a11y (digital accessibility)
- • 100%www.forbes.com Inside NBC’s Work In Making This Year’s Paralympics The Most Accessible Games Yet
To wit, the Paralympics are orders of magnitude behind the zeitgeist in terms of attention compared to the Olympics.
Article by Steven Aquino
An excerpt follows:
> For sporting events like the Olympics and Paralympics, ... it’s paramount the (audio describer) be knowledgeable of the sport they’re describing; the quality would be otherwise sullied if the describer didn’t, for example, know the intricacies of basketball or anything else. The information conveyed has to be delivered with the proper context behind it in order for a Blind or low vision person to visualize a moment in their mind.
The ArXiv Forum is occurring this month. All their sessions are posted to YouTube. I recommend checking out their channel if you are interested in the latest digital accessibility trends. They also provide a platform for a wide variety of researchers with disabilities to share their perspectives, experiences, and accessibility tips. #accessibility
- convergeaccessibility.com The Importance of Communication in Accessibility Testing
The importance of communication in accessibility testing. How to avoid problems and simplify the effort for a more successful process.
This article highlights the importance of effective communication when sharing accessibility testing feedback. I have documented many accessibility bugs and capturing screenshots of the error can be very helpful. Also, describing the steps needed to recreate the bug is important. Effective communication can reduce retests and make the content accessible faster. #accessibility
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Paragraphs
This article explores the structural elements of a paragraph and how it relates to screen reader accessibility. #accessibility
This webpage profiles risk statements related to accessibility. Some of the risk statements relate to an institution failing to assign a department or person to coordinate institution-wide accessibility, failing to provide accessible instructional materials in a timely manner, and failing to provide an accessible website. Specific cases are referenced below each risk statement, which can provide context. #accessibility
- • 100%github.blog Exploring the challenges in creating an accessible sortable list (drag-and-drop)
The Accessibility team at GitHub considers drag-and-drop a “high-risk pattern,” often leading to accessibility barriers and a lack of effective solutions in the industry.
This article explains how to create an accessible drag-and-drop interaction. #accessibility
- https:// arxiv.org /abs/2407.15013
This study explores the barriers impacting educators in higher education who teach digital accessibility. It also compares the perspectives of teachers across the United States, India, and Switzerland. #accessibility
The PDF Association is making its standards available for free because of member sponsors. You can download the PDF/UA-1 and PDF/UA-2 standards from their website. This information will hopefully benefit remediators and developers. #accessibility
- yatil.net WCAG’s A and AA distinction is mostly academic · Eric Eggert
On Mastodon, Steve Faulkner shared a link to a GitHub discussion around the A, AA, and AAA levels of WCAG (Web Content Accessibility …
I really enjoyed Eric Eggert's new article on WCAG levels. When the WCAG Guidelines were being created members tried to correlate the different levels (A, AA, AAA) based on how difficult they'd be to implement. It would be helpful if the standards within each level designation were checked again. The standards could be regrouped based on their current level of difficulty. Please check out the full article for more information. #accessibility
- www.bemyeyes.com Four Leading Brands and The National Federation of the Blind Join Be My Eyes’ Be My AI Corporate Beta Test
We’re excited to announce that Hilton, Microsoft, P&G, Sony, and The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) have joined our Be My AI beta test.
It is exciting that Be My Eyes is partnering with major companies like Hilton, Microsoft, P&G, and Sony. This will hopefully allow customers who are blind or have low vision to use the app to get help from company representatives when navigating a hotel or using a new product. #accessibility
The AccessText Network is back online. I highly recommend using them as a resource if you create accessible books for college students with disabilities. AccessText is returning thanks to the Association of American Publishers. #accessibility
- www.apple.com Accessibility - The Relay
At Apple, we believe an athlete is an athlete. That’s why we design our products for every body.
