--- title: "Halloween Accessibility Nightmares: 3 Real Barriers a Blind Shopper Faced in October" description: Discover the real-life accessibility barriers a blind shopper faced with online banking, food delivery, and e-commerce experiences in October. image: https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/UsableNet_HalloweenSocialMedia%20(003).jpeg --- - [skip to menu](https://blog.usablenet.com/halloween-nightmares#nav) - [skip to content](https://blog.usablenet.com/halloween-nightmares#main-content) - [skip to footer](https://blog.usablenet.com/halloween-nightmares#footer) Test the accessibility of your website for free! Try UsableNet AQA. 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[Get Help with EN 301 549 Compliance](https://info.usablenet.com/eaa-en-301-549-compliance?__hstc=181257784.2243d86205d8f41e204908d6f6578263.1725908600455.1736198093211.1736205902814.174&__hssc=181257784.1.1736205902814&__hsfp=3011104808) - Who We Serve ## Industry [E-commerce and Consumer Goods](https://info.usablenet.com/industries-e-commerce-consumer-goods) [Food Service and Hospitality](https://info.usablenet.com/-industries-food-service-hospitality) [Banking and Financial Services](https://info.usablenet.com/industries-financial-services) [Healthcare](https://info.usablenet.com/industries-healthcare) [Technology and Business Services](https://info.usablenet.com/-industries-technology-and-business-services) [Public Sector and Education](https://info.usablenet.com/industries-public-sector-and-education) ## Compliance [Canadian Accessibility Laws](https://info.usablenet.com/compliance-canada) [European Accessibility Laws](https://info.usablenet.com/compliance-europe) [Other International Accessibility](https://info.usablenet.com/compliance-international) [United States Accessibility Laws](https://info.usablenet.com/compliance-united-states) 2026 Midyear report on digital accessibility lawsuits in the US [Download Now](https://info.usablenet.com/2026-midyear-report) - [Pricing](https://usablenet.com/pricing) - [Blog](https://blog.usablenet.com/) - [About Us](https://usablenet.com/about-us) [Get a Demo](https://info.usablenet.com/contact) # Halloween Accessibility Nightmares: 3 Real Barriers a Blind Shopper Faced in October **By** [Michael Taylor](https://blog.usablenet.com/author/michael-taylor) on Oct 30, 2025 **Topics:** [Web Accessibility](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/web-accessibility), [User Experience](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/user-experience), [Ecommerce](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/ecommerce) 0 Comments - - - ![Cartoon version of Michael, the writer, being scared by a green monster coming out of his computer monitor](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/UsableNet_HalloweenSocialMedia%20(003).jpeg) With Halloween tomorrow, it felt like the right time to share a few accessibility horror stories from real tasks I tried to complete this month. In this blog, I will describe three horrifying accessibility issues I encountered in October and how each problem hindered my attempt to complete a given task. These were glaring, frightening accessibility defects that completely broke the experience. This post describes three real accessibility barriers I encountered in October as a blind screen reader user. ## Haunted Banking: Three "Submit" Buttons and No Escape One of my credit cards recently expired, and I received a replacement card in the mail. The new card needed to be activated by visiting the URL included inside the card's mailing envelope. Upon launching the website in question, I was asked to enter the last four digits of the card number, the new expiration date, and the three-digit security code. I entered the requested data, then navigated past the text fields to find the button or link to complete my activation request. However, my screen reader encountered three consecutive web elements announced as "Submit, Button." There were clearly three buttons at the bottom of the form, but they all had the same nondescript, useless label: "Submit." I had no idea which button would take me to the next step. I was inclined to assume that the first button was the correct one, but since I was dealing with something as crucial as online banking, I did not want to take a chance. At this point, I had to ask a sighted person for assistance. I was glad I did not select the first button because this option reported the card as lost or stolen, which would have initiated a new card being sent in the mail and begun the process all over again, rendering the card I was trying to activate utterly useless. The second button was the one labeled "Activate Card." I was unable to complete this task independently due to a serious accessibility barrier. ## Ghosted Delivery Suggestions for Screen Readers I recently tried ordering from a national fast-food chain for delivery via the restaurant's mobile website. Everything was working well until I had to enter my delivery address during checkout. The system was designed so that address suggestions appeared below the text field as the user typed their address details using the virtual keyboard. The screen reader would speak the first address suggestion every time I entered a character in the field. However, when I tried to move screen reader focus to the suggestions list to find and select my address entry, the suggestions would disappear, and the contents of the text field would automatically clear. I was unable to navigate through the address suggestions with my screen reader. The results were the same whether I was using manual swipe navigation or direct touch. I tried typing in my address in its entirety, but there was no way to lock in my entry or proceed to the next step. The only way for a user to choose an address was from the interactive suggestions list. Since this list was not accessible, I was unable to place a delivery order with this restaurant. ## Cursed Variant Picker: Stuck on the Wrong Size  Last week, I attempted to purchase some air conditioner covers from a major online retailer. The particular cover I was shopping for came in several sizes and colors. Needing a specific size configuration to fit my units, I navigated past the product images to the section of the page