Accessibility in Practice

You're likely familiar with accessibility laws and approaches, but what does it look like when we put them into practice? In this presentation, we'll talk about real projects with real teams. This presentation will provide:
- an overview of how nonprofit and governmental organizations approach accessibility for digital products.
- case studies on how teams tackle accessibility on projects and the commons issues they face.
- insight into how user experience designers and researchers support the accessibility process

This presentation was given to Dr. Robin Brewer's 'Intro to Accessibility' graduate class at the University of Michigan.

Transcript

1. Courtney Clark • September 15, 2020 Accessibility in Practice Source: Graphics courtesy of Microsoft’s Inclusive Design project and Dribbble
2. Nice to meet you! Courtney Clark VP of Design at Forum One cclark@forumone.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarkcourtney/
3. We’ve been at this for 25 years. We’ve partnered with more than 1,000 organizations and government agencies. We’ve helped them better reach their mission on over 2,000 projects. We are experts in digital strategy, creative, technology, data, and user experience. About Forum One We create experiences that make an impact.
5. Today’s Agenda Introduction Digital Accessibility with Government & Nonprofits Accessibility on a Project Your Role in Accessibility Questions & Answers
6. Why should nonprofits and government care about accessibility?
7. WHY Live your mission Accessibility is an easy way to live your mission.
8. WHY Expand your reach Accessibility allows you to reach more people and, in turn, allows more people to contribute back to you.
9. Disability Prevalence by Age Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation; Level Access With a disability With a severe disability
10. WHY Help protect from lawsuits Web accessibility lawsuits increased 177% between 2017 and 2018. That trend is not expected to slow down. More information on lawsuits: • Department of Homeland Security Sued for Section 508 Violations • Beyonce Sued: If you like it then you should put some accessibility on it • Lawsuits are trending up; Current Landscape
11. Accessibility on Digital Projects Bake it it. Aim for progress, not perfection.
12. — Pacific Whale Conservancy We LOVE our new website. We came in on time and under budget. I can’t wait for the donations to come pouring in! “
13. — Disappointed Whale Advocate Dear PWC, I wasn’t able to complete my donation online. I use a screen reader and a keyboard to navigate. “
14. Audit results: ❏ Keyboard traps ❏ Tab order is not intuitive ❏ Images & icons are missing alt text. ❏ Empty links ❏ Screen reader isn’t recognizing headings ❏ Images of text ❏ Content is cluttered. Text hard to read. ❏ Too many calls to action ❏ Color contrast issues
15. The issues were fixed, but at a cost of 3 additional months for rework.
16. TIP Don’t think of accessibility as something additional you need to do. Think of it as part of the process you’re already doing. Doing so will improve your accessibility while saving you time and money. Bake it into your existing process
17. Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
18. “ “This is the first site that passed the strictest accessibility standards at Georgetown.” Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
19. TIP Don’t think of accessibility as something additional you need to do. Think of it as part of the process you’re already doing. Doing so will improve your accessibility while saving you time and money. Bake it into your existing process
20. TIP It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Aim for progress, not perfection.
21. Julia Stasch Julia Stasch became MacArthur's fifth President in July 2015. She streamlined grantmaking for a greater sense of urgency, more focus, and enhanced impact in addressing some of the world's most challenging social problems.
23. Accessibility Journey 2016 2016 2017 2018 2019 Commitment & Scan 1. Independent developer scan 2. New section (Big Bets) & initial design system 3. Commitment to WCAG 2.0 AA
24. Accessibility Journey 2017 2016 2017 2018 2019 Phased Approach • Formal WebAIM scan & report • Phased redesign in progress
25. Accessibility Review
26. Accessibility Journey 2018 2016 2017 2018 2019 Content Focus • Optimize content • Phased redesign “complete(?)”
27. Accessibility Journey 2019 2016 2017 2018 2019 Testing & Extension • Usability testing • WebAIM grantee booklet • Follow-up scan
28. TIP It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Aim for progress, not perfection.
29. Your Role in Accessibility How UX designers and researchers can contribute
30. Who’s primarily responsible for accessibility? My question
31. Developers of course! Common answer Who’s primarily responsible for accessibility? My question
32. Developers Designers Project Managers Content Creators Product Owners Actual answer Who’s primarily responsible for accessibility? My question
33. Who’s primarily responsible for accessibility? My question YOU ARE! The only answer
34. TIP Everyone has a role to play! Yes, even you. Accessibility is a team sport.
35. Developers Build so that people have options. You should: 1. Use semantic markup: A11ycasts with Rob Dodson 2. Test often using both automated and manual tools. Our team likes: WAVE, Axe Cli, Lighthouse, Accessibility Insights, SiteImprove, HTML_CodeSniffer 3. Tell your team what you need (ex. Alt text, reading order). Government focused resources to share with your team: https://accessibility.digital.gov
36. UX Designer & Researcher Research and design for all user types. You should: 1. Adopt an inclusive design approach. Learn about the range of disabilities and how it affects the audience’s experience. Web Accessibility Perspectives. 2. Include diverse set of people in your research, personas, user stories, and usability testing. AccessWorks from Knowbility 3. Document order on complex layouts or wireframe.
37. Source: WebAIM. Screen Reader User Survey #7 Results https://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey7/ Fix Most Annoying Problems During Design
38. UX + Accessibility Source: https://inclusivedesignprinciples.org
39. Visual Designer Create clean and clear solutions. You should: 1. Learn about the range of disabilities and how each affects audience experience. Web Accessibility Perspectives. 2. Only present options that are accessible! (ex. color contrast, text on image). 3. Get creative, try new things! But make a plan (with your developer).
40. Design + Accessibility Source: https://ukhomeoffice.github.io/accessibility-posters/posters/accessibility-posters.pdf
41. Content Creators Ensure content is easier for everyone to read and understand. You should: 1. Write alt text for your images. 2. Write at a 5-6th grade level. Then test your text using Hemingway Editor. 3. Write clear, informative headlines (short, direct, plain language).
42. This heading two style This is my paragraph style. I’ve applied the correct style from the dropdown. This heading two style This is paragraph text, but I’ve applied my h4 style to jazz things up. Heading 3 Heading 3 Heading 4 Do this Not this Use Headings And use them for their intended purpose
43. Use Descriptive Links Try this Not this Source: Nielsen Norman Group. Better Link Labels: 4Ss for Encouraging Clicks https://www.nngroup.com/articles/better-link-labels/
44. Use Alt Text. Make it Meaningful Dog sits on yellow couch, enjoying coffee and a book. Another dog in the background looks on. Dog on couch. Write this Not this 125-140 characters (no actual limit). Consider: Why was this image chosen? What feelings do you hope the viewer feels?
45. Project Managers Team Captain. Ensure accessibility is happening at every stage of the project. You should: 1. Address accessibility in the kickoff, confirm details. 2. Include accessibility as a product requirement and acceptance criteria. 3. Bring in accessibility experts if your team lacks knowledge.
46. Product Owner • Client Make accessibility a priority. You should: 1. State your accessibility standards in the Request for Proposal (RFP). 2. Ask vendors about their accessibility approach and experience. 3. Add accessibility testing to Quality Assurance (QA) process and budget. 4. Identify an accessibility champion on your team.
47. Let’s all skate! Get your accessibility on! Even if it feels like you’re walking up stairs in skates.
48. Questions? Let’s connect on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin. com/in/clarkcourtney Source: Graphics courtesy of Microsoft’s Inclusive Design project and Dribbble
49. Thank you!