Implementing accessibility in Government:

a holistic approachRuth Ellison

Canberra Web Standards Group21 November 2007

What is accessibility?

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/563188608/

Accessibility - the definition

The degree to which a system is usable by as many people as

possible, including…

Visual

blindness, low vision, colour blindness

Cognitivedyslexia, ADD

Physical/motortemporary or permanent

Hearing

Situational disabilities

Technology/infrastructure limited

Aging population

People from culturally / linguistic diverse backgrounds

ABS survey in 2003….

20% of Australians have a disability

15% accident or injury

14% disease, illness or heredity

11% working conditions, work or over-work

Understanding accessibility

Impact or severity is varied

Invisible disabilities

Temporary impairments

Permanent impairmentsBorn with a disabilityDevelop it over time

Accessibility is not a stand alone process

Think about accessibility earlier…

Holistic and multi-disciplinary approach

Usability AND accessibility together and part of the overall

user experience

Considerations

ORGANISATIONAL

An ad hoc approach

Many organisations take an ad hoc or as-needed approach to accessibility

Issues include:– Expensive retrofitting exercises – Accessibility information based in a

small team, which can disappear

Accessibility approach

Accessibility teamAuthority and responsibility to

implement changeRaise awarenessSet standardsQuality assurance including testing

Management

Find a sponsor / championGet management support

Funding

Consideration of a centralised accessibility fund to fund

accessibility design, support and testing

Show ROI

Reduced compensation claimsReduced maintenanceReduce possibility of litigation

Purchasing decisions

Customised versus off-the-shelfConsideration of accessibility &

usability requirements in tender processes

Need to factor enough time for:

User researchIterative design

Standards based development Testing

Timeframes

Build relationships

Occupational Health & SafetyHuman Resources

AT user groupsBusiness areas

Media teamIT

Training

Focused training to provide good

grounding of technical aspects & laws

Other considerations

Disability Action Plan / Diversity Plans

Central registry of Assistive Technology users

FRAMEWORK AND TOOLS

Standards and guidelines should have accessibility built into it

Distribution method

Keep it updated

Standards & guidelines

Assistive technologies

JAWS, Dragon, ZoomText

Other types of assistive technologies

ZoomText keyboard

Braille refreshable display

Tools

Which Assistive Technologies to support?

Have consistent versionsFactor in upgrade costs

EvaluationsShould be done early and oftenMore than compliance

– Still need to do automated testing and testing requiring human judgement

Usability testing with real people

PEOPLE

ResearchWho are the users?

People with disabilities should be one of your key personas

What tools are they using?How well do they know their tools?

Project Managers’ understanding of accessibility

Developers’ understanding of accessibility

Business owners’ understanding of accessibility

Designers’ understanding of accessibility

DesignVisual – size of text, colours, typography

Cognitive – white spacing, progress indicators

Physical – fly out menus, size of elements

Hearing – captions, use of sound

Situational – environmental factors

UsersGet them involvedHelp increase their knowledge of Assistive

TechnologiesTest early, test oftenKnowledge sharing forum

Get passionate people on board!

Expertise is essentialGet the right staff With the right skillsWith the right attitude

Get involvedConferences Web Standards Group Community of Practice

Read/comment in Blogs

Remember…

Accessibility is not a stand alone process

Holistic and multi-disciplinary

Early consideration

Be passionate

Questions?

Need more info?

Ruth EllisonEmail: ruthe@stamfordinteractive.com.auPhone: 02 6280 7834Mobile: 0423 763 314Web: www.stamfordinteractive.com.au