a11y (digital accessibility)

Article by Steven Aquino

An excerpt follows:

For sporting events like the Olympics and Paralympics, ... it’s paramount the (audio describer) be knowledgeable of the sport they’re describing; the quality would be otherwise sullied if the describer didn’t, for example, know the intricacies of basketball or anything else. The information conveyed has to be delivered with the proper context behind it in order for a Blind or low vision person to visualize a moment in their mind.

The ArXiv Forum is occurring this month. All their sessions are posted to YouTube. I recommend checking out their channel if you are interested in the latest digital accessibility trends. They also provide a platform for a wide variety of researchers with disabilities to share their perspectives, experiences, and accessibility tips. #accessibility

This article highlights the importance of effective communication when sharing accessibility testing feedback. I have documented many accessibility bugs and capturing screenshots of the error can be very helpful. Also, describing the steps needed to recreate the bug is important. Effective communication can reduce retests and make the content accessible faster. #accessibility

This article explores the structural elements of a paragraph and how it relates to screen reader accessibility. #accessibility

This article highlights how about 80% of accessibility barriers are easy fixes while 20% require more complex solutions. A lot of content can be made more accessible by implementing simple solutions like adding alt text or checking the color contrast ratio. #accessibility

This webpage profiles risk statements related to accessibility. Some of the risk statements relate to an institution failing to assign a department or person to coordinate institution-wide accessibility, failing to provide accessible instructional materials in a timely manner, and failing to provide an accessible website. Specific cases are referenced below each risk statement, which can provide context. #accessibility

This article explains how to create an accessible drag-and-drop interaction. #accessibility

This study explores the barriers impacting educators in higher education who teach digital accessibility. It also compares the perspectives of teachers across the United States, India, and Switzerland. #accessibility

The PDF Association is making its standards available for free because of member sponsors. You can download the PDF/UA-1 and PDF/UA-2 standards from their website. This information will hopefully benefit remediators and developers. #accessibility

I really enjoyed Eric Eggert's new article on WCAG levels. When the WCAG Guidelines were being created members tried to correlate the different levels (A, AA, AAA) based on how difficult they'd be to implement. It would be helpful if the standards within each level designation were checked again. The standards could be regrouped based on their current level of difficulty. Please check out the full article for more information. #accessibility

It is exciting that Be My Eyes is partnering with major companies like Hilton, Microsoft, P&G, and Sony. This will hopefully allow customers who are blind or have low vision to use the app to get help from company representatives when navigating a hotel or using a new product. #accessibility

The AccessText Network is back online. I highly recommend using them as a resource if you create accessible books for college students with disabilities. AccessText is returning thanks to the Association of American Publishers. #accessibility

I enjoyed Apple's Relay advertisement showcasing paralympic athletes and athletes without disabilities competing. The advertisement reflects the joy of competition and the freedom of attaining a state of flow. We all enjoy those feelings at our core. I also appreciate how their video player seamlessly supports audio descriptions, which is something YouTube still does not support. #accessibility

This article explores common web accessibility barriers that are negatively impacting people with disabilities. These barriers can prevent people with disabilities from entering the workforce. The article's author is helping to conduct a study to help people who are blind or have low vision use assistive technology to overcome these barriers and attain employment. It will be interesting to learn of the study's results hopefully in 2025. #accessibility

This article highlights how AI is transforming instructional design. A lot of the ideas brought up in the article like AI providing personalized or adaptive learning, tutoring, gamification, and AI-enhanced assessments can benefit students with learning disabilities or who are neurodiverse. As someone with ADHD receiving immediate feedback and lessons that use a variety of mediums to convey key concepts can help me stay engaged. #accessibility

This website has a lot of helpful information about the ADA. I found this research article interesting because it summarizes the need for accessible online classes and how students in K-12 are more likely to request accommodations than in college. #accessibility

The W3C Accessibility Principles page breaks down the different principles of web accessibility. This includes perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. They also link to many helpful examples and design personas, which can help you consider a variety of users. hashtag #accessibility

AB1757 is the California law focused on requiring vendors to ensure that the websites they create for clients are accessible. If the website is not accessible the vendor would be liable. It has passed the first chamber and is currently in second committee review. #accessibility

This article provides some better questions to ask instead of "Is this accessible?" It is important to consider the standard you're using to define "accessible" like WCAG 2.1. Also, looking at a VPAT or testing the platform using assistive technology. #accessibility

Blake Bertuccelli-Booth & Kevin Andrews provide a demo of inaccessible and accessible forms. They highlight the importance of labels for form elements and the impact they have on web accessibility. hashtag#accessibility

The closure of the Access Text Network earlier this year has made it more difficult for higher education disability offices to provide accessible books. Luckily, the University of Virginia has launched Educational Materials Made Accessible (EMMA), which is trying to become a replacement.

Articulate Rise has now added support for multiple headings beyond H3. Check out the article for more details.

This article highlights the work Tufts student Ryan Beckett is doing developing different assistive technology products like a one-handed kitchen cutting board. #accessibility

Assistive technology is much broader than just screen reading software. This article reminds us of the wide array of assistive technologies people use every day. This is also why it is important to include people with different disabilities when testing a website or application. You may find that something that works with a screen reader does not work when using voice control. #accessibility

f you are building courses using Articulate Rise I recommend checking out this resource to learn more about how to ensure your course is accessible. #accessibility