Creative Commons – some rights reserved Essentials of Accessibility

Managing Accessibility

"The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential

aspect." -- Tim Berners-Lee, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Director and inventor of the World

Wide Web

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Welcome!Where to begin with institutional accessibility

Identify stakeholdersMotivate

Build capacity Integrate

Sharron Rush srush@knowbility.org

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AccessiblePeople with disabilities

…can acquire the same information…participate in the same activities

…be active producers as well as consumers

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Universal Design…• supports all people• supports all technology• improves experience for all• strong relationship to usability• “Good design IS accessible

design” ~ Dr. John Slatin

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You’re the accidental expert

…now what?

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Steps to IT accessibility• Recruit executive sponsor

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Will your task be endless battle…

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…or steady forward progress?

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With the proper leadership, your journey will be easier

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Steps to IT accessibility• Recruit executive sponsor

• Where are we going?– Choose/define standard– Adopt explicit policy

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Role of Standards• Shared understanding of requirements among:

o Consumerso Authoring Toolmakerso Developerso Makers of browsers and AT devices

• “How to” Techniques and testing criteria for content creators

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Global Standards• WCAG - Web Content Accessibility

Guidelines. International standards for the web

• ATAG - Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines. Vendor standards for interoperability

• UAAG - User Accessibility Guidelines for browsers and assistive technologies

• ARIA - Accessible Rich Internet Application research for emerging technologies

www.w3.org/WAI

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Components of Web Accessibility

Diagram of the relationship between authoring and evaluation tools, Web content, and user agent tools such as browsers and assistive technologies. As each component adheres to common standards, accessibility and interoperability are improved. At the W3c, groups of experts work in collaboration on the

ATAG – authoring tools accessibility group;

WCAG – web content accessibility group; and UAAG – user agent accessibility group, and others.

WCAG(web

content)

ATAG(authoring

tools)

UAAG(user agent)

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Section 508 Guidelines• Only used in US • Subpart B - technical standards

16 rules of web-based intranet and internet accessibility standards

www.section508.gov

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Standards are being revised

• Section 508 in “refresh” (expect to harmonize with WCAG 2.0)

• WCAG 2.0 released in December 2008 – accessibility defined within 4 basic principles.

508 WCAG

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Section 508 to WCAG2 Map

• Created by Tom Jewett and Wayne Dick for CSUN 2009

http://www.tomjewett.com/accessibility/508-WCAG2.html

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Four principles of accessibility POUR

1. Content is Perceivable2. …Operable3. …Understandable4. …and Robust

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POUR Principles apply widely

• Documents• Web pages• Mobile

• Applications• Learning systems• Content

management

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Policy Development• Who is policy being developed for and why.• Identify stakeholders and their various needs,

requirements, possible barriers to adoption• Define scope – will policy apply to web sites?

purchases? other software? hardware? • Choose an existing guideline or standard as

reference• Make the conformance level explicit • Involve stakeholders to the full extent possible• Create review dates and procedure for policy

revisionPolicy Development Worksheet

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Policy ImplementationCreate an accessibility work plan• Identify resources/budget• Set milestones• Provide training• Create enforcement mechanisms that cite

specifications and requirements • Define monitoring, conformance claims,

exception process, and follow-up procedures• Provide for integration

(for example within purchasing process) • Annual, bi-annual review of plans

Implementation Guide

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Policy Examples

General Guidance from the W3Chttp://www.w3.org/WAI/Policy/Overview.html

Fully developed, applied policy manual - Texas HHSChttp://architecture.hhsc.state.tx.us/myweb/Accessibility/policy_htm/default.htm

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Steps to IT accessibility• Recruit executive sponsor

• Where are we going?– Choose/define standard– Policy

• Where are we now?

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Initial assessment

• Internal surveys• External support• Testing and reporting

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Testing and reporting• Establish typical user pathways• Test broad cross-section• Test for standards conformance• Maintain detailed documentation• (If users testing is part of process,

include users with disabilities)

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Enterprise tools• Automated testing and reporting• Manage accessibility across

enterprise• Multiple report formats, trend

analysis• Remediation prioritization• Track multiple divisions,

departments• Compare over time

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Steps to IT accessibility• Recruit executive sponsor

• Where are we going?– Choose/define standard– Adopt explicit policy

• Where are we now?• Management structure

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Why advocate for inclusive design? Legal Technical

Market

Humanitarian Visionary

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Legal Mandates

• Strong motive for government agencies

• Commercial entities increasingly affected

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Market is growing

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Improved technical performance

Accessibility supports internationalization and interoperability

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Image of 9-year old girl in home made super girl costume, arms crossed, goggles on, looking determined!

Because we can!

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Steps to IT accessibility• Recruit executive sponsor

• Where are we going?– Choose/define standard– Adopt explicit policy

• Where are we now?• Management structure• Role based responsibilities• Training• Integrated support structures• Test, measure, report• Inclusive practice becomes

integral32

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Build a team• Accessibility is not a solo act• Accessibility Responsibility Breakd

own

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Steps to IT accessibility• Recruit executive sponsor

• Where are we going?– Choose/define standard– Adopt explicit policy

• Where are we now?• Management structure• Role based responsibilities• Training

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• Administrators• Designers• Developers• Content providers• Procurement office• QA team

Role specific training

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Maintain training resources

• Online training• Best practice guides

• Repository of experiences, tools, templates, processes

Creative Commons – some rights reserved Essentials of Accessibility

Steps to IT accessibility• Recruit executive sponsor

• Where are we going?– Choose/define standard– Adopt explicit policy

• Where are we now?• Management structure• Role based responsibilities• Training• Integrate support structures

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Integrated support• Published

policy/standards/exceptions• Style guides• Widget libraries w/accessibility built

in• CMS prompts for accessibility• Report templates, iterative

validation • Procurement checklists

– Sample RFP language– VPAT verification guide

• Repository of role-based resources

Creative Commons – some rights reserved Essentials of Accessibility

Steps to IT accessibility• Recruit executive sponsor

• Where are we going?– Choose/define standard– Adopt explicit policy

• Where are we now?• Management structure• Role based responsibilities• Training• Integrated support structures• Test, measure, report

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Create testing templateChoose a standard explicitly

– Section 508– WCAG 2

• Conformance Level A• Conformance Level AA• Conformance Level AAA

– Other …reflect in procedures and materials

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Create reporting templateKnowbility standard form

Reporting template examples and on BAD demo report

Customized by request

www.w3.org/WAI/eval/template.htmlwww.w3.org/WAI/demos/bad/before/reports/home.html

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Automated one-page tests• AChecker

http://achecker.ca/checker/index.php • The Wave

http://wave.webaim.org/

• Worldspace http://tinyurl.com/Worldspace-onepage

Results emailed to you by• AMP Express https://

amp.ssbbartgroup.com/express

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Expert manual review

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• If usability is part of your process, include users with various disabilities

• Post to user groups• User testing through AccessWorks

Remote Accessibility Testing Portal http://tinyurl.com/accessworks

User testing

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Steps to IT accessibility• Recruit executive sponsor

• Where are we going?– Choose/define standard– Adopt explicit policy

• Where are we now?• Management structure• Role based responsibilities• Training• Integrated support structures• Test, measure, report• Inclusive practice becomes

integral

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Thank youYou make all the difference!

srush@knowbility.org @knowbility on Twitter

www.facebook.com/knowbility