complementing accessibility standards with evidence of commitment and progress—id24 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Complementing Accessibility Standards with Evidence of Commitment and ProgressSarah Horton, UX Strategy Lead
ID24 2015 inclusivedesign24.org
Screenshot of compliance audit with red “Fail” notations
Meme: Munch “The Screen” saying, You’re telling me I have 433 alt texts to fix?
What if we define accessibility as
making a commitment and demonstrating progress?
What would accessibility look like?
Accessibility maturityMoving your organization along the continuum toward a mature approach to accessibility
Accessibility Maturity Continuum• Identify• Prioritize• Inject• Integrate
Phase 1: Identify• Identify
Identify and repair accessibility issues based on standards compliance
Context• Customer for software company puts accessibility
requirement in contract• Vendor is asked for evidence of state of
accessibility of product
Activities• Identify methodology• Identify samples to test• Test samples against standards• Write up issues• Test and recommend code fixes
Deliverables• Audit results spreadsheet• Common issues report• Accessibility documentation (e.g., VPAT)• Help desk support• Remediation support
Example of accessibility audit spreadsheet
Details• Issue name• Who is affected by issue• Issue description• Examples of issue• Recommendations for repairing issue• Resources• Relevant guidelines
Example of success criteria failures
Error message not announced by screen readers
Form labels not programmatically associated with inputs
Insights• Frequency and distribution of issues• Estimate of impact and effort of issues• Potential design and code changes to repair
issues
Example of accessibility issues overview
Potential outcomes• Clients have accessibility documentation• Clients work to fix issues • Clients engage for retest and revised accessibility
documentation
Phase 2: Prioritize• Identify• Prioritize
Prioritize evaluation and repair activities based on real-world impact
Context• Transit system provider with legal obligation to
provide accessibility• Group of people with disabilities demanding
accessibility improvements
Activities• Conduct contextual inquiry interviews• Create sampling strategy based on insights from
interviews
Details• 9 people over 2 days• Sessions lasting ½ to 1 hour• Low vision: Large monitor, ZoomText, large type,
high-contrast mode• Blind: JAWS, VoiceOver• Deaf: Captions• Limited mobility and dexterity: Dragon
Deliverables• Same as “identify” activity, plus…• Task-based sampling strategy• First-person perspectives in report
Several people commented that there is a lot going on with the site, which can make it difficult to use for everyone, but especially for people with vision impairments. One participant does not use the site because it’s too busy, and “things jump around.” Another can’t use her preferred mode of large text because the site is not designed to be flexible, and adapt to large fonts—when she enlarges the font, things get “jumbled.” Another prefers to look at the print preview of the itinerary page because it is less cluttered than the main page.
Insights• Real issues encountered by people with
disabilities• Accessibility issues not surfaced in standards
review
Example accessible user experience issue• The right column is a bad location for critical
information
Potential outcomes• Clients focus on issues that impact stakeholders• Clients fix issues related to accessible user
experience
Phase 3: Inject• Identify• Prioritize• Inject
Inject accessibility best practices into the design and development process
Context• Vendor has customers that demand accessible
products• Vendor knows that remediation is costly and
ineffective• Vendor knows current processes do not support
accessibility
Activities• Determine appropriate interaction points and
methods• Review and respond to design artifacts
Deliverables• User stories to help guide design decisions• Design reviews (wireframes, style guides)• Training in accessible design best practices• Code library reviews (technical and design)• QA test design and implementation
Details• Annotating wireframe PDFs• Collating information into accessibility guides• Webinar training for developers in best practices
and creating coding standards
Example annotated wireframe
Example writeup of issues with placeholder text
Insights• Optimal time to address accessibility in
design/development lifecycle• Roles and responsibilities with respect to
attention to accessibility• Appropriate and effective ways of communicating
accessibility knowledge
Potential outcomes• Clients address accessibility issues during the
design/development process• Clients build internal capacity for accessibility
Phase 4: Integrate• Identify• Prioritize• Inject• Integrate
Integrate accessibility best practices into culture and practice
Context• Advocacy group makes a complaint to University
about digital accessibility• University cannot fix all IT services• University understands it must fix culture and
process to respond
Activities• Perform gap analysis to understand current state • Build understanding of desired future state• Assess gaps between current state and future
state
Deliverables• Roadmap report• Commitment to ongoing partnership
Details• Definition of future state• Assets and opportunities• Challenges and barriers• Roadmap toward Accessibility in Practice• Supporting information: Applicable policies
Insights• Perceptions of accessibility and responsibility
within an organization• Governance requirements to advance an
integration agenda• Requirements for activities for change
Outcomes• University makes visible commitment to providing
accessible IT services• University embarks on initiative to address
shortcoming in existing services• University establishes policy and processes to
support accessibility in new services
ReferenceAn Accessible Design Maturity ContinuumBy David Sloan, UX Research Lead, The Paciello Groupuxfor.us/mature-it
Accessibility process standardsEngaging your organization in activities that demonstrate commitment and show progress
Make a commitment to IT accessibility
Responsibility and accountability• Designate a senior official for “plain writing”• Explain the Act’s requirements to staff• Establish a procedure to oversee the implementation of the
Act within the agency• Train agency staff in plain writing• Designate staff as points of contact for the agency plain
writing web page• Post its compliance plan for meeting the requirements of
the Act on its plain language web page
Plain Writing Act of 2010—uxfor.us/plain-writing
ActivitiesEstablish leadership• Chief Accessibility Officer (CAO)• Director of User Experience/CAO• Accessibility Program Lead• Accessibility Specialist
Establish an accessibility baseline and track progress
Documentation(a) Each manufacturer and service provider…must create and maintain…records of the efforts taken…as applicable, including:
(1) information about the manufacturer’s or service provider’s efforts to consult with individuals with disabilities; (2) descriptions of the accessibility features of its products and services; and(3) information about the compatibility of its products and services with peripheral devices or specialized customer premise equipment commonly used by individuals with disabilities to achieve access
CVAA—uxfor.us/cvaa-final
Activities• Set a standard, e.g.,– Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
2.0• Define scope of applicability, e.g.,– Teaching and learning– Research– External communications and business
processes– Internal communications and business
processes
Commitment through specification of policies and standards
When acquiring information and communication technology (ICT), we will acquire products and services that comply with the standards defined in the University Accessibility Policy. When there are several products or services under consideration, the one that best meets the standards will be chosen. If the procurer determines that compliance with a provision of the standards is unfeasible, then such exception will be fully documented and approved by University Procurement Services.
Commitment through documentation of accessibility
Foster a community of practice
Accessibility in practiceC201.5 Design, Development, and Fabrication. Telecommunications equipment manufacturers shall evaluate the accessibility, usability, and interoperability of ICT during its product design, development, and fabrication.
Advisory C201.5 Design, Development, and Fabrication. Conducting market research, and holding product design testing and trials that include individuals with disabilities, are examples of ways to meet this requirement.
Section 508—uxfor.us/section-508
Activities• Integrate usability and accessibility support into
existing IT facilities• Tie accessibility into existing professional
development and training activities• Include expectations around accessibility
awareness and skills in position descriptions
People working together, committed to making progress, and targeting success
