Accessible design solutions are frequently relegated to “the right thing to do” or a “nice to have,” but at Phase2, we know accessible design’s power to vastly improve impact, reach, and quality of the work – on screens and in the physical world. It has a positive effect on all of us, whether or not we have a disability. Examples of this may include the large wheelchair buttons to automatically open doors, which help parents push a stroller into a building. Or text prompts on a bus or metro indicating the upcoming stop to help alert all noise-cancelling headphone-wearing commuters to their next stop — a feature to specifically serve deaf and hard of hearing passengers who may not hear the audio announcements.
Becoming aware of these “nice-to-have’s” and drawing parallel connections from the physical world to the digital inspires us to not view accessibility as niche or cumbersome, but as a challenge to design an experience for the broadest audience possible. When there is no average user, how do we consider all the other variables to begin the process? It may seem overwhelming, but with understanding the foundational accessibility principles, we have a unified starting point for constructive, empathetic conversations, which makes us better web designers and developers. That’s the purpose of this session; to give participants that requisite starting point.
Just as WordCamp DC goes against the convention, so does this session format. Participants will be going through a series of stations led by Phase2’s in-house accessibility expert, Catharine McNally. The stations are designed to help participants shift perspectives and experiences different from their own. Exercises include devices to emulate arthritis, motor control disabilities, dyslexia, low-vision, and temporary physical and cognitive disabilities. McNally will share her experiences as being deaf and one of the youngest recipients of a cochlear implant in 1986 as part of FDA clinical trials, which wired her to be an advocate and trailblazer for inclusion in the mainstream. McNally believes in unified experiences–not separate–and will bring some of these stories to the session to help participants learn and think critically about designing inclusive experiences.
To begin applying the perspective-shift from the stations, participants will break off into groups to design an accessible broadway show experience. The purpose of this exercise is to break away from the construct of developing an accessibility solution for a specific audience, but to consider the broader positive impact on multiple audiences. The beauty of website accessibility is that it is not exclusive to a programming language or CMS like WordPress, so skills and knowledge are transferable across all digital experiences.
Join us in learning to create magnificent work that is empowered, not hindered, by accessible design and navigate a new perspective (literally!)