Challenging Accessibility Assumptions: Screen Readers

Webinar for Knowbility's 2021 Accessibility Series

If you don’t understand accessibility and how it affects your project, you’re setting the stage for budget overruns, missed deadlines and unfulfilled requirements. Challenge your assumptions and learn how role-based accessibility can lead to more efficient and effective projects!

With a focus on screen readers, learn where accessibility fits into the project life cycle and when, as well as who is responsible for accessibility decisions.

Transcript

1. 2021 Accessibility Series • February 22 • 10-11:30am Central
   Challenging Accessibility
   Assumptions: Screen Readers
   #AccessibilitySeries
   

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2. • Email:
   emily@knowbility.org
   • LinkedIn:
   www.linkedin.com/in/emilyplewis
   • Twitter:
   @emilylewis
   Connect!
   

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3. Digital Project Management
   

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4. Managers
   Team Leads
   Directors
   Coordinators
   Owners
   Executives
   Who’s Responsible?
   

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5. Lack of support from the top
   Misunderstandings about requirements
   Poor hiring and outsourcing
   Projects over budget
   Missed milestones, late launches
   Accessibility fades over time
   Developers are struggling
   Stakeholders are confused
   Challenges & Risks
   

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6. Accessibility Leaders
   

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7. • Screen reader user experience
   • What accessibility is
   • When, where and how accessibility fits into the project life cycle
   • Who is responsible for accessibility
   • How much accessibility is built into web trends
   Assumptions
   

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8. • What is accessibility?
   • Why does it matter?
   • Where does it fit into the project lifecycle?
   • Who is responsible for accessibility?
   Become Informed
   

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9. What Is Accessibility?
   

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11. It’s About People
    

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12. Can people with disabilities get the
    same information, perform the same
    interactionsand function as others
    with comparable ease?
    

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13. Assumption #1
    Why people use screen readers
    

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14. “Screen reader users are blind”
    “Only people who have trouble seeing need a screen reader”
    Also Known As (AKA)
    

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15. • Blind
    • Low vision
    • Cognitive disabilities
    • Learning disabilities
    • Help with small print in
    documents that can’t be scaled
    • Prefer audio over text
    Screen Reader Users
    Web Accessibility Perspectives Videos:
    www.w3.org/WAI/perspective-videos
    

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16. Assumption #2
    How people use screen readers
    

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17. “Screen reader users don’t use the keyboard”
    “Why does a screen reader user need to use a mouse?”
    AKA
    

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18. • Mouse
    • Keyboard
    • Switch
    • Screen magnification
    • Resizing/zooming
    • Braille displays
    Screen Reader Software
    

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19. Assumption #3
    Who your users are
    

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20. “Our users are only interested in wheelchair access”
    “We don’t have blind customers”
    ”People with disabilities don’t visit our website”
    AKA
    

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21. • 9.8 million US adults with more than one disability
    • Consumer needs are varied
    Adults with One or More Functional Disabilities — United States, 2011–2014:
    www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6538a1.htm
    Diversity
    

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22. • $490 billion total disposable income
    • Consumer loyalty
    A Hidden Market: The Purchasing Power of Working-Age Adults With
    Disabilities: www.air.org/system/files/downloads/report/Hidden-Market-
    Spending-Power-of-People-with-Disabilities-April-2018.pdf
    Purchasing Power
    

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24. Assumption #4
    WCAG is enough
    

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25. “WCAG means we are accessible”
    “We are WCAG compliant and safe from lawsuits”
    AKA
    

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26. • Provides a path towards accessibility
    • Incorporated in legislation across the world
    • Defines the bare minimum for accessibility
    Important Standards
    

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27. Can people with disabilities get the
    same information, perform the same
    interactionsand function as others
    with comparable ease?
    

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28. Neil Lenane
    Talent Acquisition/Diversity and Inclusion Leader
    Progressive Insurance
    If you do not intentionally include,
    you unintentionally exclude.
    