that let users choose their variant. I moved through the horizontally arranged set of size options. I easily found the one I needed thanks to the correct labeling. I performed the screen reader activation gesture to select the option. I returned to the top of the page to review my selection and confirm that my variant choice had been recorded. To my dismay, the product title and description still reflected the smallest cover size, which was the default. My change wasn't recorded for some reason. I returned to the product variant selector list and tried again, but had the same negative results. The product variant selector wasn't responding to screen reader interaction or manipulation. Because I couldn't choose the correct size, I couldn't complete my shopping mission and had to abandon the task. This flaw was a primary blocker, preventing me from using the site as intended. ## Fix the Haunted Patterns Before Customers Find Them Major accessibility blockers shut out screen reader users and prevent us from enjoying the functionality and benefits of a given digital experience. If your team is seeing issues like these in banking, ordering, or ecommerce, the experience needs to be tested with real assistive technology users, not just automated testing. Accessibility should never be seasonal. Fix the haunted patterns before your customers find them. [![SeeADemo-680x200-v2](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3280432/interactive-145473594433.png)](https://blog.usablenet.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJ7spF6oozejp8Yc9GadZymF%2FXMdf%2FoKAEAn0P7xHB77zK%2FOyAqCF5YxBinp400kJIz829blMiRwsyMlhUfnKstJyJ87yrezKEkrTsM9Bv9rKIuriBJa9%2BHVYiWko58VOWKa5UV6%2FB9WsKiNfTFw0zsIZDVwWig2%2BjN%2Bq%2FZrXfctbCZjIOrjHSVKDg%3D&webInteractiveContentId=145473594433&portalId=3280432) *This is a guest post from our marketing contributor, Michael Taylor. It reflects his opinions and experiences.* [*Read more about Michael and some other posts on his experience online here.*](https://blog.usablenet.com/author/michael-taylor) ![Michael Taylor](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Michael%20Taylor-4.jpg) ### [Michael Taylor](https://blog.usablenet.com/author/michael-taylor) I am a regular contributor to the UsableNet blog on digital accessibility. I develop, write, and edit content for the company blog related to my experiences with digital accessibility. I explore various areas of the digital world and combine my unique perspective as a screen reader user with my fun and creative writing style to deliver an informative and engaging final product. My goal is to advance the company's marketing initiatives while also raising awareness about digital accessibility and how it affects the lives of real-world assistive technology users. My work covers everything from common accessibility challenges to robust and accessible design to tutorial-like content for specific web elements. - - - - ### Related posts ![Hotel Website Accessibility: Check-in, Messaging, and In-Stay Barriers for Blind Guests](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Beachside-min.jpg) [Hotel Website Accessibility: Check-in, Messaging, and In-Stay Barriers for Blind Guests](https://blog.usablenet.com/hotel-website-accessibility-check-in-and-in-stay-barriers-for-blind-guests) Jul 15, 2026 ![Hotel Website Accessibility: Browsing Room Options](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Beachside-min.jpg) [Hotel Website Accessibility: Browsing Room Options](https://blog.usablenet.com/hotel-website-accessibility-browsing-room-options) Jul 14, 2026 ![Inside the 2026 Midyear Numbers: The ADA continues to be the ONLY true enforcement around](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Registration%20-%20Midyear%20Report.png) [Inside the 2026 Midyear Numbers: The ADA continues to be the ONLY true enforcement around](https://blog.usablenet.com/inside-the-2026-midyear-numbers-where-digital-accessibility-litigation-is-going) Jul 8, 2026 ![Real Estate Website Accessibility: Property Listing Pages and Screen Readers](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Real%20Estate%20Website%20Accessibility%20-%20Property%20Listing%20Pages%20and%20Screen%20Readers%201200%20x%20630.png) [Real Estate Website Accessibility: Property Listing Pages and Screen Readers](https://blog.usablenet.com/real-estate-website-accessibility-property-listing-pages-and-screen-readers) Jul 7, 2026 ### Sign Up for the UsableNet Blog ### Recent Posts ![feature image](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Beachside-min.jpg) [Hotel Website Accessibility: Check-in, Messaging, and In-Stay Barriers for Blind Guests](https://blog.usablenet.com/hotel-website-accessibility-check-in-and-in-stay-barriers-for-blind-guests) Jul 15, 2026 ![feature image](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Beachside-min.jpg) [Hotel Website Accessibility: Browsing Room Options](https://blog.usablenet.com/hotel-website-accessibility-browsing-room-options) Jul 14, 2026 ![feature image](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Registration%20-%20Midyear%20Report.png) [Inside the 2026 Midyear Numbers: The ADA continues to be the ONLY true enforcement around](https://blog.usablenet.com/inside-the-2026-midyear-numbers-where-digital-accessibility-litigation-is-going) Jul 8, 2026 ### Posts by Topic - [Web Accessibility (311)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/web-accessibility) - [User Experience (113)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/user-experience) - [ADA Lawsuits (45)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/ada-lawsuits) - [ADA Website Compliance (38)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/ada-website-compliance) - [European Accessibility Act (34)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/european-accessibility-act) - [Mobile Web (30)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/mobile-web) - [Mobile Apps (27)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/mobile-apps) - [Retail (27)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/retail) ![](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Consultation%20Icon.svg) Need to improve digital usability, accessibility or performance? 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