Adrian Roselli's presentation on accessibility covers key statistics about disabilities, emphasizing the need for inclusive design in web development. He advocates for a 'selfish' approach to accessibility, where supporting it today benefits everyone in the future, especially as they age or face accidents. The talk includes practical techniques, user stories, and guidelines on using HTML and ARIA correctly to enhance web accessibility.

1. Selfish Accessibility
Presented by Adrian Roselli for Accessibility Camp NYC 2015
Slides from this talk will be available at rosel.li/a11yNYC
#a11ynyc

2. About Adrian Roselli
• Co-written four books.
• Technical editor
for two books.
• Written over fifty
articles, most recently
for .net Magazine and
Web Standards Sherpa.
Great bedtime reading!

3. About Adrian Roselli
• Member of W3C HTML Working Group, W3C
Accessibility Task Force, five W3C Community
Groups.
• Building for the web since 1994.
• Founder, owner at Algonquin
(aHealthTech.com).
• Learn more at AdrianRoselli.com.
• Avoid on Twitter @aardrian.
I warned you.

4. What is a11y?
• A numeronym for “accessibility”:
• The first and last letter (accessibility),
• The number of characters omitted (a11y).
• Prominent on Twitter (character restrictions):
• #a11y
• Examples:
• l10n → localization
• i18n → internationalization
Ain’t language funsies?

5. Accessibility Gets No Respect
In fairness, Sherwin Williams needs to come up with a lot of color names...
“Cyberspace” (gray)
“Online” (blue)
“Lime Rickey” (green)

6. Accessibility Gets No Respect
…however I think the team could have done better than this.

7. What We’ll Cover
• Yay Statistics!
• Be Selfish
• Some Techniques
• Basic Tests
• Technical Bits
• Resources
Work with me, people.

8. Yay Statistics!
1 of 5 sections.

9. Any Disability
• In the United States:
• 10.4% aged 21-64 years old,
• 25% aged 65-74 years old,
• 50% aged 75+.
• Includes:
• Visual
• Hearing
• Mobility
• Cognitive
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/
http://www.disabilitystatistics.org/reports/2012/English/HTML/report2012.cfm?fips=2000000&html_year=2012

10. Vision Impairments
• 285 million worldwide:
• 39 million are blind,
• 246 million have low vision,
• 82% of people living with blindness are aged 50
and above.
• 1.8% of Americans aged 21-64.
• 4.0% of Americans aged 65-74.
• 9.8% of Americans aged 75+.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/
http://www.disabilitystatistics.org/reports/2012/English/HTML/report2012.cfm?fips=2000000&html_year=2012

11. Hearing Impairments
• 360 million people worldwide have disabling
hearing loss.
• 17% (36 million) of American adults report
some degree of hearing loss:
• 18% aged 45-64 years old,
• 30% aged 65-74 years old,
• 47% aged 75+ years old.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs300/en/
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/Pages/quick.aspx

12. Mobility Impairments
• In the United States:
• 5.5% aged 21-64 years old.
• 15.6% aged 65-74 years old.
• 32.9% aged 75+.
http://www.disabilitystatistics.org/reports/2012/English/HTML/report2012.cfm?fips=2000000&html_year=2012

13. Cognitive Impairments
• Dyslexia,
• Dyscalculia,
• Memory issues,
• Distractions (ADD, ADHD),
• In the United States:
• 4.3% aged 21-64 years old.
• 5.4% aged 65-74 years old.
• 14.4% aged 75+.
http://www.disabilitystatistics.org/reports/2012/English/HTML/report2012.cfm?fips=2000000&html_year=2012&subButton=Get+HTML

14. Be Selfish
2 of 5 sections.

15. WebAIM’s Hierarchy for Motivating
Accessibility Change
http://webaim.org/blog/motivating-accessibility-change/

16. My Hierarchy for Motivating
Accessibility Change
Is better, no?

17. Getting Older
• Affects (nearly) everyone,
• Carries risks and side effects,
• Is not for the young.
I’m still experimenting with it.

