# May 2025 Newsletter

## (Accessibility Wins, Product Updates, and Fresh Insights)

## Introduction

How are we already almost halfway through the year? The month of May flew by, and we’ve got a lot to share—Natalie MacLees just got back from [AccessU](https://knowbility.org/programs/john-slatin-accessu-2025), and the team is freshly done celebrating [GAAD](https://accessibility.day/)!

From accessibility events to product updates, let’s recap the month and what’s coming up next.

## AAArdvark Product Updates

Over the last few weeks, we’ve introduced a variety of fixes and improvements, including:

- Improvements  
  - Code snippets now have syntax highlighting for easy reading  
  - Better instructions for hiding Cookie Banners on screenshots  
  - User role management moved to the Teams settings page  
  - The default sorting order for sitemap pages now excludes pages you’ve already added to AAArdvark  
- Newly Added  
  - Email notifications for issues needing manual review  
  - Filter issues by Pending Status  
- Fixed  
  - Opening and highlighting the issue instance directly in Visual Mode

## What’s New and Noteworthy

1. **Back from** [**AccessU**](https://knowbility.org/programs/john-slatin-accessu-2025/accessu-at-a-glance): [Natalie MacLees](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliemac/) just came back from [giving her workshop](https://knowbility.org/programs/john-slatin-accessu-2025/posh-foundations-building-accessibility-with-semantic-html) at the Knowbility’s AccessU conference. It was awesome to connect with other members of the digital accessibility community, and we’ll be sharing the workshop recording soon.  
2. **Spreading Awareness with the Newest Podcast Episode**: [Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2025](/content/celebrating-global-accessibility-awareness-day-2025/index.html). In episode 23, we talked about GAAD and also did our part to spread the word on digital accessibility.
   - Check out the latest episode on all the major platforms, subscribe on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@AAArdvark-Accessibility), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/5dmAvOikzAxXr4nuQNKxTq), [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aaardvark-accessibility-podcast/id1789619090), and [Amazon Music](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/46c94a5b-52cc-4b5e-a433-58ce1e66ba58/aaardvark-accessibility-podcast)
3. **Next Livestream**: Join us on June 4 for a live walkthrough of testing with **NVDA and Firefox**, one of the most effective free combos for accessibility audits.  
   - And, check out the [latest livestream](https://youtube.com/live/6YRt8i7w7fs?feature=share), where we tested with **VoiceOver and Safari**.
4. **Accessibility Without Burnout**: Accessibility isn’t about getting it all perfect overnight. It’s about making steady, meaningful progress. [Read the full blog post](/content/accessibility-without-burnout/index.html) by our co-founder Natalie MacLees.

## Quick Tip: Issue assignment in AAArdvark

Are you tired of chasing accessibility issue updates? Use [issue assignment](/content/guides/accessibility-issues/#assigning-issues/index.html) in AAArdvark to keep everyone on track.

Assign issues to specific teammates, and they can receive in-app notifications or emails (depending on their [notification settings](/content/guides/profile-settings/#notification-settings/index.html)).

Issue #25 marked as Critical and Active, assigned to Natalie, regarding missing alt text in `<area>` elements of image maps. Dropdown and buttons shown for assignment.

## Conclusion

Thanks for catching up with us! We’re glad to be on this journey with you as we work toward a more accessible web.

We’ve got more features, content, and events coming your way—so stay tuned as we roll into summer. [Got questions or feedback?](/content/contact-us/index.html) Our support team’s just a message away.