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Accessibility for the rest of us

Outline

  1. Introduction
    1. Greeting
    2. Learning objectives
      1. What is accessibility
      2. Why accessibility matters
      3. Accessibility standards
      4. Accessibility principles
      5. Common tasks
      6. Best practices
    3. About Me
    4. Talk disclaimer
      1. I'm not an expert
      2. But you don't need to be an expert
      3. This is going to be what everyone can do to make accessible products
  2. What is accessibility
    1. Definition
    2. Illustration
    3. Connection to disabilities
    4. Categories
    5. Summary: Accessibility is about making products that work for everyone
  3. Why accessibility matters
    1. Better overall
    2. Reach more users
    3. Comply with laws
  4. Accessibility standards
    1. WCAG
    2. Organization
    3. Ratings
    4. Example 1
    5. Example 2
    6. Principles
  5. Accessibility principles
    1. Perceivable
      1. Users must be able to detect the interface and content
      2. Guideline:
        1. Text alternatives
        2. Time-based media
        3. Adaptable
        4. Distinguishable
    2. Operable
      1. Users must be able to interact with the interface effectively
      2. Guidelines:
        1. Keyboard accessible
        2. Enough time
        3. Seizures and physical reactions
        4. Navigable
        5. Input modalities
    3. Understandable
      1. Users must be able to comprehend the interface and how to use it correctly
      2. Guidelines:
        1. Readable
        2. Predictable
        3. Input Assistance
    4. Robust
      1. Users must be able to access your content on a variety of devices, clients, and/or browsers
      2. Guidelines:
        1. Compatible
    5. Review
      1. Out of order, but
      2. Users need to be able to access it, perceive it, understand it, and use it
  6. Common tasks
    1. Color
      • Sufficient contrast
      • Complement content
    2. Best HTML
      • Links for navigating
      • Buttons for interactions
      • Descriptive tags
    3. Labeling
      • Alternate text
      • Form labels
      • Descriptive buttons/links
      • Wise use of ARIA
    4. Page structure
      • Use landmarks
      • Heading order
      • DOM hierarchy
    5. Focus management
      • Transferring focus
      • Storing DOM references
      • Trapping focus
    6. Advocating for the user
      • Talk about accessibility
      • Be the voice of whoever is not in the room
    7. Summary
      • These common tasks span from easy to complex, but they are all things that every developer can do
  7. Best practices
    1. Prioritize accessibility
      • Measure twice
      • Design system
      • Component library
    2. Add accessibility targets and acceptance criteria
      • Chart your progress
      • Prevent
    3. Follow W3C's lead
      • Get comfortable with resources
      • Reference examples
    4. Audit
      • Automated
      • Manual
      • Accessibility-focused testing
        • Unit testing
        • E2E testing
    5. No new errors
    6. Fixes every sprint
    7. Add to acceptance criteria
    8. Build automated checks into CI/CD
    9. Advocate
    10. Summary
    • There isn't one thing that you can do that will make all of your problems go away. This is a multi-pronged approach that will slowly make your product more accessible over time.
  8. Closing
    1. Review learning objectives
    2. Challenge: Go out and commit to making your product more accessible
      • Choose two of the best practices above
    3. Reminder: You don't have be an expert; everyone can make accessible products.
    4. Resources

Key terms

References