access tempe: demystifying accessible web apps Stephanie Deitrick, Ph.D, GISP Ayan Mitra Seth Lewis

where it all began…access tempe replace Access Tempe brochure (2009) Office of Strategic Management & Diversity Tempe as dementia friendly city

accessible access to information Americans with Disabilities Act (1990, 2008) & Section 508 Amendment to Rehabilitation Act of 1973 apply to internet content much web content wasn't designed for residents with disabilities

what is web accessibility? more than access to information means that people with disabilities can understand, interact with, and navigate the web seeks to consider all disabilities including auditory, cognitive, mobility, visual populations with specific needs such as those with dementia or their caretakers

how to get there? principles of universal design design for broad range of abilities focus on functional needs instead of single disability support multiple ways of knowing spatial awareness focus simple language

webGIS + accessibility webGIS apps present complexity issues not always present in standard markup e.g. how to convey results that are nearby or relevant to user?

webGIS + accessibility

what about templates?

initial design

revised design what about users who struggle with understanding information spatially? solution: offer text-only alternative and support back-forth navigation

launch page

finding resources via text

finding resources via text

finding resources via text

the map

getting user location

providing user with relevant results

make map results easy to understand

easy navigation between text & map searches

demo

takeaways conversation and collaboration are needed

thank you! stephanie_deitrick@tempe.gov ayan_mitra@tempe.gov seth_lewis@tempe.gov