Lightning Talk: Accessibility Analyst (Dennis Lembree, Deque Systems)

This was part of a kick-off event "A Day in the Life of a [UX Role]," where we had current practitioners present lightning talks about their UX role. The event was held on March 9, 2016 (http://www.meetup.com/exploreUX-raleigh/events/228364314/). Dennis spoke about being an accessibility analyst.

In the coming months, we'll be doing monthly presentations that dive deeper on a UX role. To learn more, check out http://www.meetup.com/exploreUX-raleigh This series is brought to you by exploreUX and Triangle UXPA.

Transcript

1. A Day in the Life
 of an Accessibility Consultant lightning talk by Dennis Lembree exploreUX Raleigh edition March 9, 2016 at Citrix
2. About Me • Accessibility Consultant at Deque Systems • Formerly Accessibility Product Manager at eBay • Twitter: @DennisL, @WebAxe and @EasyChirp
3. About Me • Diverse background although majority is front-end web development. • Accessibility Developer at PayPal • Worked for a few start-ups and contracted at Ford, Google, Walt Disney World
4. Accessibility Consultant? • Identify and help correct (digital) accessibility issues [perceive, operate, understand]. • Often defined as supporting users with disabilities, but involves MUCH more than that. • Assess, report, consult, train, code, manage, balance, design, advocate.
5. Scope • Usually involves a web site, web app, mobile app, PDF, kiosk, etc. • From small to very large projects and companies • International: WCAG 2.0, IAAP, industry experts • Laws (for US: ADA, Section 508, ACAA, case law)
6. Peers • Background vary; programming, design, education, music, etc. • Very passionate • Many have personal motivation • International community
7. Daily Tasks Performing assessments • Keyboard, code, tools, browser, screen reader, cognitive, color, mobile, etc. Creating defect/bug reports + clarifying • JIRA, GitHub, Rally, Bugzilla, etc.
8. Daily Tasks • Consulting • Learning (specs, email, blogs, social media) • Writing or presenting
9. Daily Tasks • Email, IM, virtual meetings, Slack + other comm tools • Bug tracking systems • Possibly local developer environment • Testing requirements (certain browsers, assistive technology, mobile) • If Agile, daily “standup” and planning meetings • *Often changes depending on the project!
10. Examples • Alternative Text (graphics, audio, video) alt="WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind"
11. Examples • Headings H1 H2 H2
12. Examples • Keyboard access + visual focus indicator
13. Examples • Proficient color contrast (specific guidelines, many tools available)
14. Side Projects Coordinating events, contributing to open source, blogging, creating apps, speaking Me: • Easy Chirp: web-accessible Twitter app • Web Axe: blog on web accessibility • Accessible HTML5 Video Player 
 (via PayPal, open source)
15. Trends Increasingly important: • As society depends more on technology, so do folks with a disability • More lawsuits, agreements
 NBA, Red Roof Inn, Toy R Us, Coles, Peapod, Harvard, MIT, Seattle Public Schools, etc.
16. Trends Increasingly recognized • AKA Universal Design, Inclusive Design Increasing complexity • Designs more demanding • Diversification of devices • Many prevalent (and basic) issues remain
17. Resources There are MANY accessibility resources on the web; the challenge is finding the most accurate content. • WebAIM - http://webaim.org/ • WCAG - https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/ • Numerous blogs • Twitter; start with #a11y and lists
18. Events • Conferences (CSUN, AccessU, etc) • Meetups (a11yRTP but currently inactive) • Accessibility Camps (DC, Boston, Toronto, more) • Other events (such as GAAD, World Usability Day)
19. Challenges • Technology changes fast, directly affects accessibility • Solutions often not obvious; much discussion & disagreement • Solutions are often not perfect • Balancing act of tech, design, guidelines/law, and business needs • Lack of awareness • Lack of expertise
20. What I Like • Helping users—accessibility + usability + multi- platform • Exposure to different projects/products • Influencing other professionals; positive impact on open source projects • Different specialties: web, multimedia, PDF, law, screen readers
21. Rewarding & Fun Digital Accessibility can be: • Very challenging • Very rewarding • Fun! • Audio player with interactive transcript • Hands-on accessibility showcase/lab • Accessible Karaoke