18. Rising Damp on Flickr.

19. Darren Baldwin on Flickr.

20. Accidents
• Broken limbs,
• Eye injuries,
• Hearing injuries,
• Head trauma.
All of these have happened to me, multiple times.

21. Rev Stan on Flickr.

22. Let Ideas Compete on Flickr.

23. Fluffy Steve on Flickr.

24. Paul Townsend on Flickr.

25. But I’m Invincible!
• Multi-tasking,
• Sunlight,
• Eating at your desk,
• No headphones handy,
• Content is not in your native language.
The sun is trying to kill me.

26. Mariëlle on Flickr.

27. barockschloss on Flickr.

28. Seb on Flickr.

29. A.Davy on Flickr.

30. Steve Rhodes on Flickr.

31. SuperFantastic on Flickr.

32. World Bank Photo Collection on Flickr.

33. Lars Kristian Flem on Flickr.

34. Tech Support
• Think of your family!
• Think of your time spent helping them!
• Think of the wasted holidays!
This is why we hate the holidays.

35. Robert Simmons on Flickr.

36. The Message
• Supporting accessibility now helps to serve
future you.
Do or do not.

37. The Message
• Supporting accessibility now helps to serve
future you.
• Supporting accessibility now helps injured
you, encumbered you.
There is no try.

38. The Message
• Supporting accessibility now helps to serve
future you.
• Supporting accessibility now helps injured
you, encumbered you.
• Getting younger developers to buy in helps
future you – if you teach them well.
Always pass on what you have learned.

39. Some Techniques
3 of 5 sections.

40. Checklist
• Accessibility is not a checklist.
http://accessibility.net.nz/blog/the-problems-with-ramps-blended-into-stairs/

41. Stairamp
Dean Bouchard on Flickrhttp://accessibility.net.nz/blog/the-problems-with-ramps-blended-into-stairs/

42. Checklist
• Accessibility is not a checklist.
• Accessibility is an ongoing process.
https://twitter.com/vavroom/status/571092086365261824

43. Maintenance
Nicolas Steenhouthttps://twitter.com/vavroom/status/571092086365261824
“Wheelchair ramp at
pharmacy not only
hasn’t been cleared of
snow but has 2 potted
trees to ensure nobody
can pass.”

44. User Stories
• Components:
• User,
• Outcome,
• Value.
• Writing:
• As user, I want outcome.
• As user, I want outcome so that value.
• In order to get value as user, I want outcome.
How to Write User Stories for Web Accessibility

45. Selfish User Stories
• As a user on a sun-lit patio, I want to be able
to read the content and see the controls.
Add beer and as a user I may have trouble focusing.

46. Selfish User Stories
• As a user in bed with a sleeping spouse, I want
to watch a training video in silence so that I
can get caught up at work.
As a user who doesn’t want to get punched for having slacked off at work.

47. Selfish User Stories
• In order to click links as a user with no elbow
room in coach class with a tiny trackpad, I
want click areas to be large enough and
adequately spaced.
As a user in coach class who also paid too much for the drink he’s spilling on his keyboard.

48. Selfish User Stories
• As a user distracted by the TV, I want clear
headings and labels so that I don’t lose my
place.
As a user who really should be finishing his work in the office.

49. Personas
Book Excerpt: A Web for Everyone, by Sarah Horton, Whitney Quesenbery

50. Personas
Adrian
• Works when he should be relaxing, relaxes
when he should be working.
• Lives between motorcycles.
• Works late at night with the TV on.
• Uses sub-titles in Netflix.
• Keeps all screens as dark as possible.
That photo is from official ID.

