We can all pretend that we’re helping others by making web sites and software accessible, but we are really making them better for our future selves. Learn some fundamentals of accessibility and how it can benefit you (whether future you from aging or you after something else limits your abilities). We’ll review simple testing techniques, basic features and enhancements, coming trends, and where to get help. This isn’t intended to be a deep dive, but more of an overall primer for those who aren’t sure where to start nor how it helps them.

1. Selfish Accessibility
Presented by Adrian Roselli for Government Digital Service
Slides from this talk will be available at rosel.li/GDS
GOV.UK

2. Introductions

3. • I’ve written some stuff,
• Member of W3C,
• Building for the web
since 1993,
• Learn more at
AdrianRoselli.com,
• Avoid on Twitter
@aardrian.
Great bedtime reading!
About Adrian Roselli

4. • This trip paid for by The Paciello Group.
• But please do not tell them in case they do
not know.
Seriously. Do not tell them.
About Adrian Roselli

5. Primer

6. 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?

7. 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)

8. 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)

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

10. What We’ll Cover
• Yay Statistics!
• Be Selfish
• User Experience Models
• Technical Bits
• Wrap-up
• Resources
Work with me, people.

11. Yay Statistics!

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. Be Selfish

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

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

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

21. Rising Damp on Flickr.

22. Darren Baldwin on Flickr.

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

24. Rev Stan on Flickr.

25. Let Ideas Compete on Flickr.

26. Fluffy Steve on Flickr.

27. Paul Townsend on Flickr.

28. 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.

29. Mariëlle on Flickr.

30. barockschloss on Flickr.

31. Seb on Flickr.

32. A.Davy on Flickr.

33. Steve Rhodes on Flickr.

34. SuperFantastic on Flickr.

35. World Bank Photo Collection on Flickr.

36. Lars Kristian Flem on Flickr.

37. 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.

38. Robert Simmons on Flickr.

39. User Experience Models

40. 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

41. 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.

42. 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.

43. 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.

44. 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.

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

46. 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.

47. Technical Bits

48. Use @alt Text on Images

49. Use @alt Text on Images

50. Use @alt Text on 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/

51. Use @alt Text on Images
http://www.4syllables.com.au/2010/12/text-alternatives-decision-tree/
http://dev.w3.org/html5/alt-techniques/#tree
1. What role
does image
play?
2. Does it
present
new info?
3. What
type of
info?
Informative Yes
alt=""
or
<a href="foo"><img alt="">Link</a>
alt=""
or
Use CSS
alt="descriptive identification"
or
alt="short label" + caption
PurelyDecorative
Sensory
No
alt="label for link"
alt=“short alternative"
or
alt="short label" + caption
alt="short label + location of long alternative"
or
long text alternative on same or linked page
Long/Complex
Short/Simple

52. Hyperlinks!
http://www.sitepoint.com/15-rules-making-accessible-links/

53. 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/

54. Use Link Underlines
http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/13/5503894/google-removes-underlined-links-site-redesign

55. Use Link Underlines
• You are not Google:
• Users know Google’s layout,
• Users probably don’t visit your site daily.
• Relying on color alone will not suffice (WCAG
1.4.1 [A], 1.4.3 [AA]),
• Necessary contrast values:
• 4.5:1 between text and its background for copy,
• 3:1 between text and its background for larger text,
• 3:1 between surrounding text and a hyperlink, plus an
additional visual cue (G183).
http://adrianroselli.com/2014/03/i-dont-care-what-google-did-just-keep.html

56. Use :focus Styles
https://www.virginamerica.com/

57. Use :focus Styles
• Particularly if you removed link underlines,
• Everywhere you have :hover, add :focus,
• Look for :focus{outline:none;} in libraries:
• If you find it, remove it.
• Easy to test with the tab key.
http://adrianroselli.com/2014/06/keep-focus-outline.html

58. Tritanopia
Color Contrast

59. Protanopia
Color Contrast

60. Deuteranopia
Color Contrast

61. Color Contrast
• Is there enough contrast?
• Are hyperlinks, menus, etc. still visible?
• WCAG 2.0:
• 4.5:1 for normal text
• 3:1 for large text (14+pt & bold, or 18+pt)
• 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

62. Use <label> (properly)

63. Use <label> (properly)
• Match the for attribute to the corresponding
field’s id attribute.
• 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/

64. Use HTML5

65. Use HTML5
<header role="banner">
<nav role="navigation">
<aside role="complementary">
<form role="search">
<footer role="contentinfo">
<main role="main">

66. Use HTML5
“Mobile” often means narrow screen
in RWD, as well as this context.

67. Use HTML5
<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.

68. Use HTML5
• 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!

69. Use <h#> Wisely

70. Use <h#> Wisely
• Use only one <h1> per page,
• Don’t skip heading levels,
• Use appropriate nesting,
• There is no Document Outline Algorithm:
• Don’t use <h1> within every new <section> nor
<article>,
• This will not affect your SEO.
http://adrianroselli.com/2013/12/the-truth-about-truth-about-multiple-h1.html

71. <button>, <input>, or <a>
http://adrianroselli.com/2016/01/links-buttons-submits-and-divs-oh-hell.html

