The world needs more accessibility (and I will explain why in my talk). Everyone can make the necessary changes to make the world more accessible. Even the new technical communicator can improve accessibility on the first day of their job through the choice of words. As you develop more skills in your field, you can do even more. You cannot do it all on your own, however. Everyone needs to get involved and not everyone wants to be told to „do accessibility”. Therefore, aside from showing you some practical solutions for including accessibility in your professional toolkit today, I want to inspire people to *desire* to „do accessibility” because it is the right thing to do, not because they have to do it. I also want to inspire you to get the entire organisation involved because that is when the bigger changes can really happen. Oh, and yes, usability will be discussed throughout this talk. You could say that usability and accessibility are kissing cousins.

1. Desiring accessibility!
Karen Mardahl
@kmdk
9 October 2015
#soapconf

2. Thanks,
mom!

3. “…give them a taste for the sea…”
–Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

5. The International Classification of Functioning,
Disability and Health (ICF) from World Health
Organization (WHO) “acknowledges that
every human being can experience
a decrement in health and thereby experience
some degree of disability.
Disability is not something that only happens to
a minority of humanity. The ICF thus
‘mainstreams’ the experience of disability and
recognises it as
a universal human experience.”
–http://www.who.int/classifications/icf/en/

6. Perspective

7. Perception

8. Apophenia

9. Accessibility
in the wild
Comment on the photo:
“But why is there braille in an
art museum elevator...Would a
blind person go to an art
gallery??”

11. Afterthought

12. –Lisa Herrod
When universal design
processes fail to include,
consult with, and listen to the
people we are actually
designing for, we also fail to
design effectively.

13. Do unto others
as you would have them
do unto you.
Design unto others
as you would have them
design unto you.

15. –Matt May
You are making the
world a better place!

16. –Multiple sources
Be genuine.
Be authentic.
Be human.

17. –Abelone Glahn, Danish journalist/entrepreneur
What’s in it for me
vs
What’s in it OF me

21. Change lives?
Or change code?

22. Pride

23. Passion

24. Education - for peers, by peers

25. Duty calls

26. “This is the problem and
this is how it affects
people and you can solve
it and if you don't, these
are the consequences.”
–Matt May’s template for advocacy

27. Alphabet of Accessibility
Issues
• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z
• .
• .
• .
• .

28. Welcome

29. “Just Ask” by Shawn Lawton Henry
“A Web for Everyone” by Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery

32. Takeaways
• You can make a difference
• You can be a hero to someone
• You can gain new perspectives
• You can gain new career skills
• You can “insure” your future
• You develop a taste of the sea…? :)

34. This gift will last forever
This gift will never let you down
Some things are made from better stuff
This gift is waiting to be found
—Glen Hansard

35. Resources 1 of 2
• See also other accessibility presentations at http://www.slideshare.net/kmardahl/ and the related links on
my website at http://mardahl.dk.
• Private photo of my mother folk dancing in Paraguay.
• Photo of Agger Harbour, Denmark: https://flic.kr/p/qkyjLX kmardahl CC BY-SA 2.0. Background for Saint-
Exupéry quote: https://en.wikiquote.org/w/index.php?
title=Antoine_de_Saint_Exupéry&diff=1303828&oldid=1229423
• Plaque on NASA’s Pioneer 10. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PPlaqueLarge.png
• "Braille map public toilet Kyoto Japan" by Stéfan. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Braille_map_public_toilet_Kyoto_Japan.jpg
• Map for the blind of the city of Münster, Germany by Ziko van Dijk. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via
Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2007-10_reliefo_blinduloj_monastero.JPG
• Elevator image. https://flic.kr/p/cQKcAf kmardahl CC BY-SA 2.0
• Path markers for the blind. https://flic.kr/p/pdjkaM kmardahl CC BY-SA 2.0
• Asphalt ramp - accessibility after the fact. https://flic.kr/p/oVPaov kmardahl CC BY-SA 2.0
• Lisa Herrod quote: http://scenariogirl.com/inclusive-design/the-social-model-of-disability/
• Signing for Eurovision 2014 on Danish TV. https://flic.kr/p/nyNm3A kmardahl on Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
• “Empathy is trending.” https://instagram.com/p/8YbPMoExba/?taken-by=kariebookish
• @Zeldman tweets from https://twitter.com/zeldman/status/651419876498640896
• Clasped hands of elderly couple. https://flic.kr/p/inrHk alto power on Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

36. Resources 2 of 2
• "Cheerleader (5878960105)" by nathanmac87 - CheerleaderUploaded by Anastasiarasputin. Licensed under
CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Cheerleader_(5878960105).jpg
• "2012 torch relay day 29 Olympic Torch Relay - Durham 1” by ADTeasdale from Durham, UK - Olympic Torch
Relay: Durham 1. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:2012_torch_relay_day_29_Olympic_Torch_Relay-_Durham_1_(7382376562).jpg
• "We Rule the School" by Noel Feans. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:We_Rule_the_School.jpg
• http://xkcd.com/386/ “Duty calls” CC BY-NC 2.5
• Alphabet - reference to https://the-pastry-box-project.net/anne-gibson/2014-july-31
• "Masai welcome" by Jantjeerkamp from nl. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masai_welcome.jpg
• Images of 2 books: A Web for Everyone (http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/a-web-for-everyone/) and Just
Ask (http://www.uiaccess.com/justask/)
• Attitude Adjusters available at https://www.digitalpulse.pwc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Attitude-
Adjusters.compressed.pdf
• Screenshot from 18F’s accessibility guide at https://18f.github.io/accessibility/
• "Cheering for Curiosity" by Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech. Licensed under Attribution via Wikimedia Commons
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cheering_for_Curiosity.jpg
• My own photo from Glen Hansard concert 5 October 2015, Copenhagen, Denmark with partial quote from
his song “This gift will last forever”.