51. Basic Tests
4 of 5 sections.

52. Click on Field Labels
• When you click label text next to a text box,
does the cursor appear in the field?
• When you click label text next to a radio /
checkbox, does it get toggled?
• When you click label text next to a select
menu, does it get focus?
http://www.karlgroves.com/2013/09/05/the-6-simplest-web-accessibility-tests-anyone-can-do/

54. Unplug Your Mouse
• Turn off your trackpad, stick, trackball, etc.
• Can you interact with all controls (links,
menus, forms) with only the keyboard?
• Can you tell which item has focus?
• Does the tab order match your expectation?
http://www.karlgroves.com/2013/09/05/the-6-simplest-web-accessibility-tests-anyone-can-do/

56. Turn off Images
• Can you still make sense of the page?
• Is content missing?
• Can you still use the site?
• Is your alt text useful?
http://www.karlgroves.com/2013/09/05/the-6-simplest-web-accessibility-tests-anyone-can-do/

59. Turn on High Contrast Mode
• Windows only.
• Left ALT + left SHIFT + PRINT SCREEN
• Background images and colors are replaced.
• Text colors are replaced.
• Does this make your site unusable?
http://www.karlgroves.com/2013/09/05/the-6-simplest-web-accessibility-tests-anyone-can-do/
http://blog.adrianroselli.com/2012/08/css-background-images-high-contrast-mode.html

62. Turn off CSS
• Does important content or functionality
disappear?
• Do error messages or other items that rely on
visual cues make sense?
• Is content still in a reasonable order?
• Do any styles (colors, text effects, etc.)
remain?
http://www.karlgroves.com/2013/09/05/the-6-simplest-web-accessibility-tests-anyone-can-do/

64. Test for Colorblindness/Contrast
• Is there enough contrast?
• Are hyperlinks, menus, etc. still visible?
• Tools:
• Chrome Color Contrast Analyzer
• Lea Verou’s Contrast Ratio
• WebAIM Color Contrast Checker
• CheckMyColours.com
http://www.inpixelitrust.fr/blog/en/tips-create-accessible-color-palette/
http://alistapart.com/blog/post/easy-color-contrast-testing

65. Protanopia

66. Deuteranopia

67. Tritanopia

68. Look for Captions & Transcripts
• Do video/audio clips have text alternatives?
• Are links to closed-captions or transcripts built
into the player or separate text links?
• Is there an audio description available?
• Tools:
• Media Access Australia YouTube captioning tutorial,
Vimeo captioning tutorial,
• Tiffany Brown’s WebVTT tutorial,
• DIY Resources for Closed Captioning and Transcription
from 3 Play Media.
http://webaim.org/techniques/captions/

69. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCqN_cCLnnk

70. Hyperlinks!
• Is there any “click here,” “more,” “link to…”?
http://www.sitepoint.com/15-rules-making-accessible-links/

71. Hyperlinks!
• Is there any “click here,” “more,” “link to…”?
• Are you using all-caps, URLs, emoticons?
http://www.sitepoint.com/15-rules-making-accessible-links/

72. Hyperlinks!
• Is there any “click here,” “more,” “link to…”?
• Are you using all-caps, URLs, emoticons?
• Do you warn before opening new windows?
http://www.sitepoint.com/15-rules-making-accessible-links/

73. Hyperlinks!
• Is there any “click here,” “more,” “link to…”?
• Are you using all-caps, URLs, emoticons?
• Do you warn before opening new windows?
• Do links to downloads provide helpful info?
http://www.sitepoint.com/15-rules-making-accessible-links/

74. Hyperlinks!
• Is there any “click here,” “more,” “link to…”?
• Are you using all-caps, URLs, emoticons?
• Do you warn before opening new windows?
• Do links to downloads provide helpful info?
• Are you using pagination links?
http://www.sitepoint.com/15-rules-making-accessible-links/

75. Hyperlinks!
• Is there any “click here,” “more,” “link to…”?
• Are you using all-caps, URLs, emoticons?
• Do you warn before opening new windows?
• Do links to downloads provide helpful info?
• Are you using pagination links?
• Are your links underlined (or otherwise obvious)?
http://www.sitepoint.com/15-rules-making-accessible-links/

