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Items tagged with: accessibility


New blog post out (finally) ✨ I tested the dataviz accessibility of the 2024 presidential election dashboards, and (as expected) found a lot of issues to write about:

fossheim.io/writing/posts/2024…

#dataviz #accessibility


I saw a post on Facebook the other day. Someone, probably a student, but maybe a child, was asking if they could use AI to format an assignment. The poster specifically said they were not looking to have the AI write the report, just format the margins, font, line spacing Etc.

Some helpful soul replied along the lines of – just do the work yourself like the rest of us…you get the gist.

I am not advocating using AI to cheat. But I am aware of how modern word processors work – the concept of ‘WYSIWYG’ extends to far more than the text – sighted people can ‘see’ the margins, line spacing, justification Etc. Of course this information is also visible on the screen and blind people can navigate to it or can use a keystroke to have it spoken to them…but it takes a bit longer and you have to remember the keystroke. In fact, you have to remember a lot of keystrokes to use a graphical interface designed for mouse users using just a keyboard.

There is a Blindness Productivity Gap, everything takes a little bit longer, is a little bit harder to learn, a little bit harder to do, when you are blind. This is not about effort, or intelligence, it’s just how life works – ‘monkey see, monkey do’ is practically a law of nature.

One of the reasons why I am so excited about advancements in AI is that I see in it a real chance to finally reduce or eliminate the blindness productivity gap. I’d also like to live forever!

#Accessibility #Ai #AIsfortheBlind #Blind #Disability


Sadly, there's no way to ensure a Windows version of Mona or any other app would retain #accessibility as accessible development is a lot more complex on Windows. Think of how terrible apps like Apple Music, iCloud and iTunes are on Windows.


You may recall that in October I spoke at A11y Camp in Melbourne. I shared my slides, but being text-free they weren’t terribly useful.

Well, the video of my talk is available!
adrianroselli.com/2024/10/a11y…

There is also a link to the entire playlist for the event.

#a11y #accessibility


The European Union recently revised its product liability law to encompass defects in software. Could this or similar regimes elsewhere be effective in holding corporate actors to account for accessibility-related bugs that materially harm the interests of people with disabilities, for example in education or employment?
#ProductLiability #accessibility #DisabilityRights


So what's your thoughts on BlueSky? Anyone tried signing up? How accessible is it? #blind #accessibility


Has any VoiceOver users tried to use #Apple Music with Music app on MacOS Sequoia? It's #accessibility nightmare! Basically I can only use library feature. Also Music app on Apple TV is not great either! Only good option is iOS. I guess I need to go back to Spotify after a month!


Blind People Problems:

Lately I'm encountering instances where people writing substitute a small letter L for a capital i. For example writing Al (AL) instead of AI (ai).

This fools the eye, but not the text-to-speech engines used by blind and low vision users to listen to the text.

This morning I copy and pasted the title of a novel from the story graph and it turned out that the word Idea was written with an L (ldea) instead of a capital i.

I wonder what is behind this phenomenon. Is it a virtual keyboard speed writing thing? Saving the user the extra click on the shift key?

What is for sure, this practice is bad for accessibility.

Edit:

Since not everyone sees all the replies I'll summaries:

The main possible explanation for the use of an l in place of a capital I, was the use of OCR to digitize text in an image.

Considering the fact that OCR is built into mobile OSs and apps these days it is quite possible that is was used and as a type of AI it is clear why it would not understand the context and mistake identical letters for one another.

A second possible reason suggested in the comments was that people are trying to obscure the use of the term AI from filters or crawlers by using the wrong letter.

#BlindPeopleProblems #accessibility #blind #LowVison #TTS #TextToSpeech



Happy to have my work in the Accessibility Chapter of the HTTP Archive's Web Almanac featured in StateScoop.

statescoop.com/state-websites-…

I belive that this is the first government-wide scan of USA states for web accessibility. The report averages over 34,000 state government web pages to create a meaningful snapshot of how inclusive government sites are.

#accessibility #Section508 #USAGovernment #GoogleLighthouse #axe #WebAccessibility



Meet Andre Louis, a music producer and blind screen reader user who can be found playing jazz clubs in London, streaming his performance using Meta Glasses.

In our latest post in our series on disabled people’s experiences browsing the web, Andre tells us about his love of consistent design and dislike of accessibility overlays.

