Microsoft's Commitment to Accessibility

Hi all! I apologize for my lack of posts for the last few months; somehow, time got away from me. I have scheduled monthly posts for this blog so don't fear, more AR Tech Resources blog updates are in the works!

I wanted to address the recent blog post from the folks at Microsoft addressing the accessibility features they have in place and their goals for continuing to improve their products in 2016. Their goals are clear and send a powerful message:

"Our goals are to ensure that:

• People with disabilities can communicate, consume and create content on any device.
• Everyone can easily create content that is accessible for all people. "

For folks familiar with the current MS Product line and the accessibility features that are built into them, this may be unsurprising. However, from seeing the challenges that people with disabilities face when working with technology, this commitment is reassuring. While accessibility will always be a process in that it is unlikely that everyone's unique needs and challenges will ever be addressed by one product, the more major companies that join the push for Universal Design and accessibility lessen those barriers. 

Some of the accessibility features that MS products include are: 

• A built-in Accessibility Checker
• An easy-to-use ribbon (navigation) tool that is very similar across products (for folks switching between programs, this lessens the challenges of learning new navigation menus)
• Built-in heading and style templates that are easily customizable without losing document navigation tags
• Keyboard-enabled navigation
• High-contrast mode

And this is not a comprehensive list by any means! In my next post, I will go more in-depth into the built-in features of MS Word and how to create an accessible document. For now, thank you to the Microsoft team pushing accessibility to new heights! I look forward to seeing what 2016 will bring.

WCAG 2.0 In Brief

Simplifying the Standards

So we know that WCAG Standards exist, and we have the tools to check if our webpages and documents meet these standards--but what about building accessible documents and webpages in the first place? What makes a document or webpage accessible? 

As previously mentioned, the WCAG 2.0 standards layout the basics very well. From the Web Accessibility Initiative, we are able to see a very straightforward list of WCAG 2.0 "At a Glance": 

Perceivable

• 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.

Operable

• Make all functionality available from a keyboard.
• Give users enough time to read and use content.
• Do not use content that causes seizures.
• Help users navigate and find content.

Understandable

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

Robust

• Maximize compatibility with current and future user tools.

(Above list pulled from the Web Accessibility Initiative website on 8/19/2015.)

Personally, the two that stand out as the easiest to follow or adapt to, but most often overlooked, are document structure and alternative formats. Documents that lack designated headings, paragraphs, and other features are not navigable. A good metaphor for users that aren't low-vision, blind, or otherwise using a screen reader is to imagine trying to navigate multiple, complex plain text emails with no way to search for key words or to scan the page--each word, regardless of importance, must be read. For someone using a screen reader, this is what each unstructured document or webpage encounter is like. 

Likewise, imagine being able to watch a video that includes important audio instructions, but you do not have access to speakers or headphones--or you are a member of the deaf and hard of hearing community. It can get pretty frustrating! Including multimedia content without alternative formats (such as captions on videos, transcripts of speeches and songs, alt tags for images, or descriptive text for diagrams) is not accessible, period. 

For the purpose of this blog, I will be breaking down the different techniques to create accessible documents through several types of files and web options: Microsoft Office (including Word, Powerpoint, and Outlook), PDFs, HTML, among others. Each post will focus on easy techniques for less experienced users, but will include links to resources that go even further for advanced users.

Assessing Webpage Accessibility

Now that we know WCAG 2.0 standards, what now? 

As I mentioned in my last post, there are tools available to check the accessibility of a web page, and also give you tips on how to correct any errors. One of my personal favorites is the WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation) tool created by the WebAim (Web Accessibility In Mind) team. 

