Drupal has built-in accessibility features that help it meet modern standards and user expectations. Its developers prioritize accessibility issues and work to codify best practices. Features like ARIA landmarks, semantic HTML5 markup, and form API improvements in Drupal 7 and 8 help ensure Drupal sites are accessible on different devices and browsers for all users. By addressing accessibility at the core code level and collaborating with other communities, Drupal aims to set an example and have broad influence on accessibility across the web.

1. THE DRUPAL
ACCESSIBILITY
ADVANTAGE
It's About Starting with Core – May 15#ID24 Hour 12

2. OpenConcept Consulting Inc.
Facts and Figures:
President: Mike Gifford
Creation date: 1999
Switch to Drupal: 2006
Number of employees: 10
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Services
❏ Consulting
❏ Drupal Development
❏ Support and Maintenance

3. Rapidly Accelerating
Problems
◻ The Web continues to change rapidly
◻ Standards are in flux and will remain so
◻ Keeping up with devices and browsers
◻ User expectations are growing

4. Greater Diversity
◻ Greater accommodation for the human condition
◻ Support for the whole population
◻ Drive for personalized experience
◻ New legal implications

5. Drupal Core & Accessibility
◻ Central software libraries driving the Internet
◻ Commitment to developing to standards
◻ Best practices need to be codified
◻ Making accessibility issues release blockers
◻ An inclusive culture in the developer community

6. Fix Problems at the Source
■ Drupal CMS
■ jQuery UI
■ CKEditor
■ Firefox & Chrome
■ Assistive Technology

7. Central Solutions
◻ Drupal 7
⬜ CSS display:none;
⬜ Forms API
◻ Drupal 8
⬜ ARIA Live Announcements API
⬜ Controlled TabManager
⬜ Views

8. Add Proper Semantics
◻ Drupal 7
⬜ Headings applied to lists & blocks
⬜ Labels
◻ Drupal 8
⬜ WAI-ARIA landmarks, live regions, roles & properties
⬜ HTML5
⬜ Cleanup: Label, Fieldsets, Figure/figcaption

9. We are Mobile
◻ Drupal 8 is responsive out of the
box
◻ Apple’s iPhone/iPad includes
VoiceOver
◻ Android devices come with
TalkBack
◻ Growing number of accessibility
apps available
◻ Mobile devices support multiple
browsers

10. Accessibility Everywhere
◻ Anonymous Users
◻ Authenticated Users
◻ Content Editors
◻ Site Administrators
◻ Developers
◻ Drupal Community Sites

11. Drupal is Multilingual
◻ Early commitment to Internationalization
◻ More than one language at one time
◻ Centralized control of strings
◻ Patterns for Contributed Modules/Themes
◻ Language of Parts

12. Proudly Invented Elsewhere
◻ jQuery UI
⬜ Autocomplete
⬜ Modal Dialogs
◻ CKEditor
⬜ Pushing Accessibility
⬜ Drupal’s accessible administration
◻ HTML5 Boilerplate

13. Provide Good Examples
◻ Modules
⬜ Core modules
◻ Themes
⬜ Bartik & Seven
◻ Documentation
⬜ Inline
⬜ API
⬜ Handbooks
◻ Issue Queue
⬜ Provide external links

14. People with Disabilities
◻ Seek out people with
disabilities
◻ Drupal 7
⬜ OpenConcept Everett Zufelt
◻ Drupal 8
⬜ Crowd funding to bring Vincenzo
Rubano to DrupalCon
◻ Where possible integrate
with community

15. Automated Testing
◻ WAVE Toolbar
◻ Firefox/Chrome Extensions for Color Contrast
◻ QUAIL - http://quailjs.org

16. Feedback: Early & Often
◻ Encourage people to download early versions
⬜ https://drupal.org/project/drupal
◻ Provide simple means to test patches
⬜ http://simplytest.me/project/drupal/8.x
◻ Have a channel for discussion
⬜ https://drupal.org/irc/

17. 3% Of the Internet Matters
◻ The community is large
◻ We influence other open source projects
◻ We can have an effect on
⬜ Microsoft
⬜ Apple
⬜ Google
⬜ Freedom Scientific

18. In Conclusion...
◻ Start by addressing accessibility at the source
◻ Where possible centralize solutions
◻ Add meaning through semantics
◻ Accessibility is also mobile
◻ Be inclusive
◻ Collaborate with other software communities
◻ Engage people with disabilities & robots
◻ Seek feedback & give feedback
◻ Together we can make a difference!

19. For participating in GAAD 2014!
Thank you
@mgifford
@openconcept_ca
http://openconcept.ca