Read Andre’s story: tetralogical.com/blog/2024/11/…

Photo: Jonathan Bowcott

#Accessibility #InclusiveDesign #ScreenReaders #WebAccessibility #SustainableAccessibility


Signal is generally good, no question.
But in my opinion, the strong connection to a phone and number is not a good thing when it comes to #accessibility (for those who cannot afford a phone with a long-term contract):
Perhaps there are alternatives e.g. #XMPP or #Matrix...


Hey, does anyone have a list of resources for someone who is rapidly losing their sight and isn't aware of anything like screen readers or other blind accessibility software? I can suggest a few things I've heard about, but it would just be the two of us googling, really. #Accessibility


Did you catch our last "In-Process" blog? Lots of handy info in there from info on NVDA 2024.4.1, to our Contributor Documentation Survey and more info on our add-on compatibility process! Find it all here: nvaccess.org/post/in-process-1…

#NVDA #NVDAsr #Blog #News #ScreenReader #Accessibility #Newsletter


Angaben zur #Rollstuhltauglichkeit eines Ortes sind zwar in der @openstreetmap@en.osm.town eingetragen, werden aber auf der #wheelmap nicht angezeigt?

Dann könnte es sein, dass die Beschreibung nicht dem Basis-Attribut wheelchair_description sondern dem mit der Erweiterung der Sprache zugeordnet wurde, z.B. wheelchair_description:de
Wie mir der Support mitteilte, arbeitet man aber daran, auch die Sprachdefiition zu berücksichtigen.

wheelmap.or
#Accessibility #Barrierefreiheit #Inklusion #OSM #OpenStreetMap


Can anyone recommend an accessible course to learn html? It must work with NVDA. I've heard of Code Camp and W3Schools, but how accessible are they and how do they differ in content and style? I like courses with a structured approach, where things are explained i.e. a deductive and not an inductive approach. I usually don't need a tutorial, but I am fine with general instructions. In this case, though, exercises would be very beneficial. I am using this prior to beginning Part 2 of the Web Developer's course at Deque. I am not a developer, but they don't have one for accessibility testers.

#accessibility #blind #blindness #computing #DequeUniversity #html #learning #NVDA #programming #screenreaders #W3Schools


So I need to redownload Slack and I'm a little nervous. ... Apparently, I'm gonna need it to submit feedback to a beta program. The last time I had it, which, admittedly, was like six years ago, it was accessible, buuuut more than just a little bit dicey. ... Have there been any major VO improvements? Are there work-arounds if not? Best use tips requested. Thanks in advance. ... Tags: #BetaTesting #Slack #Accessibility #VoiceOver


Calling all #Blind #Windows users! 🖥️👥 I briefly tried #Beeper after seeing another blind person recommend it, but it didn't seem the most accessible with the #JAWS #ScreenReader. Do you use any all-in-one social media apps like Shift, Franz, Ferdium, or Beeper on Windows? I'd love to hear about your experiences with #accessibility and usability. Please share your thoughts! #AssistiveTech
#tech
@mastoblind @main


My sister texted me today asking if I have a wish list for my birthday on December 3. Usually, I get gift cards, socks, or other random things because no one knows what to get me. But this year, I'm prepared! I've been using a site called Chestr to create a wish list. It's not perfect—there are some accessibility issues—but it's usable.

I’ve been adding things all year, and now my list has nearly 50 items, from tech gadgets to fidget toys and puzzles. The fidget toys and puzzles are a favorite since I'm autistic, sometimes bedbound, and need things to do with my hands that provide sensory stimulation and keep me engaged. Hopefully, this makes gift shopping easier for my family this time around! 🎉🎁

#BirthdayWishlist #Chestr #Accessibility #FidgetToys #Puzzles #SensoryNeeds #AutisticJoy #DisabilityLife #DecemberBirthday



Good news for Public Radio fans.
The latest update to the NPR app has made it accessible and usable. The app used to be almost impossible to navigate, and both TalkBack and Jieshuo would freeze while attempting to move around its news articles or program segments. However, the latest release has effectively resolved the glitch.
play.google.com/store/apps/det…
#NPR #Android #Accessibility


Hey all. I am going to present NVDA to some teachers of my school, and perhaps as I think, if I manage it good there is a chance it's being used. Maybe not even for our school, but for some other blind people. I don't want to miss this chance adversiting this great screenreader. Of course I am writing something by myself, but if you have any suggestions what I could explain, this also could be an addon, please tell me so. Thanks in advance. #NVDA #blind #accessibility #school



Hey y’all, how’s it going? Quick question for those on Bluesky: I just started trying it out this morning, and it’s pretty cool so far. Are there any third-party apps you’d recommend that are more accessible? The official app is good, but I’m curious about other options out there. Let me know!