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29. • 69% of online shoppers with access needs leave sites due to difficulties
    • 75% will pay more for an item on an accessible website
    • 86% only shop on sites they know to be free of barriers
    The Click-Away Pound Report 2019:
    www.clickawaypound.com/downloads/cap19final0502.pdf
    Don't Leave Money on the Table
    

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30. • 6 times more costly during development than during design
    • 15 times more costly during testing
    How much do bugs cost to fix during each phase of the SDLC?
    www.synopsys.com/blogs/software-security/cost-to-fix-bugs-during-each-
    sdlc-phase
    Improve Efficiency
    

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31. • More than 11,000 ADA Title III Lawsuits in 2019
    • Litigation is expensive and damages reputations
    ADA Title III Lawsuits Hit Another All-Time High in 2019:
    www.hrdive.com/news/ada-title-iii-lawsuits-hit-another-all-time-high-in-
    2019/573393
    Reduce Legal Risk
    

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32. Assumption #5
    Accessibility for screen readers is
    enough
    

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33. “We added ARIA”
    “We tested with JAWS”
    AKA
    

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34. • Diverse screen reader users
    • Misunderstanding barriers
    Inclusive Accessibility
    

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35. • No impact on keyboard or mouse
    • No ARIA is better than bad ARIA
    The WebAIM Million:
    webaim.org/projects/million/#aria
    The Truth About ARIA
    

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36. Assumption #6
    Where accessibility fits in the
    project lifecycle
    

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37. “The developers are taking care of accessibility”
    AKA
    

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38. • Discovery
    • Planning
    • Content strategy
    • Information architecture
    • Copywriting and editing
    • User experience design
    • Visual design
    • Front-end development
    • Back-end development
    • Content entry
    • Quality assurance
    • Maintenance
    All Phases
    

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39. • Executive / C Suite
    • Project / Product Managers
    • Content Strategists / Information
    Architects
    • Copywriters / SMEs / Content
    Authors
    • Designers
    • Front-end Developers
    • Back-end / CMS Developers
    • Quality Assurance
    • Contractors / Vendors
    Role-based Accessibility
    

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40. Collaboration
    

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41. • Owner/Executive: budget, hiring
    • Project manager: communication,
    resource
    • Vendor: 3rd-party transcription
    • Content author: support transcription
    • Designer: look and feel
    • Developer: code
    • QA: testing
    Captions for Video
    WCAG 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded):
    www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/captions-prerecorded.html
    

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43. Assumption #7
    Who is responsible for
    accessibility decisions
    

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44. “The developers know the standards”
    “Our tech team lead has the final say”
    AKA
    

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45. Primary Decision-maker
    • Content author
    Alt Text for Images
    Secondary Decision-maker
    • Visual designer
    Contributor
    • Manager
    WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text content:
    www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/text-equiv-all.html
    

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46. Assumption #8
    Web trends are accessible
    

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47. “Google does it”
    “Bootstrap says it’s accessible”
    AKA
    

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48. • Carousels that don’t provide context for screen reader users
    • Media without alternative content
    • Form controls that can’t be used with the keyboard
    Be Informed, Double-check
    

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49. “… it should be perfectly possible to create websites and applications with
    Bootstrap that fulfill WCAG 2.0 (A/AA/AAA), Section 508 and similar
    accessibility standards and requirements.”
    Bootstrap Accessibility:
    getbootstrap.com/docs/4.0/getting-started/accessibility
    Read the Fine Print
    

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50. Assumption #9
    It’s all or nothing
    

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51. “We don’t have time to factor in accessibility”
    “It’s too expensive to make it accessible”
    AKA
    

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52. • Start small, stay focused
    • High-priority, high-impact
    • Role-based accessibility
    • Stay informed
    Make it part of your plan
    

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54. emily@knowbility.org • training@knowbility.org
    Thank you!
    

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