An introduction to Introduction to Accessibility presentations May 2017 Sarah E Bourne Director of IT Accessibility The Massachusetts Office of Information Technology, known as MassIT, is the state’s lead agency for technology & innovation. We serve more than 150 state agencies as well as cities, towns, & public schools across the state.

The basic recipe - Ingredients What it is Why do you care What you have to do How to learn more

The basic recipe - Directions Make it relatable Make it practical Keep it positive

For every presentation – what it is Make it relatable Comparisons to common situations Anecdotes AT demos

Disability is relative From a recent presentation: Disability is relative Calvin and Hobbes comics by Bill Watterson ©, as posted at https://twitter.com/Calvinn_Hobbes/status/846145059825184770

Computers and the Internet open doors for people with disabilities From a recent presentation: Why Accessibility? Computers and the Internet open doors for people with disabilities 57% of computer users benefit from accessible technology, even though many do not consider themselves “disabled” The things that make it convenient for you make it possible for people with disabilities Picture from Inclusive Microsoft Design, © Microsoft 2016 Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) Learn more: Videos at Web Accessibility Perspectives: Explore the Impact and Benefits for Everyone 5

For every presentation – what it is Make it practical Functions and features of assistive technologies Hardware Software Operating systems' assistive technologies

Types of disabilities affected by IT From a recent presentation: Types of disabilities affected by IT Sight Dexterity Hearing Cognitive Physical Blind Low vision Color-blindness Paralysis Fine motor control Deaf Hard of hearing Memory Perception Problem-solving Conceptualization Attention Situational Small screens Glare Small buttons No mouse Moving vehicle Loud environment Privacy Don't wake the spouse! New parents Busy executives Multitasking

Assistive technologies by disability From a recent presentation: Assistive technologies by disability Assistive technology (AT) is hardware or software people use to interact with computers or phones effectively and independently. AT relies on the correct use of operating systems’ device and application interfaces, defined by technical standards. Sight Dexterity Hearing Cognitive Assistive technologies Screen reader (text to speech) Screen magnification Braille output Speech recognition (speech to text) Alternative input devices Speech recognition Screen reader

For every presentation – what it is Keep it positive Define it early Avoid "inspiration porn"

What is IT accessibility? From a recent presentation: What is IT accessibility? IT Accessibility is making sure our online systems and services can be used by everybody, especially people with disabilities.

From a recent presentation: Why Accessibility? What most people with disabilities want is to be as independent as possible You can’t be independent if you don’t have your own income   With disabilities Without disabilities Labor force participation 19.5% 68.2% Unemployment rate 11.0% 4.9% US Dept. of Labor January 2017 US Dept. of Labor January 2017

For these, you have to understand what their role in accessibility is: Know your audience! For these, you have to understand what their role in accessibility is: Why do you care What you have to do How to learn more

Be role specific Make it relatable: Make it practical: Use technical terminology only for technical people Define terminology and expand acronyms Pick a few good “Learn more” sources Make it practical: Point to specific laws, policies, programs, etc. that apply Keep it positive Don't threaten unless there is a credible threat IT opens doors - don't close them Stay out of the weeds – it’s where jargon alligators lurk Never just toss them the WCAG specs - too overwhelming

Role examples – what you need to know Executive stakeholders Top-down communication, governance, and culture Procurement policy Program, product, and project managers Know who is supposed to know what and when what kind of testing needs to happen CTO/Architect Accessibility support in selected libraries and frameworks

More role examples – what you need to know Designer Colors, fonts, identification of content flow and decorative-only elements Developer Correct use of HTML/CSS/JavaScript Content authors/providers Correct heading levels, providing alternative text

Success if… You haven’t put them to sleep because it wasn’t relevant to what they do They don’t think accessibility is “too hard” because they understand what they can do to help They want to learn more because you have piqued their professional curiosity Bonus points for: They understand that disability isn’t the problem, creating unnecessary barriers is the problem

Discussion!