Accessibility in the Platform

My favorite part of my job is when I get to work on accessibility. I see this as removing uncertainty and anxiety from people’s day, and helping them access the information they need. But working with accessibility can be frustrating, especially when you feel like you’re fighting the platform instead of working with it. This session aims to clear up some of the confusion that makes getting started with accessibility tricky, while showing off new tools to make the process easier, and highlighting ways that we can work with and extend the platform so our apps are accessible to everyone.

Transcript

1. Accessibility @ Modern Web + RobDodson @rob_dodson
3. Perf is crucial for good UX
6. Disability is not just a health problem. It is a complex phenomenon, reflecting the interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives. - World Health Organization source • who.int/topics/disabilities/en/
9. Accessibility is good UX
10. Diversity of users Focus Semantics
11. Diversity of users
12. About 15% of the world's population lives with some form of disability - World Health Organization source • who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/report
13. 1 Billion People
14. visual auditory cognitive motor
15. Visual A broad range from no vision (total blindness) to limited or low vision
18. Motor Users may prefer not to use a mouse, have RSI, or physical paralysis and limited range of motion
19. Motor Users may prefer not to use a mouse, have RSI, or physical paralysis and limited range of motion
20. Auditory May be completely deaf or hard of hearing
22. Cognitive A broad range encompassing ADHD, dyslexia, and autism just to name a few
24. visual auditory cognitive motor
25. WCAG 2.0 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 provide a system for assessing the accessibility of any app w3.org/TR/WCAG20
26. WebAIM WCAG 2.0 Checklist webaim.org/standards/wcag/checklist
27. Nail the checklist
28. Focus
29. Focus determines where keyboard events go in the page.
30. Implicitly Focusable Native elements like input, button, and select get focusability for free! Click Me! Password Aisle Seat
31. Not all elements are focusable
32. <nav> <div class=“menu-btn"></div> <span class=“title"> PWAwesome </span> <a href="#">Overview</a> <a href="#">Features</a> <a href="#">Start</a> <a href="#">Contact</a> </nav>
33. <nav> <button class=“menu-btn"></button> <span class=“title"> PWAwesome </span> <a href="#">Overview</a> <a href="#">Features</a> <a href="#">Start</a> <a href="#">Contact</a> </nav>
34. Don’t fight the platform!
35. tabindex Configure the focus behavior of an element
36. tabindex=“0” In the natural tab order and can be programmatically focused by calling focus() Settings <div id=“dropdown”> Settings </div>
37. tabindex=“0” In the natural tab order and can be programmatically focused by calling focus() Settings <div id=“dropdown” tabindex=“0”> Settings </div>
38. tabindex=“0” In the natural tab order and can be programmatically focused by calling focus() <div id=“dropdown” tabindex=“0”> Settings </div> Settings
39. tabindex=“-1” Not in the natural tab order but can be programmatically focused by calling focus(). Useful for “roving tabindex” <div tabindex=“-1”>Item 1</div> <div tabindex=“0”>Item 2</div> <div tabindex=“-1”>Item 3</div> Item 1 Item 2 Item 3
40. tabindex=“-1” <div tabindex=“-1”>Item 1</div> <div tabindex=“-1”>Item 2</div> <div tabindex=“0”>Item 3</div> Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 focus(); Not in the natural tab order but can be programmatically focused by calling focus(). Useful for “roving tabindex”
41. tabindex=“5” In the natural tab order and jumps ahead of everything else. Generally an anti-pattern.
42. ARIA Design Patterns w3.org/TR/wai-aria-practices-1.1
43. Use the keyboard patterns from the ARIA Authoring guide to ensure an accessible experience
44. Semantics
45. Affordances Affordances offer or afford a person the opportunity to perform an action.
