1

Accessibility

Introduction to Disability AwarenessJune 29, 2011

Index● Review Demographics

● Discuss Assistive Technology

● Review Timeline and Issues

● Next Steps

Demographics

• Some people are born with a disability while others get sick or have an accident

• 18% of the population have a disability

• 12% of this population have a severe disability

Demographics

4

●Like cancer, disabilities are an aging issue

Types of Disabilities

●Blind and Visually Impaired●Hearing Impaired●Speech disabilities●Cognitive disabilities●Mobility●Others

Assistive Technology

● Specialized Tools help people interact○ If these tools allow someone to

use a system, then that system is accessible

6

Assistive Technology for note taking

• Braillewriter• Braille notetakers• Voice Device• Keyboard• Memos

Accessibility and the Law ●What does it mean to be accessible?

○ People with disabilities can perform the same functions, receive the same information, and participate as both a consumer and a producer

Judith Heumann Special Advisor on Disability Rights for the US State Department under President Obama, former Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education

"For people without disabilities, technology makes things convenient, whereas for people with disabilities, it makes things possible . . . [this] fact brings with it an enormous responsibility because the reverse is also true. Inaccessible technology can make things absolutely impossible for disabled people, a prospect we must avoid."

10

Timeline● Fall 2009: Develop strategy for web accessibility

○ Comply with WCAG 2.0 Level AA

● June 2010 – Launch new Cancer.org○ Testing: IW & ACS use Firefox Total Validator open source tool○ Consulting: Knowbility perform manual and automated

assessment

● August 2010 - Feb 2011: Additional Changes○ Additional changes to fix bugs found by Knowbility, including

color contrast, keyboard access and readability

Examples of Accessibility Issues

1. Lack of Alt Text on Images

2. Heading elements not ordered properly

3. Color Contrasts

4. PDFs not readable by screenreader

5. Keyboard access does not work on drop down menus

6. Focus order is illogical

11

12

Steps to Ensure Accessibility● UCM Standards

○ Added rules within UCM guidelines to ensure accessibility for alternate text and readability

● Announce Web Accessible on cancer.org● JAWS licenses (3) purchased

○ Utilized for new development and any changes

● Updated contract templates○ Clause must meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA

13

What we still need…● Immediate

○ Customized, actionable playbook to ensure we develop code that meet accessibility standards up front○ Specific Instructions on how to test

○ Training:○ Developers

○ Fix existing bugs○ Develop correctly from the beginning

○ Managers/Business Owners○ What does it mean to be accessible○ How to talk to vendors about requirements

14

What we still need…● Long Term

○ Ad Hoc Consulting, if necessary○ Best practices/tools/testing

Possible Consulting Partner●Possible proposal

○ Checklist adoption/customization○ Training for managers, developers, vendors○ Pilots of various tools

○ HTML compliance checker○ Eclipse AcTF aDesigner

●Partner to help American Cancer Society integrate accessibility more seamlessly into it practice

15