Accessibility definition disabilities why? standards what? homework

What do you think?  Your name  Where you work  Your definition of accessibility  Experience designing for accessibility  Visibility within your company

Accessibility Accessibility design and engineering encompass all activities intended to make digital content available to individuals with one or more physical or cognitive disabilities. To do for cyberspace what the Americans with Disabilities Act did for physical space - remove barriers to access.

Digital Content  Text  Photographs  Animation  Audio  Video  Application software  Hardware devices And yes, eLearning

Disability A spectrum of impairment in one or more physical senses, motor skills, or cognitive abilities ranging from fully functional to fully disabled.

Disabilities  Vision  Hearing  Mobility  Cognition

Vision  Normal  Farsighted or nearsighted  Color blind  Loss of peripheral vision  Low vision  Blindness

Hearing  Normal  High or low frequency loss  Deafness

Mobility  Normal  Loss of fine motor control  Paralysis  Loss of limb(s)

Cognitive  Normal  Dyslexia  Attention Deficit Disorder  Epilepsy ... and others

Why?  Your target audience is known to include individuals with disabilities.  It is the law if you work with the federal government.  It’s a growing market segment.  It’s the right thing to do.

What’s Required  Standards  Best Practices

Standards  E.I.T.A.S. Section 508 Software and operating systems Web-based intranet and internet information and applications Telecommunications products Video and multimedia products Self contained, closed products Desktop and portable computers Functional performance criteria

Standards DID YOU NOTICE? No standard for eLearning!

Best Practices  webaim.org  w3c.org  authoring tool developer forums

Frankenspec  Develop your own accessibility specification from available resources Clear functional specification Specific QA configuration(s)  Don’t skimp on this step Bounds problem/solution space Unambiguous definition of compliance Uncovers gaps suitable for alternatives

What Do I Do? (bolt-on)  If you have audio or video content, offer a PDF transcript for download.  If you have text or graphic content, offer audio narration for playback.  Update visual design / style sheets for compatibility with high-contrast display settings.

What Do I Do? (bolt-on)  Test tab/enter navigation and tweak tab order.  Test with Magnifier and consider visual tweaks.  Add alternate USB pointing devices to your QA process.  Test with Dragon Naturally speaking, write macros to support voice nav.

What Do I Do? (bolt-on)  Ensure that all navigation links / controls are self-voicing or tagged for screen reader.  Consider grouping or reordering navigation links to avoid repetitive presentation.  Avoid animations / updates that could cause screen reader to start over.

What Do I Do? (built-in)  Develop storyboards with disabled learners in mind. Avoid or provide alternative to things like drag-and-drop, roll-overs, etc. Use voiceover to reduce reliance on visual context. Use inclusive language. Never leave ‘em hanging!

What Do I Do? (built-in)  Provide onscreen focus indicator.  Ensure that Magnifier follows focus indicator.  Ensure that all controls can announce name, function and state.  Allow for review after quiz scoring.  Ensure that tab/enter and mouse focus match.

What Do I Do? (built-in)  Provide closed captions synchronized with audio/video.  Ensure all - and only - instructionally relevant content is either self-voicing or tagged for screen reader.  Include “accessibility” hidden link.

Accessibility (bonus)  Do all of the above without comprising instructional integrity.  Do all of the above without complicating the user experience for abled learners.

Homework  Walk a mile in their shoes  Read the regulations  Read industry best practices  Raise accessibility during every requirements analysis.  Begin building your Frankenspec.

Resources blogs.adobe.com/accessibility/flash/ msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa350483(printer).aspx