It's hard enough to craft a website or web application that looks great and works well, but what about catering for those of us with vision problems? Those with limited use of hands or limbs? What about for those who struggle to use technology like we do? When it comes to digital, do we care enough about disabilities?

1. How accessible is your website?

2. We’ve broken the internet!
(You just can’t see the damage)

7. “Design” at what cost?
Form vs. Function

8. Web page
Cinema isn’t theatre!
TV isn’t radio!

14. Pervasive developmental disorders
Mental health & emotional
Physical
Sensory
Intellectual
Developmental disability
Nonvisible disabilities

15. Pervasive developmental disorders
Mental health & emotional
Physical
Sensory
Intellectual
Developmental disability
Nonvisible disabilities

16. Disabilities
15% of the world’s population have some form of disability
www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/10/color-contrast-tips-and-tools-for-accessibility/

17. Vision problems
About 4% of the population have low vision
7-12% of men have some form of colour blindness
Low-vision increases with age, half over-50s have some
degree of low-vision condition
www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/10/color-contrast-tips-and-tools-for-accessibility/

18. Changing population
Worldwide, the fastest-growing population is 60 years of age
and older
www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/10/color-contrast-tips-and-tools-for-accessibility/

19. By 2050 the number of over-60s
will double
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/dec/31/digital-discrimination-netflix-disney-target-web-accessibility-doj

20. Accommodate everyone

21. Why should you?

22. Accessible websites are 35%
more usable by everyone
www.abilitynet.org.uk/advice-info/web-accessibility-resources

23. SEO-friendly

24. It’s the law!
(Nearly)

25. EU
Soon all public sector websites must be accessible
UK law shortly after
Then laws for the private sector

26. UK
Equality Act 2010
Do not discriminate
Right to take legal action

27. Maguire v SOCOG
$20,000
The National Association of the
Deaf v Netflix
$795,000
The National Federation of the
Blind and the American Council of
the Blind v Arizona State University

28. 12 million disabled people
= £120 billion spending power
*http://www.abilitynet.org.uk/advice-info/web-accessibility-resources

29. How are we accessible?

30. Responsive Web Design

31. Non-responsive web design

32. Accessibility best practice
Contrast

33. Accessibility best practice
Contrast

34. Accessibility best practice
Text size

35. Accessibility best practice
Text size

36. Accessibility best practice
Alt tags

38. <img alt=“palm trees on beach”>

39. Accessibility best practice
Good quality code

41. Accessibility best practice
Microformats

42. <header role=“banner”>
<main role=“main”>
<nav role=“navigation”>
<aside role=“complementary”>
<form role=“search”>
<form role=“form”>

44. Accessibility compliance
WCAG
(Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)

45. Accessibility compliance
“Perceivable”
Can't be invisible to all of their senses

46. Accessibility compliance
“Operable”
The interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot
perform

47. Accessibility compliance
“Understandable”
The content or operation cannot be beyond their
understanding

48. Accessibility compliance
“Robust”
As devices evolve, the content should remain accessible

50. Accessibility compliance
A

52. Accessibility compliance
AA

54. Accessibility compliance
AAA

56. 2018
US legislation will be based on WCAG
Increased accessibility obligations only two years away
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/dec/31/digital-discrimination-netflix-disney-target-web-accessibility-doj

57. What next?

58. Where to start?
Accessibility is not a buzzword
Not a compromise
Can be done gradually

59. Responsibility
Our job to offer the service
Your responsibility to budget and ask for accessibility

61. “Great web accessibility isn’t a thing you do; it’s
a side effect of awesome thoughtful work.”
Joe Watkins, UX Engineer

62. “Accessibility is about designing and developing for
as many people as possible. It’s about doing the right
thing … creating a more inclusive web with each
screen or line of code.”
Marcy Sutton, Accessibility Engineer - Adobe

63. Let’s fix the internet!