46. Programmatic semantics <main> <div class="card"> <form> <div class="trip-selector"> <div class="row"> <div class="inline-control col-2"> </div> <div class="inline-control submit-form col-1"> <button type="submit" id="submitBtn">Search</button> </div> </div> </div> </form> </div> </main> <label for=“seatType">Preferred seat type</label> <select name="seatType" id="seatType"> <option value="0">No preference</option> <option value="1">Aisle seat</option> <option value="2">Window seat</option> </select> pop-up button value: “No preference” name: “Preferred seat type” state: collapsed
47. Programmatic semantics <main> <div class="card"> <form> <div class="trip-selector"> <div class="row"> <div class="inline-control col-2"> </div> <div class="inline-control submit-form col-1"> <button type="submit" id="submitBtn">Search</button> </div> </div> </div> </form> </div> </main> <label for=“seatType">Preferred seat type</label> <select name="seatType" id="seatType"> <option value="0">No preference</option> <option value="1">Aisle seat</option> <option value="2">Window seat</option> </select> Role: “pop-up button” Name: “Preferred seat type” State: collapsed Value: “No preference”
48. GUI accessibility tree assistive technology user application
49. Implicit Semantics Similar to focus, native elements get rich semantics for free Click Me! Password Aisle Seat “pop-up button” “button” “secure edit text”
50. Generic elements have generic semantics <div class=“sign-up” tabindex=“0”> Sign Up </div> SIGN UP “group”
51. Don’t fight the platform Use native elements for free programmatic semantics
52. WAI-ARIA The Web Accessibility Initiative - Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) specification adds the ability to modify and enhance the semantic meaning of elements in the DOM
53. ARIA does NOT change behavior
54. <x-checkbox tabindex=“0”> </x-checkbox> <span>Sign Up</span> ✔ Sign Up …
55. ARIA. All of it…
56. ARIA Design Patterns
58. <x-checkbox tabindex=“0”> </x-checkbox> <span>Sign Up</span> ✔ Sign Up …
59. <x-checkbox tabindex=“0” role=“checkbox”> </x-checkbox> <span>Sign Up</span> ✔ Sign Up role: checkbox state: unchecked
60. <x-checkbox tabindex=“0” role=“checkbox” aria-checked=“true”> </x-checkbox> <span>Sign Up</span> ✔ Sign Up role: checkbox state: checked
61. aria-label A string to be used as the accessible label. Overrides any other native labelling mechanism. “button” <button id=“hamburger”> </button>
62. aria-label A string to be used as the accessible label. Overrides any other native labelling mechanism. <button id=“hamburger” aria-label=“Main Menu”> </button> “Main Menu, button”
63. aria-labelledby A reference to an element (or elements) which will act as an accessible label. Overrides any other labelling mechanism including aria-label. “Shop Now, button” <div id=“lbl”>Men’s Outerwear</div> <shop-button id=“btn” role=“button”> Shop Now </shop-button>
64. aria-labelledby A reference to an element (or elements) which will act as an accessible label. Overrides any other labelling mechanism including aria-label. “Men’s Outerwear, Shop Now, button” <div id=“lbl”>Men’s Outerwear</div> <shop-button id=“btn” role=“button” aria-labelledby=“lbl btn”> Shop Now </shop-button>
65. <x-checkbox tabindex=“0” role=“checkbox” aria-checked=“true”> </x-checkbox> <span>Sign Up</span> ✔ Sign Up role: checkbox state: checked
66. <x-checkbox tabindex=“0” role=“checkbox” aria-checked=“true” aria-labelledby=“sign”> </x-checkbox> <span id=“sign”>Sign Up</span> ✔ Sign Up role: checkbox name: “Sign Up” state: checked
68. Review!
69. Nail the checklist Consider the broad range of users. Work with WCAG 2.0 and the Web AIM checklist to ensure your application is accessible.
70. Ensure focus Leverage native elements like button for easy focus wins. Use tabindex to make controls operable and to manage focus in your app.
71. Offer affordances Use native elements with built- in, rich semantics. Refer to ARIA Authoring Practices doc when you need to add your own custom semantics.
72. bit.ly/web-a11y
73. @rob_dodson Rob Dodson Thank You Images created by Julien Deveaux, Co-Effect Creative, Michael Wohlwend, Maico Amorim, Yu Luck, Andrey Vasiliev, Till Teenck, Gregor Črešnar, Wes Breazell, Blaise Sewell, Dustin’s Words from the Noun project