Accessibility Awareness

Accessibility is generally not considered or integrated into the software development process.
Awareness of accessibility is needed among developers and beyond, so that it can be integrated in,
or at least think better about users’ needs in the process of creating tools or software.
This is important because it affects so many folks, far more than people might think.
The aim of this talk is to raise awareness through examples and give a few pointers on how to contribute
to this effort to make tools and software accessible to all.

Transcript

1. Accessibility Awareness PyCon IT 2025 - Sarah Abderemane
2. About me Sarah Abderemane Paris, France Software Engineer at Kraken VP of Django Software Foundation Co-creator of Djangonaut Space Django Accessibility Team member sarahabd.com @sabderemane
3. Agenda • Introduction • Real-World Cases: Where Accessibility Fails & How to Fix It • Why Fixing Accessibility Helps Everyone • How to Make an Impact as a Developer or Data Scientist • Call to Action & Closing
4. What is the first word that came in your mind when we talk about web accessibility?
5. Together, let’s see few ways you can see one slide on bright screen.
6. Our slide Red orange green
7. Low vision
8. Tunnel vision
9. Photophobia, mobility impairments and more…
10. Poor design excludes many users.
11. Some numbers
12. 94.8% of the most popular one million websites online has recognised WCAG failures Source: The WebAIM Million
13. 260,000 European websites were tested 100 million One in four adults have some form of disability 95% pages with failed accessibility tests in Italy Source: Digital Trust Index
14. How a situation change everything
15. Inclusive changes benefit to all
16. Accessibility is for everyone
17. There have been legal cases about accessibility for years now
18. Web accessibility directives in European Union Public sector Web Accessibility Directives (WAD) Standard: EN 301 549 • WCAG • Additional non web requirements Private sector European Accessibility Act (EAA) Standard: • P.O.U.R • Same as WAD
19. The European Accessibility Act (EAA) will take effect on June 28, 2025.
20. Businesses that ignore accessibility aren’t just breaking the law — they’re turning away potential customers. — Karl Groves
21. Real-world cases
22. Tiny, Low-Contrast Text in Code and UI (1/6)
23. Tiny, Low-Contrast Text in Code and UI (2/6)
24. Tiny, Low-Contrast Text in Code and UI (5/6) • Add dark theme • Improve contrast • Ability to switch from dark to light theme • Use OS system by default • Keep user preference
25. Tiny, Low-Contrast Text in Code and UI (6/6) I made the change!
26. 79.1% of the home pages has low contrast text in 2025 Source: The WebAIM Million
27. Summary case one For code and user interface • Make sure there is enough contrast • Add different themes and the ability to switch between them • Keep user preferences • Have adjustable text size
28. Data visualizations (1/3) This is fake data
29. Data visualizations (2/3) red blind (protanopia)
30. Data visualizations (3/3) • Ensure diverse datasets for better representation • Add alternative text for images • Improve text legibility in presentation Source: https://mastodon.social/@GIS_Bandit@mastodon.world/114540355542423117
31. Summary case two • Data visualization should not rely on color alone ◦ Use textures, patterns • Use direct labelling ◦ On the graph ◦ Connected to the graph with an line / arrow • Add alternative text for images • Make sure of the diversity of the dataset
32. 71.6% Navigate through the headings on the page Source: The WebAIM Screen Reader Survey
33. Unstructured code and inaccessible docs / website (1/3) HeadingMap browser extension
34. Unstructured code and inaccessible docs / website (2/3) Accessibility Insights for Web browser extension
35. Unstructured code and inaccessible docs / website (3/3) Fake bold and fake italic: Please 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 eat the shrimp scampi in the fridge. It is tasty 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢. Article of Adrian Roselli ~78% of primary screen reader use.
36. Summary case three • Structure page with proper HTML tags • Make sure the order of the headings is relevant • Add labels ◦ Link them properly to elements that they are related • Add landmarks
37. Why fixing accessibility helps everyone
38. Copy paste button
39. Subtitles
40. How to make an impact as a developer or data scientist
41. Testing accessibility (1/4) • Perceivable • Operable • Understandable • Robust Easy checks from Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Full guidelines: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
42. Testing accessibility (2/4) WAVE browser extension
43. Testing accessibility (3/4) Axe DevTools browser extension
44. Testing accessibility (4/4) whocanuse.com
45. Think about the user’s needs first
46. Ready to make the change?
47. If more people are aware and make those changes, the web will be improved.
48. Thank you, grazie.