Voluntary Product Accessibility Template – VPAT
Your VPAT or Voluntary Product Accessibility Template tells users how accessible your product or services is for users with assistive technologies. What is a VPAT? A VPAT is a document used to help users of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) make informed decisions before engaging with a service or product. The first iteration of this document […]
A Case for Usability and UX Testing
“Nothing About Us, Without Us” If real assistive technology users haven’t tested your website, how do you know it’s truly barrier-free for people with disabilities? You really can’t. That’s why it’s important to include people with disabilities in your web design and accessibility remediation process. Usability/UX testing is your opportunity to have real users test […]
Clear, Concise, and Convenient: The Importance of Plain Language
Learn how using plain language can improve user experience, make web content more accessible to everyone, and even boost your SEO rankings. What is plain language? Plain language is simple, straightforward, and easy to understand communication. The Plain Writing Act of 2010 defines plain language as: Writing that is clear, concise, well-organized, and follows other […]
Accessible Web to Attend Axe-Con
To us, being an a11y means never stopping learning and growing our accessibility efforts. Opportunities such as Axe-Con are perfect for our team to learn from trusted industry leaders. Axe-Con, named after Deque System’s Axe-core® project, will focus on the current state of web accessibility and how it can grow further. The Axe-core® project is […]
A11y Updates: Instagram, Twitch, and Zoom
This past August we published a blog post showcasing some of the latest A11y Updates for Windows, Firefox, and Apple. For our next installment in this series, we’re talking about accessibility updates to Instagram, Twitch, and Zoom! We love seeing companies taking strides to create a more inclusive experience on the web and hope that […]
Disability Drives Innovation: A11y Spotlight
Haben Girma, the first person who is deaf-blind to graduate from Harvard Law School, believes that disability drives innovation. She uses the example of two Italian friends whose desire to correspond through letters sparked the invention of the typewriter. One was blind and the other sighted, so the latter created a machine where his friend […]
Why Voting Must Be Accessible to All & How It Isn’t
If voting is a civic duty, shouldn’t all voters have access to all process steps? As state and federal elections draw near, this question is urgent and, because of Covid-19, in-person options for voting are more risky or, just plain unavailable. Unfortunately, when it comes to digital access, voting is not an easy process for many […]
Assistive Technology Focus: Sip and Puff Devices
Most types of assistive technology we’ve outlined in previous posts, require the use of one’s hands, motor capacity or mobility of another part of the body in order to use computer devices and the internet. That’s why, for our next post in our Assistive Technology Focus series, we’re going to discuss Sip and Puff devices. […]
Deadline approaching for Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
In 2005 Ontario became the first Canadian Province to pass accessibility laws and has one of the most comprehensive policies created to date: The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Many countries, like the US, have laws that require government organizations or organizations that use government funds to have and procure accessible technology, websites, […]
Assistive Technology Focus: Braille Devices
One of the best things about being in the digital accessibility field is learning about the innovative tools that give users with disabilities the ability to access and understand content they otherwise could not experience. Assistive technology (AT) allows folks with disabilities to access computers, electronic devices and the web using additional or alternative input […]