I enjoyed Apple's Relay advertisement showcasing paralympic athletes and athletes without disabilities competing. The advertisement reflects the joy of competition and the freedom of attaining a state of flow. We all enjoy those feelings at our core. I also appreciate how their video player seamlessly supports audio descriptions, which is something YouTube still does not support. #accessibility
- • 100%theconversation.com Digital inaccessibility: Blind and low-vision people have powerful technology but still face barriers to the digital world
Assistive technology like screen readers for the blind help people with disabilities use computers and smartphones, but they can be tripped up if webpages or documents are improperly formatted.
This article explores common web accessibility barriers that are negatively impacting people with disabilities. These barriers can prevent people with disabilities from entering the workforce. The article's author is helping to conduct a study to help people who are blind or have low vision use assistive technology to overcome these barriers and attain employment. It will be interesting to learn of the study's results hopefully in 2025. #accessibility
- • 100%er.educause.edu 10 Ways Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Instructional Design
Artificial intelligence (AI) is providing instructors and course designers with an incredible array of new tools and techniques to improve the course
This article highlights how AI is transforming instructional design. A lot of the ideas brought up in the article like AI providing personalized or adaptive learning, tutoring, gamification, and AI-enhanced assessments can benefit students with learning disabilities or who are neurodiverse. As someone with ADHD receiving immediate feedback and lessons that use a variety of mediums to convey key concepts can help me stay engaged. #accessibility
- adata.org Research Brief: Digital Access for Students in Higher Education and the ADA | ADA National Network
(Printer-friendly PDF version | 350 KB) (Large Print PDF version | 312 KB) Digital Access for Students in Higher Education and the ADA An ADA Knowledge Translation Center Research Brief Courtney Mullin Rob Gould Sarah Parker Harris Department of Disability and Human Development University of Illinoi...
This website has a lot of helpful information about the ADA. I found this research article interesting because it summarizes the need for accessible online classes and how students in K-12 are more likely to request accommodations than in college. #accessibility
- • 100%www.w3.org Accessibility Principles
An overview of the fundamental web accessibility requirements for websites, web applications, browsers, and other tools.
The W3C Accessibility Principles page breaks down the different principles of web accessibility. This includes perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. They also link to many helpful examples and design personas, which can help you consider a variety of users. hashtag #accessibility
- digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org AB 1757: Accessibility: internet websites. | Digital Democracy
Digital Democracy overview of bill AB 1757: Accessibility: internet websites.
AB1757 is the California law focused on requiring vendors to ensure that the websites they create for clients are accessible. If the website is not accessible the vendor would be liable. It has passed the first chamber and is currently in second committee review. #accessibility
- • 100%adrianroselli.com Things to Do Before Asking “Is This Accessible?”
It is not uncommon for someone to message, call, email, or carrier pigeon me to ask if something is accessible. They almost invariably want a “yes” or “no.” However, I need to understand what the heck they mean and what the other-heck prompted them to ask. Yes, I would be…
This article provides some better questions to ask instead of "Is this accessible?" It is important to consider the standard you're using to define "accessible" like WCAG 2.1. Also, looking at a VPAT or testing the platform using assistive technology. #accessibility
- equalify.app Why Form Labels Matter for Web Accessibility [Video] - Equalify
In this episode of Equalify Snippets, we delve into the critical topic of labeling form elements on web pages. Hosted by Blake Bertucelli-Booth, founder of Equalify, and Kevin Andrews, a certified web accessibility specialist, this episode highlights the importance of labels for form elements and th...
Blake Bertuccelli-Booth & Kevin Andrews provide a demo of inaccessible and accessible forms. They highlight the importance of labels for form elements and the impact they have on web accessibility. hashtag#accessibility
The closure of the Access Text Network earlier this year has made it more difficult for higher education disability offices to provide accessible books. Luckily, the University of Virginia has launched Educational Materials Made Accessible (EMMA), which is trying to become a replacement.
- access.articulate.com Rise 360 : utilisation des niveaux de titre - Articulate Support
Comment ajouter des niveaux de titre au texte dans Rise 360.
Articulate Rise has now added support for multiple headings beyond H3. Check out the article for more details.
