Beacon and Hannon Hill get together to discuss what's next with accessibility and what that means for managing websites in 2018 and beyond,

1. What’s Next with Accessibility?
Managing accessible sites in 2018 and beyond
Keana Lynch, Director – UX Design & Development – Beacon @keana_lynch

2. A LITTLE ABOUT ME
• Has provided leadership and consultation for
over 40 Higher Education projects.
• Specializes in the analysis, design, and
implementation of websites.
• Passionate about design and development
strategies focused on user experience,
accessibility, multi-device interactions, and
technical best practices.
Keana Lynch, Director of UX Design & Development at
@keana_lynch
klynch@beacontec.com

3. “The power of the Web is in its
universality. Access by everyone
regardless of disability is an
essential aspect.”
– Tim Berners-Lee
W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web

4. The task of making a site accessible and
keeping it there can seem daunting…

5. …but it doesn’t have to be.

6. Know the basics of “What is web accessibility?”
Have organization-wide support
Knowledge of current state of accessibility
Current project status
• Existing site
• On-going Maintenance
• New project or redesign
Let’s get started!
But before we do you should..

7. ACCESSIBILITY
MANAGEMENT
PROCESS
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Where are you now ?
Understanding of accessibility evaluation and issues.
Where do you need to be?
Develop clear goals and an environment that supports accessibility.
How do you get there?
Fixing issues and utilizing management process.
How do you stay there?
Continue to review and report on content, processes, and resources.

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• Determine what state of the accessibility process you
are in
• Find an evaluation tool that works best for your team
• Get an accurate report of your site(s) accessibility
issues
• Evaluate Reports and Scans
Where are you now?
Understanding of accessibility evaluation and issues.

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https://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/tools/
This page provides a list of evaluation tools that you can filter to find
ones that match your particular needs.
Find the tool that works best for you.
• Tools to analyze design accessibility performance.
• Tools that help Web Developers assess their code.
• Tools for Web content authors. They have different requirements to
help them complete their tasks.
• An organization may need a fully automated evaluation tool to track
their whole website.
• Another organization may only need occasional spot checks.
Choosing Evaluation Tools

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https://www.hannonhill.com/resources/blog/2018/10-tools-to-help-you-
improve-site-accessibility.html
Free site checkers:
• NoCoffee
• WAVE Web Accessibility
Tool
• A Checker
• 508 Checker
• Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Accessibility Developer
Tools
Choosing Evaluation Tools
Paid site checkers:
• Tenon.io
• SiteImprove
• Sortsite
• Monsido

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https://siteimprove.com/
Siteimprove
• WCAG 2.0/WAI-ARIA
standards
• Automated full site
scans
• Clear explanations
of issues and
recommendations.
• Track progress
toward compliance.
• NEW Plugin in
Cascade CMS

12. • Results are helpful in stakeholder
reporting and gain further support
• Identify issues to be fixed and gauge
workload
• Results may be helpful to avoid future
issues
• Accessibility checks can be helpful
during all stages of the process
Evaluating Reports/Scans
Note: some accessibility issues require human
judgement and cannot be tested automatically.
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13. • Strategic planning
• Technology & accessibility standards
• Objectives
• Policies and procedures
• Assign responsibilities
• Incorporate workflows
• Promote awareness and provide training
Where do you need to be?
Establish clear goals and an environment that supports accessibility.
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Strategic Planning
Careful planning is critical to effective implementation of any accessibility effort.
1. Identify and document goals.
Plan objectives and realistic goals that are easy to communicate and
achieve.
2. Set and maintain policies and processes.
Create an environment that supports accessibility.
3. Promote awareness within your organization.
Provide documentation, training, and resources to your team.

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WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA
As of January 2018, the majority of Higher
Education organizations have committed to
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
WCAG 2.0 Levels of A and AA standards.
In 2017, on average Higher Education sites
still contain Section 508/WCAG 2.0 issues on
39% of their site

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A greater inclusion of cognitive-related disability support
and specific guidance on a range of devices including
mobiles and tablets.
• Additional information about newer technologies
• Useful reference for up-to-date guidance
• Websites that conform to 2.0 will still be considered
accessible
COMING SOON
WCAG 2.1

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Technology Support
Consider what technologies you
aim to support.
• Create and maintain a
browser/device support list.
• Plan for regular testing across
devices and browsers
For more information
http://gs.statcounter.com/

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Set Objectives
• Identify key deliverables
• Establish a timeline
• Define how to measure success
• Identify accessibility problems and organizational
goals
• Address gaps within the web content, processes, and
policies

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Assign Responsibilities

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Assign Responsibilities
Web accessibility is the sole responsibility of
developers
MYTH:
Every member of the team is responsible for
making their part of a project accessible
FACT:

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Assign Responsibilities
MARKETINGCONTENT DEVELOPMENT
QUALITY ASSURANCE TESTING

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Policy
• A web accessibility policy captures
your goals
• Policies vary but at a minimum
establish what web accessibility
standard you aim to conform to
and by when.
For more information
https://www.w3.org/WAI/impl/pol
– Provides information on what needs
to be considered when creating your
policy.

