Laying the groundwork for online accessibility
success in a large environment

Current Problems
• Lack of accessibility planning / pre-planning
• Stakeholders already on the defensive
• Tight deadlines
• "How Much Does It Cost?" - No budget
allotted
• Content being developed for the web that
was never designed with web accessibility in
mind
• Sum total = Resistance

Resistance to change
Resistance to change manifests in different
ways:
Confrontation Avoidance
Rejection Insincerity (hand waving)

Finding the champions
It takes a
Cultural shift.
The key is good
communication and
good communicators.

The Law of the Few
• Connectors
– Knows everyone,
has done everything
(institutional knowledge)
• Mavens
– Tech gurus. Follows web trends
and tries new technology early
(implementer)
• Salesmen
– Boosters, promoters,
persuader, helper
(enthusiasm)

Communication Skills
• Be Likable - Stay positive
• Connect - Find mutual points of interest
• Solve Problems / Build Trust - Teamwork
starts with you
• Create Positive Experiences - Make learning
fun!
• Build relationships – You can’t do it alone.
• Identify and work with Connectors, Mavens
and Salesmen in your organization.

Establishing the systems
to get you there
Tackling Technical Challenges
Publishing & Tracking systems
Drupal, CQ5, etc.
Bugzilla, Mantis, Trak, etc.
Frameworks
jQuery, Dojo
Consider custom tools
Stanford’s Caption tool

Establishing the systems
to get you there
Tackling Technical Challenges
Evaluation tools
Deque Worldspace, SSB Bart AMP,
IBM Rational Checker
WAVE, eChecker

Establishing the systems
to get you there
Tackling Cultural challenges
Goals and Expectations
Provide detailed expectations
of Outcomes, not process
- encourage creativity
Set realistic goals and
expectations
Lay out the efforts as
challenges, not consequences
Pursuit of Quality

Establishing the systems
to get you there
Tackling Cultural challenges
Timeline/milestones
Fostering empathy and
understanding
Brownbag events - invite
actual users with
disabilities

Establishing the systems
to get you there
Addressing Financial challenges
The hardest problem to solve
today
Honesty is important
Scaled question - the longer
you delay, the more it costs

Establishing the systems
to get you there
Transition towards team based approach
• Project Manager
• Tech Team
• Design, User
Experience
• Marketing/Content
Dept.
Identify bottlenecks
for each
group independently
Roles based accessibility:
http://www.w3.org/community/wai-engage/wiki/Accessibility_Responsibility_Breakdown

Establishing the systems
to get you there
Establish Training and internal
resources
Motivation (internal awards,
recognition, etc.)
Knowledge wiki or
other Knowledge Base
Consistency of
implementation

Legislation, Policy &
Best Practices
Accessibility is a
governance issue and
a shared responsibility
Appeal to Pride versus
Fear
• Policy: work with existing
standards - avoid re-inventing
the wheel
• Best Practices: document your internal interpretation and
implementation - consistency trumps all
• Legal threat is heavy-handed: use as last resort. (IANAL)

Measuring success
• Avoid checklist mentality
• Avoid appearances of
concessions and sacrifices
• Avoid the Brick!!

Measuring success
• More than just QA
Process: multiple rounds
of testing for accessibility
• Work with milestones:
test early, test often
• Be specific in what you
ask for, generous in what
you accept*
* (Within reason)

Measuring success
Celebrate successes - Recognize efforts
great and small

Thank You
Questions?
Contact Me
john@foliot.ca
http://john.foliot.ca
Be the Fireman and not the Cop:
Laying the groundwork for online accessibility success in a large
environment
February, 2013