the whys and hows of digital accessibility assessibility.pdfwhat is digital accessibility it...
TRANSCRIPT
The Whys and Hows of Digital Accessibility
David Fenley| MN Council on Disability
Jay Wyant | MN Office of Accessibility
Disability and Accessibility
David Fenley| ADA Director
What is Digital Accessibility
It includes all forms of electronic content: that’s documents, information systems, software and applications - not just the Web. In a fully accessible digital realm all this content works for all people, whatever their hardware, software, language, culture, location, or physical or mental ability.
Translation: Creates a technical system that is accessible to users with disabilities for digital items such as:
• Mobile Devices
• Digital Documents
• Website Pages
Digital Accessibility Benefits Everyone
• 1 in 4 people have a disability
• Good public relations
• Folks will find your site quicker and stay longer
• Increased usability
• Writing cleaner code = better user interfaces, fewer bugs, and faster loading times
• Avoiding punishment: legal enforcement, not wanting to get sued, and...bad press!!!
It's the Law: Americans with Disabilities Act
• Title II - Government must be accessible
• Access to programs, goods, and services for people with disabilities must be effective and meaningful
• This is equally true for access to electronic communication and info: timeliness, convenience, privacy, flexibility all point to the idea that there are few meaningful alternatives to electronic access
• With technology reaching into all areas of life digital access is increasingly viewed as a civil right.
• There are no specific requirements for digital accessibility currently in the ADA!
Courts, Lawsuits, the DOJ and the ADA
• Policy – have one and stick to it
• Most ADA settlements have included adhering to WCAG 2.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) Level A
• Section 508 Refresh - regulates accessible technologies and communication at the federal level (do you receive federal $$?)
• Have a plan to achieve accessibility
• Who is the point of contact
• H&R Block consent decree - don't be the low hanging fruit
How can the State Help
• We are from the government and we are here to help
• State Statutes
• 363A.42: Public Records; Accessibility - Human Rights Act
• 16E.03, Subd. 9: State Information and Communications Systems
• Cooperative Purchasing Venture (CPV)
• We have a process to buy accessible technology and services
• Use it and demand that it better serve your needs
• Use the state as an example but...do better
Introduction to Digital Accessibility (45 mins)
Jay Wyant | Chief Information Accessibility Officer
Questions for you
• Microsoft or Google?
• Website in-house or managed by third party?
• In-house app developers?
• Have you implemented 508 or WCAG 2.0 guidelines into any projects?
What would happen if…
You bought/built a product that was designed for people who were right-handed and had an opposable thumb?
How about…
Software that required the use of a mouse to complete key functions?
Quick Quiz
How do you differentiate between accessibility, accommodation, and assistive technology?
Vocabulary
• Accessibility
• Based on standards
• Measurable
• Describes how things are made (or other way to describe)
• An electronic curb cut – available to everyone
• Assistive technology: a technology (hardware or software) used by a specific individual to meet their specific needs
• Accommodation: assistance or change to an activity or work space that will enable the employee or student to perform the job or task despite having a disability
Basic guidelines for all content
• Content structure
• Properties/Title
• Headings & Styles (tags)
• Navigation: consistent, predictable, multimodal
• Images and non-text elements (machine-readable content)
• Color contrast
• Meaningful links
• Forms
The measure of accessibility: POUR
The four guiding principles of accessibility in WCAG 2.0 are:
• Perceivable
• Operable
• Understandable
• Robust
WCAG Quick Ref: use 2.0 levels A and AA
What does accessibility look like?
• Keyboard demo
• WAVE demo
• Color contrast demo
• Web form
• Document structure example
Common keyboard commands
• TAB and Shift+TAB
• Alt+TAB
• Spacebar and Enter keys to activate
• CTRL+W to close
Quick cards including shortcut keys
WebAIM’s Keyboard Testing Guide
How do you make it happen?
• Adopt a policy
• The State digital accessibility standard is a good reference point
• Synchronizes with state and federal laws
• Procurement requirements
• Leverage VPATs
• Consider Policy-Driven Adoption for Accessibility (PDAA)
• Development/content requirements
• Practices that reference the policy
Use the State as a resource
• Basic accessible document training• (Additional training coming soon)
• Lots of other resources on the Office of Accessibility website• Planning tools
• Map accessibility resources
• Quick cards
• …and more!
Subscribe to Office of Accessibility newsletter
Office of Accessibility newsletter
Text to # 468311: MNIT A11y
(You will receive our welcome message back.)
• Tips on digital accessibility
• Announcement of new resources
• Stories about current projects (all types)
• Upcoming events and trainings
Additional resources
• Cooperative Purchasing Venture (CPV)
• 16E.03