusive digital world.

Read the full feature at: calvium.com/leonie-watson/
Digital innovation, emerging technology and accessibility with Léonie Watson
Léonie Watson, founder and WC3 board member, discusses how digital innovations are reshaping accessibility, and ways innovation can be both inclusive and sustainable.
calvium.com
October 8, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Reposted by Léonie Watson
How can design systems support accessibility? What role will AI play in shaping the future of inclusion?

Director @tink.uk, joins @amyhupe.bsky.social on her Systems of Harm Podcast to share insights on inclusive design and the future of technology.

Listen at: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/d...
Design systems and accessibility with Léonie Watson
Podcast Episode · Systems of Harm · 08/10/2025 · 52m
podcasts.apple.com
October 10, 2025 at 8:01 AM
The countdown to Inclusive Design 24 on 25 September begins:
inclusivedesign24.org/2025/schedule/

@inclusivedesign24.bsky.social is a free 24-hour online event for the global community.

#id24 #accessibility #a11y #design #code #gamedev #disability
Inclusive Design 24 (#id24)
A free 24-hour online community event on accessibility and inclusion
inclusivedesign24.org
September 18, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Reposted by Léonie Watson
This is a fantastic talk from @tink.uk about AI and accessibility.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVZP...

A fair and balanced view on the bad (that's the easy bit to cover!) but also the good that this technology can bring to people that need it.
There Is No Spoon – Léonie Watson | Pixel Pioneers 2025
YouTube video by Pixel Pioneers
www.youtube.com
August 27, 2025 at 11:04 AM
If the methodology is robust, then kudos to #Google for developing a way to calculate #AI energy and water consumption more comprehensively than has been typical so far:
www.cnet.com/tech/service...
How Much Energy Do Your AI Prompts Consume? Google Just Shared Its Gemini Numbers
Current measurements of AI's impact aren't telling the full story. Google has offered a new method it hopes to standardize.
www.cnet.com
August 22, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Reposted by Léonie Watson
Retail sites often fail blind shoppers. Could agentic AI fill the gap?

Tools like Innosearch can find products, describe images, and add items to your basket.

@tink.uk explores further: tetralogical.com/blog/2025/08...

#Accessibility #AI #AgenticWeb #InclusiveDesign #UX #DigitalInclusion
August 8, 2025 at 12:48 PM
@inclusivedesign24.bsky.social is a non-profit organisation, and we’re able to keep the spirit of Inclusive Design 24 alive because of the generosity of our supporters.

If you'd like to join them, there's more info here:
inclusivedesign24.org/2025/support...

#id24 #accessibility #inclusion
Inclusive Design 24 (#id24)
A free 24-hour online community event on accessibility and inclusion
inclusivedesign24.org
August 9, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Reposted by Léonie Watson
🎥 Here's the first video from Pixel Pioneers Bristol 2025!

@tink.uk's opening keynote covers the risks and limitations of generative AI but also its extraordinary potential to make the world more accessible. It's a must-watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVZP...

#ThrowbackThursday #tbthursday #a11y
There Is No Spoon – Léonie Watson | Pixel Pioneers 2025
YouTube video by Pixel Pioneers
www.youtube.com
August 7, 2025 at 9:54 AM
With agentic AI contributing to the AI hype-cycle, I've been giving it some thought from the point of view of a disabled person, and as an accessibility specialist who's already witnessing the arrival of the agentic web first-hand:
tetralogical.com/blog/2025/08...

#AI #agentics #accessibility
Accessibility and the agentic web - TetraLogical
Imagine being in a department store that sells clothes from multiple brands and having a personal shopping assistant to help you select the clothes you want to buy. As a blind person, that's about the...
tetralogical.com
August 8, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Reposted by Léonie Watson
On this day in 2021, Léonie Watson @tink.uk examined the privacy risks of overlays and made a compelling case. The questions she addressed to #accessiBe about their Data Protection Impact Assessment were never answered.
AccessiBe and data protection? - Tink - Léonie Watson
Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP)
tink.uk
July 27, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Using ChatGPt Agent...

Me: "What's the next event on my calendar?"

Agent: Thinks

Me: Goes to make tea.

Time passes.

Agent: "Your next event is daily stand-up today at 9:05AM."

"Also, apologies, but I seem to have deleted the previous event in your calendar. Would you like me to restore it?"
August 1, 2025 at 7:04 AM
In 1994 the UK voted the widget inside a can of Guinness as Invention of the Year.

The Internet came second.

Yes, yes, I know that far more people were probably drinking Guinness than using the interwebs back in 1994, but c'mon... 😂
July 6, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Reposted by Léonie Watson
From 28 June 2025, the EU’s Accessibility Act will reshape how businesses approach accessibility.

Lasting success means making accessibility part of your everyday work practices.

Read more from @tink.uk at:
www.startyourbusinessmag.com/blog/2025/06...

#SustainableAccessibility #EAA #EUCompliance
Accessibility is Not an Option: What the European Accessibility Act (EAA) Means for You - Start Your Business Magazine
We are moving into a new era of accessibility, when online stores and eBooks that talk, tablets that connect wirelessly to hearing aids, and controlling your laptop with your voice are ubiquitous. And...
www.startyourbusinessmag.com
June 23, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Give me four minutes and I will change how you see social media. Forever."

Italian film-maker Elena Rossini introduces the fediverse: a new era for social media:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRJH...

The more we like and share this video, the more it'll irritate the hell out of Musk, Zuckerberg and co.
Introducing the Fediverse: a New Era of Social Media
YouTube video by Elena Rossini
www.youtube.com
June 16, 2025 at 7:33 PM