76. Hyperlinks!
• Is there any “click here,” “more,” “link to…”?
• Are you using all-caps, URLs, emoticons?
• Do you warn before opening new windows?
• Do links to downloads provide helpful info?
• Are you using pagination links?
• Are your links underlined (or otherwise obvious)?
• Is there alt text for image links?
http://www.sitepoint.com/15-rules-making-accessible-links/

77. Hyperlinks!
• Is there any “click here,” “more,” “link to…”?
• Are you using all-caps, URLs, emoticons?
• Do you warn before opening new windows?
• Do links to downloads provide helpful info?
• Are you using pagination links?
• Are your links underlined (or otherwise obvious)?
• Is there alt text for image links?
• Is the link text consistent?
http://www.sitepoint.com/15-rules-making-accessible-links/

78. Technical Bits
5 of 5 sections.

79. WAI-ARIA
• Web Accessibility Initiative – Accessible Rich
Internet Applications.
• Adds accessibility information to HTML
elements.
• Can be used with prior versions of HTML.
• WAI-ARIA 1.0 published March 20, 2014.
http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria/

80. Five Rules of ARIA Use
1. If you can use a native HTML5 element with
semantics/behavior already built in, then do
so, instead of repurposing another element.
RT this! https://twitter.com/aardrian/status/454249142387081219

81. Five Rules of ARIA Use
2. Do not change native semantics. Unless you
really have to (no <h1> with a role="button",
for example).
RT this! https://twitter.com/aardrian/status/454249201564532737

82. Five Rules of ARIA Use
3. All interactive ARIA controls must be usable
with the keyboard — keyboard users must be
able to perform equivalent actions.
RT this! https://twitter.com/aardrian/status/454249253284483072

83. Five Rules of ARIA Use
4. Do not use role="presentation" or aria-
hidden="true" on a focusable element. If you
do so, some users will never be able to focus.
RT this! https://twitter.com/aardrian/status/454249297408585729

84. Five Rules of ARIA Use
5. All interactive elements must have
an accessible name. This may come from a
visible (text on a button) or invisible (alt text
on an image) property.
http://rawgit.com/w3c/aria-in-html/master/index.html#fifth-rule-of-aria-use
Accessible name: http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria/terms#def_accessible_name

85. HTML/ARIA Don’t
• <div onclick="DoThing();">Do a thing.</div>
I see this all the time.

86. HTML/ARIA Don’t
• <div onclick="DoThing();" tabindex="0">Do a
thing.</div>
I see this a bunch, too.

87. HTML/ARIA Don’t
• <div onclick="DoThing();" tabindex="0"
onkeypress="DoThing();">Do a thing.</div>
Excluded bits like if(event.keyCode==32||event.keyCode==13)DoThing();

88. HTML/ARIA Don’t
• <div onclick="DoThing();" tabindex="0"
onkeypress="DoThing();" role="button">Do a
thing.</div>
ARIA roles to the rescue! Er…

89. HTML/ARIA Do
• <button type="submit">Do a thing.</button>
Or just start with the right element. http://www.karlgroves.com/2013/05/14/links-are-not-buttons-neither-are-divs-and-spans/

90. WAI-ARIA
• Accessibility Lipstick on a Usability Pig
• By Jared Smith:
http://webaim.org/blog/accessibility-lipstick-on-
a-usability-pig/
• What is WAI-ARIA, what does it do for me, and
what not?
• By Marco Zehe:
http://www.marcozehe.de/2014/03/27/what-is-
wai-aria-what-does-it-do-for-me-and-what-not/
ARIA ALL THE THINGS!

91. HTML5 Elements
• Sectioning elements already have accessibility
built in. Use them.
• <header>
• <nav>
• <main> (one per page)
• <aside>
• <footer>
• <form> (a search form)
This stuff is baked in!

