A different kind of introduction to Accessibility

For those of us who are more visual learners - a quick introduction to Accessibility.

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Transcript

Introducing Accessibility - Ally

What is it?

• It comes in all shapes & sizes
• It's necessary & non-negotiable
• It's an ongoing design requirement
• It's not limited to physical disabilities
• It's made up of objective & subjective guidelines
• It's the right & ability to access the same information

The ability spectrum

From permanent - situation

Permanent - such as legally blind, deaf or physically disabled
-> temporary - such as having an ear infection, broken arm or eye infection
-> -> situational - such as a new parent, at a concert or library

a.k.a we all benefit from accessibility

You can thank accessibility for..

• ...those handy next stop reminders on the bus & train
• ...those captions so you can still watch the news in a noisy bar
• ...those extra page hits because search engines discovered your transcripts

Types of disabilities

• Colour-blind / blind / low vision
• Deafblind / deaf
• Cognitive / speech / reading / seizures
• Motor / multiple disabilities

Software + assistive technology

We all live in a pretty incredible time where software creates equal opportunities when creators simply follow standards

Application [in/output]
[in/output] transformed into an accessibility tree [in/output]
[in/output] assistive technology [in/output]
[in/output] user [in/output]

screen readers are the most commonly discussed assistive technology
...but there is also technology to translate into/from braille display
...magnify text
...head wands, mouth sticks & oversized trackball mouse
...single switch & sip-and-puff switch
...adaptive keyboard
...eye-tracking & voice recognition technology

Cognitive disabilities

always keep in mind...

"don't beat around the bush"

• Be direct, help avoid mistakes & be clear on how to fix them
• Don't expect users to understand implied meaning
• Give adequate time for everyone

still be creative!

• Balance use of text alternatives like video & illustrations
• ...or use bright colours to keep attention & interest
• Keep text & layout simple - white space is your friend

Comments

[frimmitech]

This seems to be really useful and interesting to read. Thanks for sharing.

[itsvicki]

Thank you :)