CONNECTIONS

CCE SYSTEM CONFERENCE 2019Seeds of Change

WhyDigital AccessibilityTransitioning to an inclusive online environment at CCE.Paul Treadwell

CCE Accessibility TeamKatie BaildonCatina HymanEmily McFarlandHeather RussellPaul Treadwell

cce-accessibility@cornell.edu

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What we’re talking about today

• During this webinar we’ll discuss the why of accessibility and how an inclusive design mindset can help integrate accessibility into our workflows.

• We’ll also look at resources that are available to help you on your journey to creating accessible, inclusive digital media.

Defining accessible

• "Accessible" means a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use. The person with a disability must be able to obtain the information as fully, equally, and independently as a person without a disability.

Digital (web) accessibility

• Digital accessibility refers to the inclusive practice of making digital content usable by people of all abilities and disabilities. When digital content is correctly designed, developed, and edited, all users can have equal access to information and functionality.

What is digital content• Accessibility is often called ‘web accessibility’ which can be misleading.

• Any digital content we create needs to be accessible:• Web pages.• Newsletters posted online or distributed via email.• Any documents accessible via the web• Media

• Video• Including recorded webinars that will be posted online

• Audio• Images

• This means…..Social Media, too!

Who is affected?

Why digital accessibility matters

• Estimated 11.6% of New York state citizens with disability• 2.1% - visual• 6.6% - ambulatory• 2.8% - auditory• 4,5% - cognitive

• 37% increase in digital accessibility lawsuits in the U.S. in 2016• 71% of users with a disability will simply leave a website that is not

accessible.

Legal foundation

• Digital accessibility requirements• Federal

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)• Sections 504 & 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

• New York State• New York State Human Rights Law

Who has a role in digital accessibility?

• It is more than just a technology thing:• Content Creators and Document Authors• Supervisors• Web Managers • Purchasing/ Procurement

W3C and WCAG – guidelines for implementing accessibility• ADA, 504 and 508 lay out the legal obligation• WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) establish the

guidelines & success criteria necessary to meet the obligation• The shorthand for the principles underlying WCAG 2.0 is “P.O.U.R.”:

Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust.

• WCAG are the result of the WAI of the W3C

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P.O.U.R.

• Perceivable - Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.

• Operable - User interface components and navigation must be operable.• Understandable - Information and the operation of user interface must be

understandable.• Robust - Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by

a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.

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Perceivable

• Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.

• This means that users must be able to perceive the information being presented (it can't be invisible to all of their senses)

• Provide text alternatives for non-text content.• Provide captions and other alternatives for multimedia.• Create content that can be presented in different ways, including by assistive

technologies, without losing meaning.• Make it easier for users to see and hear content.

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Operable

• User interface components and navigation must be operable.• This means that users must be able to operate the interface (the interface cannot

require interaction that a user cannot perform)• Make all functionality available from a keyboard.• Give users enough time to read and use content.• Do not use content that causes seizures or physical reactions.• Help users navigate and find content.• Make it easier to use inputs other than keyboard.

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Understandable

• Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable.• This means that users must be able to understand the information as well as the

operation of the user interface (the content or operation cannot be beyond their understanding)

• Make text readable and understandable.• Make content appear and operate in predictable ways.• Help users avoid and correct mistakes.

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Robust

• Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.

• This means that users must be able to access the content as technologies advance (as technologies and user agents evolve, the content should remain accessible)

• Maximize compatibility with current and future user tools.

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If any of these are not true, users with disabilities will not be able to use the Web.

WCAG – A, AA, & AAA – measuring success• WCAG has 3 levels of compliance

• A is easiest. Minimally compliant• AA is our target• AAA – practically unachievable? High impact on design, impossible for

some content to ever meet this standard

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Inclusive Design

• accessibility is an attribute | inclusive design is a method.• Inclusive design: A design methodology that enables and draws on

the full range of human diversity.• Many people are unable to participate in aspects of society, both

physical and digital. Understanding why and how people are excluded gives us actionable steps to take towards inclusive design.