- • 100%now.tufts.edu Designing a More Accessible World for People with Disabilities
Human factors engineer Ryan Beckett is on a personal mission to design adaptive devices for those living with disabilities
This article highlights the work Tufts student Ryan Beckett is doing developing different assistive technology products like a one-handed kitchen cutting board. #accessibility
- • 100%adrianroselli.com AT Is More Than Screen Readers
A screen reader is a single element of the overall set of assistive technologies. In practice, however, each is often used as a metonym for the other. Well, hello there. It’s nice to see you. If you’re here because I sent you the link, it’s nothing personal. You’re a lovely…
Assistive technology is much broader than just screen reading software. This article reminds us of the wide array of assistive technologies people use every day. This is also why it is important to include people with different disabilities when testing a website or application. You may find that something that works with a screen reader does not work when using voice control. #accessibility
f you are building courses using Articulate Rise I recommend checking out this resource to learn more about how to ensure your course is accessible. #accessibility
- https:// github.com /jupyter/notebook/issues
If you are looking to track accessibility features or bugs in Jupyter Notebooks, I recommend checking out this GitHub page. There is also one for Jupyter Lab too. #accessibility
- • 100%repository.ifla.org 10 years into Marrakesh – what does the data say?
So far, 123 countries have ratified or acceded to the Marrakesh Treaty, including those which joined subsequent to the European Union’s ratification. This represents almost 2/3 of the countries of the world, an impressive achievement for a Treaty that was only voted through ten years ago, and only e...
The Marrakesh Treaty has led to countries opening up their copyright laws and allowing the reproduction of accessible books. However, there are still many limitations. For example, 18.7% of the participating countries have a commercial availability check, and 38% have a secondary law that might require a check. Hopefully, the European Accessibility Act fully taking effect in June, 2025 will lead to a proliferation of accessible books provided by publishers. #accessibility
- link.springer.com Does the law matter? An empirical study on the accessibility of Finnish higher education institutions’ web pages - Universal Access in the Information Society
Information and communication technology (ICT) has made higher education available to many students in a new way. The role of online learning in higher education institutions (HEIs) has grown to an unprecedented scale due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The diversity of higher education students has incre...
This study explores Finnish higher education institutions' websites to determine if they comply with recent web accessibility legislation that requires them to meet AA WCAG 2.1 standards. After 1.5 years of transition time, Finnish institutions are still not fully compliant. There are major accessibility gaps between different institutions. This research may predict what will occur when the ADA's new rule comes into effect.
- • 100%www.lflegal.com Structured Negotiations and Mobile Access
Mobile accessibility is about making sure that applications, information and services on mobile devices are available to all users. Weight Watchers, Bank of America, Major League Baseball and WellPoint have all engaged in Structured Negotiations with the blind community to improve the accessibility
This article by Lainey Feingold highlights companies that have taken advantage of Structured Negotiation and have collaboratively worked with the blind community to improve the accessibility of their mobile applications. This includes businesses like Major League Baseball, Bank of America, Weight Watchers, and WellPoint. #accessibility
- • 100%adrianroselli.com Don’t Override Screen Reader Pronunciation
When many devs, testers, and authors first start listening to content through a screen reader, they are surprised to hear dates, pricing, names, abbreviations, acronyms, etc. announced differently than they expect. With the best of intentions (or branding panic) they may seek to force screen readers...
This article helps highlight why trying to improve screen reader pronunciation can create more problems than it solves. #accessibility
I think Toyota's assembly line vs General Motors's assembly line is an analogy that relates to the importance of being proactive about digital accessibility. Toyota revolutionized the assembly line because its workers were encouraged to stop the line if a problem occurred. GM had a policy that the line could never stop and they'd fix the car's issues after it was built. GM struggled to remediate its cars, while Toyota's cars became world renowned for being of high quality. This can be applied to digital accessibility. Teams should prioritize ensuring their product is accessible from the start rather than creating an inaccessible product that needs to be remediated afterwards. #accessibility https://www.thisamericanlife.org/561/transcript
- yatil.net The infuriating inefficiency of accessibility audits · Eric Eggert
Accessibility audits are the bread and butter of every accessibility consultancy. It’s an easy to package product that clients have learned to ask for and buy. They have expectations on the deliverables and the form of an audit. Audits are usually also thorough, following established international g...
