Now describing a range of physical characteristics of a coin to users of a screen reader isn't easy. ALT text could be used but then this becomes pretty complicated fast. Your having to include so much content describing the various embossed letters it would make listening to the audio description tiring.

Instead, they used semantic HTML, and more specifically, the <STRONG> element, to communicate the emphasis in a way CSS alone couldn't. The words "Side B" and letters "B", "TH", "A" and "S" were all contained in the <STRONG> element, all this because CSS styling isn't announced by screen readers.

But as of 2026, screen readers and assistive technology doesn't announce the <STRONG> element in any special way. But that doesn't mean it's not worth using. The strong element is still a smart choice for future-proofing content. If or maybe when screen readers get better at describing these nuances, users will automatically benefit.

But the clever part came undone. As brilliant as this technique was, the accessibility problem wasn't with the coin description. It's the accordion control used for the accessible text version.

At a glance the accordion looked correct. aria-expanded toggles from false to true when a panel opens, and back again when it closes. But the panel content also contains aria-hidden.

aria-hidden is a blunt instrument. When used well, content is removed entirely from the accessibility tree. It can be a perfectly valid technique to hide content you don't yet want screen readers to announce. But it's only valid if you keep it in sync with what's shown on screen.

So, whilst the accordion announced itself as opened and closed due to the aria-expanded attribute, aria-hidden on the panel containing the actual content doesn't change. The "accessible text" remained hidden to screen readers even when visible.

That single mismatch made the accessible text version … completely inaccessible to a screen reader. And as of February 2026 It isn't read out or announced in any way.

Now fortunately the fix is straightforward. When the panel is open, content must be visible to a screen reader so set aria-hidden to "false" (or remove it entirely). However when the panel is closed reverse this and set aria-hidden to "true".

What the Australian Signals Directorate did was genuinely clever. They used semantic HTML to add meaning and texture to describe a visual design detail. But one stale aria-hidden attribute undercut the whole experience.

Stale attributes mean when ARIA is used, it needs to be treated incredibly cautiously. Test the real output not just the markup and assume until tested with a screen reader the design is not yet complete.

Aria can significantly enhance experiences for screen reader users, but in the case of the Australian Signals Directorate and their commemorative coin it can also mask, hide and otherwise make accessible text, inaccessible.

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Until next time, bye for now