WAVE is a very straightforward tool: simply copy the URL of the website or page you would like to check, and paste the URL into WAVE. After hitting the next button, the tool will assess the site and create a report. Here's an example of the tool in use:

1. Users paste or type in the URL of the page they would like to check:

2. After a few moments of analyzing, WAVE produces a short report of the errors (or lack of errors) encountered on the page. (Not shown in image is the web page with errors indicated by symbols on the applicable page sections.): 

3. Users can click on the symbols listed to the left of the summary menu for more detailed descriptions of the errors as well as the explanation of the symbols marking the page:

While one cannot use the tool to perform the corrections, this report does allow the user to modify the appropriate content or submit this information to your IT department. Another cool feature is the contrast checker, which allows you to see if the contrast meets WCAG 2.0 standards for website visitors with low-vision or color deficits. The person can even enter different font colors to see if they pass or fail contrast checks!

Pretty neat, huh? This tool is just one of the many ways that web developers and site editors can verify that they are meeting accessibility requirements. As always, for more information about web accessibility standards, review the WCAG 2.0 technical standards for a comprehensive guide. However, for beginners and other users like myself, this is a great way to get started!

Web Accessibility

Promoting Digital Access

When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed in 1990, many individuals with disabilities in the United States gained physical access and rights to places historically inaccessible. Visiting sites such as the ADA Legacy Project or ADA Anniversary gives us an appreciation for just how far we've come in those short 25 years, from Universal Design features such as curb cuts and automatic door openers to more social justice ideas such as these featured on the blog Words I Wheel By: 

• More equal opportunities for people with all types of disabilities to receive a public education
• Greater social involvement among the disability community in all areas of society
• Expanded employment opportunities for disabled people
• Disabled athletes can thrive in adaptive sports
• Support systems exist for people with all types of disabilities
• Misconceptions and prejudices can be more easily debunked
• There is a bigger presence of disability in the media
• Adaptive products are more widely available
• There is a bigger focus on studying disability in academia
• Provides a legal basis to maintain momentum in pursuing accessibility and justice
• Helps prevent discriminatory actions or retaliation
• Social recognition of disabled people as full, contributing citizens

What I hope to focus on in this blog are adaptive products. On that note, a product that has revolutionized our society has been the advent of the internet, and for brevity, this post will focus on web design.

A great introduction to making the web accessible was compiled by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) which very simply and thoroughly goes through the what, why, and how of making web pages accessible. They are the organization behind the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines that are the current standard for web accessibility (as of this post, their guidelines are at the 2.0 revision).

Web design can be pretty complex. For our purposes, the main goals of accessible web design follow the principles of the ADA: provide equal access and equal opportunity to all users. Some basic tenants of accessible web design are universally applicable, such as simple, easy to navigate websites. For those so inclined, the WAI group has very comprehensive guidelines and techniques for you to review. If you're not involved in web design, a cool resource to check out to see if a website you are affiliated with or visit is accessible is WAVE, which stands for Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool. Simply pop in the URL of the website you'd like to check, and WAVE runs it through its system of checks (and then, if it's your website, you can send the results to your IT department to fix). Kind of neat! 

Introduction

Accessibility Resources and Technology

My goals for this blog are simple and they will undoubtedly adapt as I explore and learn. For this first post, I would like to outline what I hope to accomplish:

1. Establish an easy to navigate blog for students and the general public interested in the possibilities of expanding disability access through emerging accessible technology.
2. Network with other established resource providers and caches to customize a list of accessible technology resources for students attending Bellingham Technical College (BTC).
3. Personally try out accessible technology and open educational resources and review them in order that blog readers can have informed direction as to what options exist.
4. Have fun and develop my knowledge of the exciting fields of accessibility technology and open educational resources and the equity they can bring to education and the workplace.

Image sourced from: http://edtrust.org/the-equity-line/

A main focus of this blog will be on equity. In the image above, we have three individuals of varying heights attempting to view a baseball game over a fence. In the equality model, everyone has the same size block to stand on to see over the fence. In the equity model, everyone has a block appropriate to their height. Accessible technology is similar to the blocks in the images above: if everything is made equal, not everyone with have the access they need. If the focus is on equity, however, each individual has the tools to adapt to the situation at hand in order to achieve their goals or even simply participate. 

To finish this first post off, here is a great video created by the University of Washington which discusses the need for accessible technology: