A11y Tour 2018 - Ottawa
23 Feb 2018 at Carleton University

You'll have heard about the importance of web accessibility. But what exactly is it? Who's affected by it? Why is it important and why should your site be accessible? And if you're a developer, why should you ensure the accessibility of the sites you create for your clients? And once that's understood, what does an accessible site look like? Should we forget design and do a "text-only"site? Can we use JavaScript? We'll explore base concepts to ensure a site's accessibility.

In this talk we'll go over the new Success Criteria in the WCAG 2.1 and learn about passive vs. active Success Criteria with a veteran member of the team that wrote the standard.

Accessibility can sometimes sound like a New Year's resolution. Something we care deeply about but somehow, one month into our efforts, things start to slip. Why? Because let's be honest, sometimes, things can get hairy, scary or simply too complicated to handle. Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the digital marketing skills that can help you achieve quick results when it comes to accessibility. Let's go over some tips, tricks and tools that SEO experts use in their work everyday to help them optimize websites.

Testing websites using screen readers gives web developers the opportunity to make a real evaluation of their code and help identify accessibility issues that could be missed in manual checkup, or neglected by automatic verification tools. In this session we will demonstrate how blind people navigate the web and will show how to use screen readers for accessibility testing of web pages including interactive components and web forms.

The promises of artificial intelligence-based technologies are changing the way in which we develop the Web. It affects how millions of people with disabilities and people over the age of 65 around the World interact with the Web. Automated text equivalents based on deep learning and conversational interfaces are but the tip of an iceberg of innovations on track to change the face of accessibility as we know it. These changes have already begun contributing to breaking down barriers for people with disabilities. What might the impact of these technologies be for the various trades of the Web? Together, let's glimpse into a future that may be much closer than we think. Will you join us?

React is a great way to create reusable, modular components that can be shared among projects. But how do you ensure your React apps are usable by all? Scott Vinkle will share tips on how to build your React apps with accessibility baked-in!

Max and Curtis describe what it was like launching a successful open source library that got too popular for its own good. Together, they give us a look into designing an accessible drag and drop library, as well as a lesson in setting expectations.

While technological advancements and coding enhancements allow us to create accessible, dynamic applications and websites, it is quite often the simplest elements that create barriers for users. Logan will examine some of the simple elements in MS Word documents, that help lead to the creation of an accessible PDF.

Living in today’s world can be fast-paced and daunting at times. Join Daniel, a Public Servant for the Government of Canada, as he takes off his ‘utility belt’ and shows you his various accessible tools he uses throughout the day to help him make sense of the world around him.