#Accessibility #Bluesky #ThirdPartyApps #BlindUsers #TechSupport





I have emphasized numerous times in the past why you should not use #HCaptcha, especially in situations where equal access is vital. Their practices are not inclusive, locking out users who have no other way to access whatever the captcha protects. This blog post illustrates one of the scenarios: michaels.world/2023/11/i-was-b…

Here's to better captcha solutions in the future, or to indeed existing ones, such as mcaptcha.org/ #a11y #accessibility #blind #captcha



Are you in Melbourne today? Come down to Statewide Vision Resource Centre in Donvale and see Sascha and Quentin, learn about what's new with NVDA, and check out everything else at SVRC's Tech Expo!

#NVDA #technology #accessibility



@TPGi is looking for a Full-Time, Remote in US Accessibility Engineer. The core responsibility will be to Perform accessibility evaluations of web pages, desktop applications, mobile apps, and other emerging platforms. Interested? Please send your resume to Careers@TPGi.com.

buff.ly/3CwPjRu

#Jobs #A11yJobs #AccessibilityJobs #DigitalAccessibility #Accessibility #A11y



Finished @viscousplatypus’s “The Accessibility Operations Guidebook” this morning. Probably a good idea to read if you do digital accessibility and want to scale up your impact. I recommend.

This quote from a former independent consultant who has become an employee really lands.

Info on The Storygraph:
app.thestorygraph.com/books/82…

Buy (I did the Payhib ebook but read it on my Kobo; no Amazon in this house):
devonpersing.netlify.app/book/

#a11y #accessibility


Some of the most common #accessibility issues I see in the shortlist of 300-400 sites (filtered from 10 million):

  • Links only distinguishable through a hue change. I consider links discernible through page structure (e.g. simple navbar links) exempt, but for in-text links we need to see the beginnings and ends of their interactive regions. Underlines work; outlines are another approach I’ve seen.
  • No landmarks, or stuff outside landmarks. Everything should be in a landmark: header, main, section, footer, and/or aside are what you typically want on the top-level, directly under body. main is the most important.
  • Misuse of or missing headings. Your page needs one (yes, one) h1 that titles the page, not your entire website. Don’t skip heading levels just to get smaller text. Don’t use headings for stylized text. A lower heading following a higher heading looks like a subtopic of the higher heading, not its own thing.
  • Contrast. I recommend the APCA contrast tool. Don’t lose sleep over the occasional superscript having barely sub-optimal contrast; focus on bigger issues if you’re 99% perceptible. Often, background images are the culprit; remember that users override foreground and background colors and may use a different viewport that results in text in front of a lighter/darker part of the background image. Contrast issues with images are nearly impossible to automatically detect with popular tools.
  • Focus indicators that are invisible or barely-visible, or rely solely on hue changes.
  • Fancy bespoke hidden/toggle-able menus whose hidden items are still accessible via keyboard navigation, making me tab through items I can’t see.
  • Interactive items using font icons whose accessible names are unicode code-points, even if the author clearly tried to give them readable names.
  • Really unhelpful alt text like “diagram of X” without actually explaining the things being diagrammed, whether in alt-text or a caption.
  • Animations that don’t respect prefers-reduced-motion.

Link imperceptibility, missing landmarks, and heading misuse are really common.

A common nit-pick: lists of links (e.g. in nav) would benefit from ul or ol parents.

A common issue that isn’t exactly an accessibility issue: toggles like hamburger menus that require JS don’t work in the Tor Browser’s “safest” mode. I’m looking at simple websites that have no need to exclude anonymous visitors.


Good morning everyone! As you all know if you follow me, I'm a sighted dev whose focus is on accessibility for the blind. I got into the space of accessibility and learned how important it was because I joined an accessibility jam and got first hand experience speaking with blind gamers. So I'm inviting you to the type of jam that changed my outlook! So join the discord for "Games for blind gamers" and ask your questions!
discord.gg/tqQXqX8gEq

#gamedev #accessibility