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Promote Awareness
• Introductions to accessibility for everyone
• How accessibility benefits your business for management and
project managers
• Management support will simplify the process of improving
accessibility
• Inviting guest speakers to events to talk about accessibility
• Team communication (internal newsletter, meeting, etc)
• Implement a team training process

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Skills and Training
Provide accessibility training as part
of staff and career development
plans.
• Visual Designers
• Developers
• For Content Authors

25. 1. Issues that hinder user experience, ability to navigate
and perceive content
2. Easy-to-resolve issues
3. New accessible templates that support accessible
content to be created
4. De-prioritize issues related to upcoming projects,
redesigns, tools or systems that are expected to be
changed soon anyway
How do you get there?
Prioritize fixing issues and utilizing management process.
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Prioritize WCAG 2.0 Issues
Guideline A AA AAA
Perceivable
Text Alternatives 1.1.1
Time-based Media 1.2.1 - 1.2.3 1.2.4 – 1.2.5 1.2.6 – 1.2.9
Adaptable 1.3.1 – 1.3.3
Distinguishable 1.4.1 – 1.4.2 1.4.3 – 1.4.5 1.4.6 – 1.4.9
Operable
Keyboard Accessible 2.1.1 – 2.1.2 2.1.3
Enough Time 2.2.1 – 2.2.2 2.2.3 – 2.2.5
Seizures 2.3.1 2.3.2
Navigable 2.4.1 – 2.4.4 2.4.5 – 2.4.7 2.4.8 – 2.4.10
Understandable
Readable 3.1.1 3.1.2 3.1.3 – 3.1.6
Predictable 3.2.1 – 3.2.2 3.2.3 – 3.2.4 3.2.5
Input Assistance 3.3.1 – 3.3.2 3.3.3 - 3.3.4 3.3.5 – 3.3.6
Robust Compatible 4.1.1 – 4.1.2
LEVEL A
Most basic web
accessibility features.
LEVEL AA
Biggest and most
prevalent barriers
encountered by disabled
users.
LEVEL AAA
Highest and most
involved level of web
accessibility.

27. Common Pain Points
1. Content
2. PDFs
3. Alt text & titles
4. Iframes
5. Forms
6. Tables
7. Contrast issues
8. Design & user experience
9. Page has markup errors
10. Video/Audio
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28. Workflows
Content editor
creates new
page
Page is reviewed
by content
manager
Page is released
for publishing
With Cascade CMS workflows you can ensure that content is
checked for quality using a series of approval steps.
Workflows can be customized or created from scratch to
suit any business need.
For more information
https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/8/kb/content-
management/workflows/index.html
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29. How do you stay there?
Continue to review and report on content, processes, and resources.
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Staying Accessible Means
STAYING COMMITTED
• Stay in the know:
standards, techniques and best practices are always changing.
• Govern your content:
new content is always being created, make sure you have a
plan in place to continuously monitor content.
• Stick to the plan:
continue to follow and modify the objectives, goals and
processes put in place.

30. Audit Regularly
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Accessibility Evaluation Reports & Fixes
Goals, Objectives, Policies & Procedures
Standards and Technology
Faculty and Staff Training
Workflow Process and Setup
Content Strategy

31. D
Track Progress
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26
errors
9
errors
8
errors
Level A Level AA
Level AAA
Site Grade
66%
Complete!

32. C
Track Progress
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24
errors
8
errors
6
errors
Level A Level AA
Level AAA
Site Grade

33. B
Track Progress
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10
errors
2
errors
4
errors
Level A Level AA
Level AAA
Site Grade
83%
Complete!

34. Great!
You are done!
Ok…not really.
New content is always being
created, new projects are always
on-going and technology is ever
changing.
Staying accessible means
repeating the processes put in
place.
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35. QUESTIONS
Keana Lynch
Director of UX Design & Development
@keana_lynch
klynch@beacontec.com
(855) 522-4868