Unintentional Exclusion:

Web accessibility and how we’re failing our users

Image source: Flickr

some fundamentals that, when not in place underneath may be creating a terrible experience for certain users. The users I'm going to talk about today are the users that might not use a website the way I do or you do. Users that might not use a mouse or need to speak commands to navigate or the users who can't see your awesome designs at all. I may be repeating things you already know inside and out and things you are already aware of and considering with every build and I hope that is the case. But I think it's important to take a step back and revisit some fundamentals of web design and make sure we're providing a great experience for everyone using the web. We should never assume anyone is using our site the same way as the next person, visiting on the latest release of our favorite browser or worst of all that we are in a position to decide that some people should be able to access certain information and others should not.

Today, it is next to impossible to perform daily tasks without using the web. We can book a flight in minutes seeing a list of options to compare prices, duration, etc. If anyone here has ever had the pleasure of calling an airline to book or change a flight you've probably eperienced the pain of sitting on hold, maybe being transfered to a bunch of different representatives and most likely not getting the friendliest service. If you live in an urban location or just don't like to take time out of your busy schedule or time away from your kids, you may use the convenience of online grocery delivery. Think of how much a blind or visually impaired person could benefit from a service like this, if the site is built in a way they are able to easily navigate and order. We can now have immediate access to test results or a patient portal, or refill a prescription online. Maybe even more important than those conveniences is the endless amounts of information and educational resources on the web. Resources that can allow someone to go back to school at night or learn something like web development in turn helping them find better opportunities, a higher salary or the convenience of being able to work from home. As designers and developers, it is our responsibility to ensure we’re providing the same access to these necessary things to everyone.

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57 million people in the US living with a disability

2010 US Census Bureau

Of all US computer users

22 million have a mild visual difficulty 11 million being severe

Of all US computer users

24 million have a mild dexterity difficulty or impairment 7 million being severe

Types of Disability

Visual: blind or low-sight, color blind
Hearing: deaf or hard-of-hearing
Physical: MS, ALS, paraplegic/quadriplegic
Cognitive: dyslexia, low literacy, learning disabilities, ESL
Seizures: photoepileptic seizures

Temporary Disabilities

Aging: dementia/Alzheimer’s, cataracts, low vision, mobility, loss of fine motor skills
Broken limbs
Sleep deprivation
Chemo side effects
Migraines/headaches

“By designing for someone with a permanent disability, someone with a situational disability can also benefit.” pic.twitter.com/H38S2Dw0LL
— David Storey (@dstorey) October 1, 2015

76 million baby boomers in the US

2014 US Census Bureau

a computer user using a mouth stick to type

Why are we excluding so many users?

It’s too hard
It’s too expensive
We're lazy
We don’t realize we’re doing it

It’s expensive

Not if it’s built in at the beginning

It’s hard

Here are a few easy steps to get started

8 Easy Tips

Alt text
Links
Navigation
Contrast & Color
Keyboard focus
Forms
Semantic HTML
Video captions

It's Unintentional

So let's make an intentional effort to fix it.

And finally, the reason I think most inaccessible sites exist, is because it's unintentional. I’ve had the opportunity to speak about a11y over the past year or so and always loved the discussion that came after. I really found that most des/dev just didn’t realize some of the choices they were making were detrimental to a user’s experience. I would get annoyed when I saw inaccessible sites but then began to realize that a lot of the time it really was unintentional. We often don’t think about certain things unless we are directly affected by it. There isn’t a way to analyze the amount of users coming to our sites using assistive technology which can sometimes make the argument for making accessible sites difficult. It's our responsibility to make accessibility a priority. Sometimes it can take a little convincing but there are more than enough reasons why we need to stop with the excuses and focus inclusive design. Site that are built with a11y in mind benefit everyone, not just people using assistive technology. Good UX goes hand-in-hand with a11y.

Accessibility Offline

Classes
Meetups
Conferences

So because this is a really general talk on thinking differently about accessibility and inclusivity, one other thing I wanted to touch on quickly is keeping accessibility in mind offline. In our community we are constantly learning and sharing knowledge. Whether it's through classes, Meetups or conferences. People with disabilities can be exluded from participation if the physical spaces can not accomodate them. If you’re scheduling an event, make sure the space is wheelchair accessible. This could also benefit someone with a broken foot who is on crutches, or a mom who needs to bring a stroller in, or anyone else with any sort of mobility issues. If you are presenting, make sure your slides are readable and can be seen from the last row. Don't overwhelm wih too much content on your slides or crazy animations. Small steps like these help to create a more inclusive and diverse community, which in the end everyone benefits from.

Tools & extensions

Resources

The Accessibility Project
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
WebAIM, an accessibility-focused organization with great information
Accessibilty Checklist
A11Y Wins

Unintentional Exclusion:

Web accessibility and how we’re failing our users

57 million people in the US living with a disability

Of all US computer users

22 million have a mild visual difficulty 11 million being severe

Of all US computer users

24 million have a mild dexterity difficulty or impairment 7 million being severe

Types of Disability

Temporary Disabilities

76 million baby boomers in the US

Why are we excluding so many users?

It’s expensive

Not if it’s built in at the beginning

It’s hard

Here are a few easy steps to get started

8 Easy Tips

It's Unintentional

Accessibility Offline

Tools & extensions

Resources

WordPress & Accessibility Resources

Thank you!

@_leekinney

hi@leekinney.is

leekinney.github.io/wordcamp-us