Joining Accessibility and UX for Accessible UX

Sarah Horton and David SloanWebvisions ChicagoSeptember 26 2014

People are people

Accessibility approached as a compliance exercise

Leads to bad news and feelings of helplessness

See accessibility with new eyes

What do you need to know?

8.1 million people in the US have some difficulty seeing

Sister Daughter

Mother Me

Father

Husband

FriendColleague

BrotherWife

Son

Let’s consider accessibility as an opportunity First-person perspective

Observation

You feelin’ it?

Let’s consider accessibility as an opportunity See accessibility with new eyes

Engage with accessibility because you feel it

We believe:

Successful engagement with digital information and services is an individual and societal imperative

We believe:

Reliance on digital technologies without due regard to accessible user experience could worsen social and economic exclusion

We believe:

Inattention to accessibility fundamentally compromises quality and user experience

We believe:

Truly advancing accessibility requires change, for people, processes, and technologies

We believe:

We will all reap benefits if we collectively commit to accessibility and accessible user experiences

We recognize:

Many environmental factors influence accessibility needs

We recognize:

As human beings, our capabilities and preferences are unique and variable

We recognize:

There is no easy and direct path toward accessibility

We recognize:

The accessibility roadmap we have been following has shortcomings

We will:

Build a culture of accessibility in every organization we work with

We will:

Commit to helping all stakeholder groups understand accessibility

We will:

Prioritize engagement with people with disabilities

We will:

Commit to continuous improvement in knowledge and practice of accessible UX

We will:

Focus on accessible UX as a commitment to making the best possible digital experiences for more people

See accessibility as a problem you can solve

Engage with accessibility because you care about people

Act on accessibility because you can make a difference

Sarah Horton @gradualclearingDavid Sloan @sloandr

Act on accessibility because you can make a differenceThe Paciello Group