92. HTML5/ARIA Landmarks
• They map to these ARIA landmark roles:
• <header role="banner"> (once per page)
• <nav role="navigation">
• <main role="main"> (one per page)
• <aside role="complementary">
• <footer role="contentinfo"> (once per page)
• <form><div role="search"></div></form>
http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/wiki/Using_ARIA_landmarks_to_identify_regions_of_a_page

93. Generic Desktop Layout
<header role="banner">
<nav role="navigation">
<aside role="complementary">
<form role="search">
<footer role="contentinfo">
<main role="main">

94. Generic
“Mobile”
Layout
<header role="banner">
<nav role="navigation">
<aside role="complementary">
<form role="search">
<footer role="contentinfo">
<main role="main">
“Mobile” often means narrow screen
in RWD, as well as this context.

95. HTML5 Headings
• Use normal heading ranks to convey
document structure.
• Don’t skip; go in order.
<h1>
<h2>
<h3>
<h4>
<h5>
<h6>
Fun fact: NCSA Mosaic 1.0 had provisions for an <h7>: http://blog.adrianroselli.com/2013/04/ncsa-moscaic-turns-20.html

96. HTML5 Headings
• Document Outline Algorithm…
• Is a myth,
• Isn’t implemented in any browsers,
• Should not be relied upon.
• Don’t be fooled by articles claiming otherwise.
• Spec has been updated.
• No SEO benefit for one over other.
http://blog.adrianroselli.com/2013/12/the-truth-about-truth-about-multiple-h1.html

97. The New <div>itis
• <section>orrhea, <article> abuse.
• These map to regions in page navigation order
(role="region").
• Can overwhelm users of AT.
• If it doesn’t get an <h#>, don’t use it.
• If it shouldn’t be in the document outline,
don’t use it.
http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/sections.html#the-section-element
http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/sections.html#the-article-element

98. Focus Styles
http://blog.adrianroselli.com/2014/06/keep-focus-outline.html

99. Focus Styles
• Necessary for keyboard use,
• Use in conjunction with :hover,
• Check libraries for :focus styles.
It’s built in, just don’t mess with it.

100. Focus Styles
https://twitter.com/aardrian/statuses/489837817129099266

101. Alternative Text
• Use alt.
• Longdesc links to more verbose alternative.
http://www.w3.org/blog/2014/03/wcag-techniques-for-image-text-alternatives/
http://www.4syllables.com.au/2010/12/text-alternatives-decision-tree/
http://dev.w3.org/html5/alt-techniques/#tree

102. Resources
Unless you had questions, which you didn’t else you would have asked by now.

103. Resources
• Web Accessibility and Older People:
Meeting the Needs of Ageing Web Users
http://www.w3.org/WAI/older-users/Overview.php
• Easy Checks - A First Review of Web Accessibility
http://www.w3.org/WAI/eval/preliminary
• How People with Disabilities Use the Web:
Overview
http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/people-use-
web/Overview.html
In addition to the gems I’ve sprinkled throughout.

104. Resources
• 2.11 ARIA Role, State, and Property Quick
Reference
http://www.w3.org/TR/aria-in-html/#aria-role-
state-and-property-quick-reference
• 2.12 Definitions of States and Properties (all
aria-* attributes)
http://www.w3.org/TR/aria-in-html/#definitions-of-
states-and-properties-all-aria--attributes
In addition to the gems I’ve sprinkled throughout.

105. Resources
• a11yTips
http://dboudreau.tumblr.com/
• Designing For The Elderly: Ways Older People Use
Digital Technology Differently
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2015/02/05/designing-
digital-technology-for-the-elderly/
• How to Write User Stories for Web Accessibility
http://www.interactiveaccessibility.com/blog/how-write-
user-stories-accessibility-requirements
• Book Excerpt: A Web for Everyone
http://uxmag.com/articles/book-excerpt-a-web-for-everyone
In addition to the gems I’ve sprinkled throughout.

106. Presented by Adrian Roselli for Accessibility Camp NYC 2015
My thanks and apologies.
Slides from this talk will be available at rosel.li/a11yNYC
Selfish Accessibility
#a11ynyc