•

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Levels of inclusion

• Universal• Everyone has the same means of use

• Equivalent Use• Similar ways to meet the same goals – presented in different ways

• Accommodation• A work around – separate but not equal

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Implementing Accessibility at CCE

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Adapted from Minnesota IT Services source materialTake the keyboard shortcut challenge!7 quick cards for applications

Best practices for creating accessible digital content

Word, PowerPoint, Excel,OutlookAcrobat Pro, InDesignSocial Media

Assessment and evaluation tools

• Siteimprove - full-featured web accessibility management service• Siteimprove web link• Use is restricted to staff and faculty for websites related to official

university business, or in support of the university mission.

• Browser plugins• Siteimprove accessibility checker (Chrome)• WAVE web accessibility evaluation tool (Chrome & Firefox)

Start small, start now!

• We don’t have to do everything, all at once.• Accommodation is step one

• Create a process for dealing with user requests to make existing content accessible.

• Provide a user-friendly way for individuals to request assistance with accessibility issues.

• Text in the Footer of web pages: If you have a disability and are having trouble accessing information on this website or need materials in an alternate format, contact web-accessibility@yourassociation.com for assistance.

• Contact info in social media profiles for accommodation requests.

Start small, start now!

• Also step one• New content should be developed with accessibility in mind.

• Start by learning, and using, the six core skills:• Headings and document structure• Hyperlinks• Video captions• Bullets and numbered lists• Color and contrast• Image alt-text

Start now with…

• Any new documents being created.• Accessible CCE branded word template now available:

• Accessible CCE branded word template web link• Images:

• Alt tags! Come to our system conference session on accessible images to learn all about these handy things.

• Videos:• YouTube closed captioning

• Must be manually corrected! • Any automated transcription process will need human intervention to correct.

1st steps for web accessibility

• Using headings correctly to organize the structure of your site.• Screen reader users can use heading structure to navigate content. By

using headings (<h1>, <h2>, etc.) correctly and strategically, the content of your website will be well-organized and easily interpreted by screen readers.

• Include proper alt text for images• Alt text should be provided for images, so that screen reader users can

understand the message conveyed by the use of images on the page. This is especially important for informative images.

2nd steps for web accessibility

• Give your links unique and descriptive names• When including links in your content, use text that properly describes

where the link will go. Using "click here" is not considered descriptive, and is ineffective for a screen reader user.

• Use color with care• The most common form of color deficiency, red-green color deficiency,

affects approximately 8% of the population. Using ONLY colors such as these will prevent these individuals from understanding your message.

1st steps for document accessibility

• Use the accessible word template• Includes the correct structural markup, ie style elements, etc

• Add title, subject, keywords, author & language• These are important elements of any document. They are used by

screen readers to find and identify content in documents.

• Add alt text to images• Required for all images, same as web.

1st steps for social media accessibility

• Surprise! – Alt text• Depending upon the tool the ability to add alt text may or may not exist.

In that case add useful descriptive text that explains, and provides context for, the image.

• Attend the upcoming Accessible Images webinar during the system conference for more in-depth information

• Check out the accessible social media page from Accessible U for more tool based specifics.

1st steps for accessible video

• Transcription and closed captioning.• Video needs to be closed captioned

• Manually/semi-manual processes• Manual captioning – time consuming but not impossible• Youtube subtitles and closed captions – some manual correct needed

• For fee services• Highly accurate transcription needing minimal correction• $$$ - budgeting may be a challenge

1st steps for accessible presentations

• Currently we are testing Microsoft Presentation Translator for PowerPoint

• Transcribes presentations in real time• Free PowerPoint plugin• Preliminary testing is positive

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Resource links from these slides• CCE Accessibility site• Assessment tools

• Siteimprove web link• Siteimprove plugin for browsers (Chrome)• WAVE web accessibility evaluation tool (Chrome & Firefox)

• 1st steps• Accessible websites• Accessible documents• Accessible social media

Webinar Series Captioning video, audio and PowerPoint – recording available Creating accessible Word documents – recording available Accessibility recommendations and compliance –recording availableWhy digital accessibility? – this session. Recording coming soon

Creating accessible images – April 10 11am (during the System Conference)Accessible newsletters – April 24 11amPDFs and accessibility – May 22 11am

Registration and recordings at accessibility.cce.cornell.edu

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Contact us and general info• CCE Resources accessibility.cce.cornell.edu

- Accessibility Matters quick cards- Accessible word templates- Links to webinar recordings- Links to Lynda.com tutorials

• Cornell Resources (in particular, the Web Accessibility section) accessibility.cornell.edu

• Reach us at cce-accessibility@cornell.edu

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