Welcome to Disability: IN’s monthly round up of digital accessibility news for October. At Disability:IN we know that digital accessibility impacts all aspects of disability inclusion. If you have questions about our digital accessibility program, please contact Jeff Wissel, our Chief Accessibility Officer.
Tearsheet article by RABAB AHSAN | SEPTEMBER 14, 2022
It’s 2022 and FIs are still struggling to make their products accessible. Procure Access wants to change that.
One in five adult Americans has a disability. 35% of these people are of prime working age, and the total discretionary income held by them amounts to $21 billion. Despite having considerable economic power, people with disabilities remain largely unexplored as a consumer segment.
The reasons for this are many – legacy architecture and technical debt for one, lack of representation in C-suites for another. However, one of the more complex causes rising to the fore is the unavailability of accessibility-friendly vendors.
Recognizing these challenges and bringing the potential of industry-wide partnerships and culture-change to the stage, Disability:IN is a non-profit dedicated to disability inclusion and accessibility.
With its Procure Access initiative, everyone from Google to Fidelity Investments is getting involved to ensure accessibility is considered at the start of the procurement process.
If your company would like to sign onto the Procure Access Statement, please contact Derek Shields at [email protected]
Other Digital Accessibility Conferences and Events
- 2022 M-Enabling Summit October 24 – 26 Washington DC
- 2022 Accessing Higher Ground November 14 – 18 Denver CO
Digital Accessibility Information and Resources
The Disability:IN digital accessibility team knows that the amount of accessibility resources can be overwhelming. Each month we share just a few of the many free resources from our Resource Library, our blog, our partners, or other sources that we think are great. Don’t forget to explore the Disability:IN Resource Library where you can filter resources by “accessibility” and find content created by Disability:IN and our partners.
Here are some resource suggestions for this month. If you are a Disability:IN partner and would like your accessibility resources featured in our monthly roundup, please let us know at [email protected].
External resource suggestions for this month are:
Making Events Accessible
The W3C’s Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG) has updated the article, “Checklist for meetings, conferences, training, and presentations that are remote/virtual, in-person, or hybrid”. Find it at: https://www.w3.org/WAI/
How Microsoft Soundscape Enables Anyone to Hear the World Around Them
The Microsoft Soundscape app enables anyone to hear the physical world around them. It’s a powerful tool that reimagines how technology can enhance independence and mobility, and was built with the help of Guide Dogs UK and San Francisco Lighthouse for the blind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmbQGCZmgsU
Five Ways The Metaverse Could Be Revolutionary For People With Disabilities
This article describes how virtual reality is envisioned to be a benefit for persons with disabilities: https://www.brunel.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/articles/Five-ways-the-metaverse-could-be-revolutionary-for-people-with-disabilities
WordPress Accessibility Day November 2nd, 2022
If you have an idea for a talk to share your knowledge or experiences about the intersection of WordPress and accessibility, we’d love to hear it! You can share your journey learning about accessibility or your experience as a person with a disability even if you don’t think you’ve reached the end of that journey yet. Your topic doesn’t have to be explicitly WordPress related. While we want some talks specific to WordPress and want to encourage developer-level presentations, not all talks need to be specific to WordPress. General website accessibility talks with broad applications for websites of all types and people of all levels of technical abilities are welcome. https://wpaccessibility.day/weekend-plans-apply-to-speak-at-wp-accessibility-day/
Should I Use a Button or a Link?
This article from Ashlee M Boyer describes the difference between a button and a link on a webpage and when to use each from an accessibility perspective: https://ashleemboyer.com/blog/should-i-use-a-button-or-a-link
New Accessibility Features Are Coming To Android Devices
Android is introducing new features to improve accessibility, personalization, and productivity across various devices: https://coolblindtech.com/new-accessibility-features-are-coming-to-android-devices/
News about the Disability:IN Digital Accessibility Team
Disability:IN Digital Accessibility Leadership Committee
Accessibility Leadership Committee
The Accessibility Advisory Committee is a globally diverse group of business leaders who come together to share their knowledge, strategies, and best practices to help organizations enhance and maintain accessibility policies and practices in the workplace, marketplace, and supply chain.
The Accessibility Committee currently has three workstreams underway. The purpose of the workstreams is to gather existing publicly available resources and internal resources from Disability:IN Partners that are available for sharing. Over the next few months each workstream will develop a best practices document outlining the available resources. If you would like to get involved in one of the workstreams please email Jeff Wissel at [email protected].
Accessibility Workstreams:
- Accessibility Policy
- Accessibility in Design
- Role by Role Accessibility Best Practices
