Screen readers work with the accessibility API of the operating system and browser The operating system has an accessibility API which conveys information about the names, roles, values, and structure of web content, plus events that should be announced to users. Browsers have additional accessibility architecture features which screen readers can detect and interpret, then […]
Why Web Accessibility Test with Screen Readers?
Screen readers cannot make inaccessible web sites accessible. The web sites have to be designed with accessibility in mind, or else they won’t be compatible with screen readers. To be compatible with screen readers, web sites must follow the rules in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. Web accessibility testing with screen readers is […]
What Are Screen Readers?
Screen readers are software programs that convert digital text into speech (via a software-based voice synthesizer) or Braille output (to a refreshable Braille device). Screen readers have changed computer accessibility for people with disabilities, especially those who are blind and deaf blind, though other people use screen readers too. Screen readers help blind people to […]
Managing Projects
With careful designing, training, and knowing how to prioritize web accessibility planning, teams can indeed be successful if they are faced with a project that needs urgent accessibility fixes. Prioritize the issues Teams will want to prioritize the issues and barriers they find in their projects by how significantly the issue impacts the user […]
Finding and Hiring Web Accessibility Specialist
It is important for project managers to realize that in order to maintain accessibility in long-term; they cannot get by with having only a little web accessibility knowledge. Maintaining accessibility needs comprehensive accessibility knowledge so that team members learn about their roles in maintaining web accessibility. An accessibility specialist should be part of the project […]
Sample Job Descriptions For Web Accessibility
One way to ensure web accessibility become a part of any project is to include accessibility within job descriptions if the team is looking to recruit new members. Here are some sample job descriptions that define what’s expected of the role in terms of accessibility. Web U X Designer Job Description The web U-X […]
Checklist for Quality Assurance
Basics: 1 Plan for Quality Assurance at the Start Quality assurance should be delivered at the very beginning of any project, and not reserved for the last step of the process. Tests should be written by those who will conduct testing that are based on the web accessibility standards and on the best practices. It […]
Checklist for Web Developers
The focus of web developers, is to ensure that the basic code used for a web accessibility project functions properly. They need to become familiar with accessible code solutions, such as keyboard functionality is accessible through code and they should know when to use ARIA to convey appropriate information to assistive technology users. Inaccessible […]
Checklist for Web Designers
Web Design Considerations Based on Users with Disabilities The good starting point for web designers is to follow considerations based on different types of disabilities. For blind users, web designers should use semantic headings in their designs, (not just bold text). The ARIA landmarks are used to identify the layout of the page. For […]
Role of Directors and Program Managers
Research and Identify Web Accessibility Requirements Web accessibility begins with the leaders among the teams, the directors and program managers. Web accessibility must be included at the very start of any project that a team plans to accomplish. Directors and program managers should involve in web accessibility research, in that way they uncover how adding […]