Thinking about accessibility

Photo by Christopher Gower on Unsplash

I was recently part of a conversation centered around accessibility in software engineering; what does it mean for digital technology to be accessible, and how can developers, project managers and product owners ensure that there are no barriers for users to engage with their technology.

What does it mean for technology to be accessible?

A product or service is referred to as accessible if it can be utilized effectively by pretty much everyone, including by someone with disabilities. According to World Bank estimates, roughly 15% of the world’s population experience some form of disability; this could be in the form of an auditory, visual, physical, neurological, speech, cognitive or other impairment; impairments can also be non-physical or temporary. Because technology continues to increase in importance in all aspects of society, making sure everyone can benefit from the digital world has taken center stage in many conversations surrounding web and mobile applications.

At the very least, digital accessibility should include things like compatibility with software that can read content aloud, and inclusion of subtitles on videos, along with the ability to operate technology with keyboard commands. But there is more that goes into it.

What are the barriers to digital accessibility?

While there are certainly a number of companies that are making accessibility a major initiative, we are still not at the point where accessibility is baked into the software development lifecycle at every company. Why is that? Well, there are a number of reasons. There seems to be a lack information around what kinds of obligations businesses are required to fulfill in terms of accessibility, as well as a lack of any kind of enforcement of regulations and/or standards. Even more troubling, though, is that there seems to be a lack of education within the tech community as to how to create products and platforms that are truly accessible to everyone (or how to implement those kinds of considerations in product meetings). Even if there is education on the part of creators and regulators, another problem becomes the need to make accessible products flexible because there will be the need to frequently update and/or change products in a rapidly evolving technological environment. And, finally, some regulations may be burdensome and costly to implement, in particular if they have to be retroactive.

How can we make sure we are designing accessible products?

First and foremost, before building anything, make sure that accessibility considerations are discussed during planning meetings. Make sure to include accessibility considerations into the development timeline and budget. This absolutely needs to be the standard going forward.

Make sure to consult accessibility guidelines put forth by governments, either just in the United States or in whatever region you are planning to deploy your products or services. Here is a link to accessibility guidelines provided by the US Department of Justice as an example.

As a quick reference, always keep the following in mind when designing something (from https://praxent.com/blog/digital-accessibility-software-checklist):

1. Keyboard access: Because some people have difficulties operating a mouse, make sure to include keyboard equivalents to mouse actions, documentation for keyboard functions and logical tabbing order.
2. Screen elements: It is helpful to include descriptions and labels for screen elements, and to make sure to place those near the elements they are referencing.
3. Sounds: For those individuals with auditory disabilities, it is important to include visual cues and format options, in addition to audio files. In-sync captioning for videos is also important.
4. Display: Remember that color is not the only way to differentiate items or navigation, and the display allows for the removal of patterns or flashing elements (that could be disturbing to some people).
5. Alt text: Make sure images included alt text and descriptions associated with them.
6. Transcripts: Make sure these are available for podcasts and other audio and visual media.
7. Testing: Make sure to test your application using the assistive technologies commonly used by people with disabilities, such as screen readers, as well as using alternate input devices, screen enlargement software and voice recognition software and devices.

Most companies that are folding accessibility considerations into their standard practices follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines(WCAG) 2.0, which is a set of guidelines and best practices put together by experts on accessibility. You can find them here. These guidelines are organized around four principles (from https://developers.google.com/web/fundamentals/accessibility):

1. Perceivable — can users perceive the content? Make sure to keep in mind all senses when thinking of perception (just because you use sight to perceive content, doesn’t mean everybody does)
2. Operable — can users use UI components and navigate the content? Keep in mind that if you require a hover action, that is inaccessible to someone who cannot operate a mouse or touch screen.
3. Understandable — can users understand the content? Can users understand the interface and is it consistent enough to avoid confusion?
4. Robust — can the content be consumed by a wide variety of browsers? Does it work with assistive technology?

For anyone who feels overwhelmed by all that information, you can check out the checklist created by the Web Accessibility in Mind group here.

Building these considerations into your designs will help you create products that are more pleasant and user friendly for all users, not just for those with disabilities.