This is a great article on why accessibility audits are inefficient, time consuming, and expend more resources. This is because accessibility audits are part of a reactive approach that focuses on fixing issues after the webpage, app, or course is created. It is much easier and efficient to be proactive and make accessibility a priority from the start. This will lead to higher quality content that can be accessed by a wide range of users. #accessibility https://yatil.net/blog/the-infuriating-inefficiency-of-accessibility-audits#fn-2
Newsweek included an option piece about the importance of digital accessibility on the eve of the passage of the ADA. I'm glad digital accessibility is being covered by more mainstream sources. It should be on everyone's radar. #accessibility
- • 100%kb.wisc.edu IT Accessibility and Usability
Center for User Experience, usability, accessibility, campus IT, campus technology, technologies, user experience, digital accessibility, web accessibility, usable, accessible, universal design, UDL, A11y, UX, disability, inclusion, inclusive, inclusivity
Check out the University of Wisconsin's accessibility and usability information. They share a summary of the accessibility barriers they have found from their accessibility evaluations of different vendors. This can be beneficial if you are a smaller institution that can't afford to do your own testing or are curious about the accessibility of a specific product.
When you turn on wheelchair accessible routes in Google Maps it will notify you of any accessibility barriers on your route like a broken elevator. The article also highlights other new features Google has rolled out recently.
- • 100%www.theguardian.com Sophie Morgan’s Fight to Fly review – the degradation of disabled people is jaw-dropping
From the women manhandled out of their wheelchairs to the man forced to drag himself along a plane floor, this searing documentary is packed with horrors that will be painfully familiar to many people with disabilities
This documentary highlights the horrible treatment people with disabilities experience when they try to fly. It is common for people with disabilities to have their mobility devices broken by the airline or to be manhandled into a seat. We need an Ed Roberts-like figure to take on the big airline corporations to make them provide a humane experience. Each airline should offer an accessible wheelchair seat and train their staff to value all their customers.
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JAWS Power Tip: How To Use the New Picture Smart AI Keystroke to Describe an Image in Context
www.toptechtidbits.com JAWS Power Tip: How To Use the New Picture Smart AI Keystroke to Describe an Image in Context - Top Tech Tidbits - A Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd. PublicationIn the July update of JAWS 2024, we added a new keystroke to describe an image based on your current application or context. This eliminates the need to remember which keystroke to use when you need a description of a control or application window.
JAWS has added an AI feature that can describe images. Users can activate the feature by Pressing INSERT+SPACEBAR, P, then ENTER. It can be used to describe what is being displayed on the screen. It is not perfect but a way of getting additional information when no alt text is available. I believe this kind of AI feature may eventually become standard across screen reading software.
- open.spotify.com Accessibility in Cyber, Future Solutions, and Shifting Mindsets with Justin Merhoff & Florian Beijars!
Episode · Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks · Justin Merhoff, Director of InfoSec, and Florian Beijers, a blind web developer, join the show to talk about accessibility in cybersecurity. This week the Americans with Disabilities Act turns 34!George K and George A talk to Justin and Florian about:🔍 The ...
This podcast explores the intersection of accessibility and cybersecurity. #accessibility
YouTube Video
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This talk is a little older but Adrian does a great job highlighting how to make digital accessibility relevant to the designer.
- • 100%diff.wikimedia.org Dark mode’s bright future: How dark mode will transform Wikipedia’s accessibility
Dark mode is here for Wikipedia (finally!). Dark mode has been one of the most requested features. It improves accessibility and reduces eye strain for readers and communities across Wikimedia proj…
I saw this trending on Lemmy. I'm glad that Wikipedia is focusing on using color accessibly and introducing a dark mode.