72. <button>, <input>, or <a>
http://adrianroselli.com/2016/01/links-buttons-submits-and-divs-oh-hell.html

73. <button>, <input>, or <a>
• Don’t use a <div> nor <span>.
• Does the control take me to another URL?
• Use an <a href>.
• Note: does not fire on space-bar.
• Does the control change something on the
current page?
• Use a <button>.
• Does the control submit form fields?
• Use a <input type="submit"> or <button
type="submit">.
http://adrianroselli.com/2016/01/links-buttons-submits-and-divs-oh-hell.html

74. Don’t Use tabindex > 0
https://www.digitalgov.gov/2014/11/17/user-experience-impossible-the-line-between-accessibility-and-usability/

75. Don’t Use tabindex > 0
• tabindex="-1"
• Use to set focus with script,
• Does not put it in tab order of page.
• tabindex="0"
• Allows user to set focus (eg: via keyboard),
• Puts in tab order of page (based on DOM).
• tabindex="1" (or greater)
• Do not do this,
• Messes with natural tab order.
http://adrianroselli.com/2014/11/dont-use-tabindex-greater-than-0.html

76. Maybe Use tabindex=0
http://adrianroselli.com/2016/02/keyboard-and-overflow.html

77. Maybe Use tabindex=0
• Do you have scrolling content boxes?
• Keyboard users cannot access it.
• Do you have content that displays on hover?
• Keyboard users probably cannot access it.
• A technique:
• <div role="region" aria-label="[if
appropriate]" tabindex="0">
http://adrianroselli.com/2016/02/keyboard-and-overflow.html

78. Set lang attribute on <html>
http://codepen.io/aardrian/pen/rOGYNL

79. Set lang attribute on <html>
http://codepen.io/aardrian/pen/rOGYNL

80. Set lang attribute on <html>
• VoiceOver uses to auto-switch voices,
• VoiceOver uses appropriate accenting,
• JAWS loads correct phonetic engine /
phonologic dictionary,
• NVDA matches VoiceOver and JAWS,
• Use the correct lang value:
• Sub-tags are ok,
• Avoid private-use: en-GB-x-hixie
http://adrianroselli.com/2015/01/on-use-of-lang-attribute.html

81. Source Order Matters
http://codepen.io/aardrian/full/MavVeb/
Firefox
Chrome

82. Source Order Matters
• CSS techniques allow visual order to break
from DOM order:
• Floats,
• Absolute positioning,
• Flexbox (see 5.4.1 of ED for a11y note),
• Grid (read Rachel Andrew on subgrid).
• WCAG 1.3.2 and 2.4.3 describe meaningful
sequence and tab order matching visual flow,
• Different behavior among different browsers.
http://adrianroselli.com/2015/09/source-order-matters.html
http://200ok.nl/a11y-flexbox/

83. Don’t Disable Zoom
http://codepen.io/aardrian/full/dYNJOV
http://codepen.io/aardrian/full/ojBpjw

84. Don’t Disable Zoom
• Allow users on mobile to zoom in,
• Look in <meta name="viewport"> for this:
• minimum-scale=1.0
• maximum-scale=1.0
• user-scalable=no
• Look in @-ms-viewport {} for this:
• zoom:1.0
• Enhance!
http://adrianroselli.com/2015/10/dont-disable-zoom.html

85. Avoid Infinite Scroll
http://www.pewresearch.org/category/publications/

86. Avoid Infinite Scroll
• Makes it impossible to access some content:
• Footer,
• Sidebar links.
• Destroys the back button,
• Makes it impossible to share a URL to specific
“page” of results,
• Makes it impossible to jump ahead several
“pages” of results,
• Can overwhelm AT users, less powerful devices.
http://adrianroselli.com/2014/05/so-you-think-you-built-good-infinite.html
http://adrianroselli.com/2015/05/for-infinite-scroll-bounce-rate-is.html

87. Use Captions/Subtitles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V592VMJeXc8

88. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCqN_cCLnnk
Use Captions/Subtitles

89. Use Captions/Subtitles
• Everybody uses them:
• Working in public, in bed, at home,
• Surfing in public, in bed, at work.
• Should include audio descriptions,
• Should include speaker identification,
• Review auto-captions (“craptions”):
• NoMoreCraptions.com
http://adrianroselli.com/2013/11/captions-in-everyday-use.html

90. Use Captions/Subtitles
• 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/

91. 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/

92. 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

93. 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

94. 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

95. 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

96. Five Rules of ARIA Use
5. All interactive elements must have
an accessible name. This may come from
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

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

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

99. 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();

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

101. 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/

102. Wrap-up

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

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

105. 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.

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

107. ≠ Checklist
• Accessibility is not a checklist.

108. 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.”

109. = Process
• Accessibility is not a checklist.
• Accessibility is an ongoing process.

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

111. 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.

112. 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.

113. Resources
• Designing For The Elderly: Ways Older People Use
Digital Technology Differently
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2015/02/05/design
ing-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.

114. Selfish Accessibility
Presented by Adrian Roselli for Government Digital Service
Slides from this talk will be available at rosel.li/GDS
GOV.UK