The Wins

Since its enactment in 1990, ADA has played a crucial role in ensuring equal rights and opportunities for people with disabilities. 2023 has witnessed an increasing number of businesses recognizing the value of ADA compliance as they strive to create accessible spaces both physical & digital for their customers.

• DocMagic Introduces ADA-Compliant Digital Loan Documents

DocMagic Inc., a California-based provider of compliant loan document generation, regulatory compliance, and comprehensive eMortgage services, said this week it has added ADA-compliant mortgage loan documents to its document library. The new digital documents are accessible to visually impaired users and others with disabilities, unlocking opportunities for these consumers into the broader mortgage market, the company said. Read More on DocMagic

• The normalization of ADA accessibility at Boston Calling Music Festival

With a golf cart to help festival attendees get around and the willingness to make accommodations as needed, the ADA team at Boston Calling Music Festival made an effort to ensure that all persons could enjoy the festivities to the fullest extent this year. The ADA program offered a 50-seat wheelchair-accessible seating platform near the two main stages for those with physical disabilities, as well as ASL interpreters on a raised platform by the stage for those who are hard of hearing or deaf. Read More on Boston Calling Music Festival

• Tambourine Taps AI for Innovations in ADA Accessibility

Tambourine, the Fort Lauderdale-headquartered digital marketing technology company serving hotels, resorts, and tourism destinations worldwide, announced it has integrated Artificial Intelligence into its flagship product, The Symphony Hotel Marketing Platform. Read More on Tambourine Innovation

• Mishawaka opens ADA accessible playground at Battell Park

The city of Mishawaka held a ribbon cutting for a brand-new playground at its oldest and most historic park. Directly behind the bandshell at Battell Park, this is the first Mishawaka park to feature an AstroTurf surface, making the play area fully wheelchair accessible. The park also highlights a “We-Go-Round,” a wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round, a splash pad, and a sensory play center for kids on the autism spectrum. Read More on Mishawaka Playground

• Servicon Earns Digital Health Award for Responsive Website Design

Servicon, Southern California’s leading hospital environmental services (EVS) provider and commercial cleaning services company, has been named a 2023 Digital Health Award winner. Servicon’s recently updated website earned the Bronze Award in the Web-based Digital Health: Responsive Website Design category for businesses with over 500 employees. Read More on Servicon

The Setbacks

While it is true that 2023 saw some positive steps towards the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it is also important to acknowledge that there were lawsuits filed in relation to ADA compliance. These lawsuits serve as a reminder that there is still work to be done in ensuring equal access and rights for people with disabilities.

• Magic Store Must Face ADA Compliance Lawsuit Over Website Design

Online magic store Ellusionist.com Inc. must face discrimination claims brought by a visually impaired customer, a New York federal court ruled. The US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday denied in part Ellusionist’s motion to dismiss the case, in which the customer says its website fails to accommodate users who require screen-reading software. The court rejected Ellusionist’s argument that the customer failed to state a claim because its website didn’t qualify as a place of public accommodation. Read more on Magic Store

• City Of Chicago Held in Violation of Americans with Disabilities Act

A federal judge in Chicago held the City of Chicago liable for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act by failing to provide accessible pedestrian signals at signalized intersections throughout the city to those who are blind or have low vision. Read more on City of Chicago

• Lyneer Staffing, LLC Will Pay $119,400 to Settle Americans with Disabilities Act Suit

Lyneer Staffing, LLC, a leading national staffing agency, will provide American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters to deaf applicants, train its managers on reasonable accommodations, and pay $119,400 to settle an Americans with Disabilities (ADA) suit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today. Read more on Lyneer Staffing

Embracing Accessibility

Being ADA compliant is not just a legal requirement; it is also a smart business move. By ensuring that your business is accessible to all individuals, including those with disabilities, you open your doors to a larger customer base. At BarrierBreak, we strongly emphasize the significance of accessibility compliance and have the expertise to provide top-notch ADA testing services. Our ADA testing service provides thorough evaluations and assessments, to ensure your digital products comply with accessibility standards and create an inclusive digital experience for all.

In conclusion, do explore “Comedians with Disabilities Act: Changing Attitudes Through Laughter” at the link:https://www.send2press.com/wire/comedians-with-disabilities-act-change-attitudes-through-laughter/. An inspiring example of how people with disabilities are using comedy to drive positive change.

Let’s embrace the journey of accessibility as we continue to celebrate the spirit of the ADA and work together towards a more inclusive world.

The post ADA Anniversary: Reflecting on Triumphs and Challenges in 2023 appeared first on Leader in Offshore Accessibility Testing | Section 508 Compliance | WCAG Conformance | BarrierBreak.

Yes, we are talking about “Smiling, Laughing, Kissing, Heart Eyes, Thinking, Angry” emojis. The ones that have become a part of our daily messages/emails. No matter if the messages are sent to friends, family, colleagues, or business stakeholders. Emojis help to add feelings to the messages. It’s also a great way to keep the tone of your message light.

Something like: “Happiest Birthday! Let’s plan a party at 21.00 today!”

Such an eye-pleasing birthday wish [Awww]. But is it the same for screen reader users? Let’s find out!

Screen reader users announce the birthday wish text as “Happiest Birthday! Cake Cake Cake Let’s plan a party at 21.00 today! Grinning face with big eyes”.

Oops! The message is not the same as I want to convey and also not enjoyable to hear all those unwanted expressions multiple times.

As we know screen reader announces the alt text of the image, we should try and use the most meaningful emojis (as per the context) along with the fact that it should be best to use them at the end of the statement or at the part that does not break the meaning of the message.

How are emojis generally used?

Everyone uses emojis differently such as someone would replace the text with emoji, someone will add many emojis along with the text, or someone will add an emoji that represents their emotions. Let’s have a deeper look at the emojis used.

Using emojis to convey messages

Sometimes emojis are too easy to use to convey a message. Like the feature to react to a particular text using emojis such as “thumbs up”, “thumbs down”, “Shocked”, and many more.

In the above bad example, the message that was to be conveyed was ‘Hey, I called you. Call me back once available’ but unfortunately, this is not coming out of the emojis. Instead, it announces “Hey, I ‘Telephone receiver’ you. ‘Telephone receiver’ me ‘Back arrow’ once available.”

Using emojis without text

Do you think using just emojis without any text is accessible to all users?

Nope, it’s not. Avoiding text and using only emojis impacts users with cognitive impairments users when the emojis are not the commonly used ones they in fact are confusing for all users.

Punctuation, Letters, Numbers! Oh yes, Emoticons!

:),  :-),  :-(,  :(,  :|,  these are a few examples of punctuation emoticons used across. These are announced as “colon right parenthesis”, “colon dash right parenthesis”, “colon dash left parenthesis”, “colon left parenthesis” and “colon vertical bar”. It will be annoying to listen to such announcements and the exact information will not be conveyed to users.

In the above bad example, the expression ‘speechless’ could not be communicated using emoticons.

Emoticons or Emojis is also = Unicode

Yes, emojis and emoticons look like images or icons, but they are characters from the UTF–8 character set.

‘128525’ will just mean some random numbers. However, using this random number along with the combination of ‘&#’ & ‘;’ in the HTML code will display smiling face with heart eyes emoji.

The unicode that will be used displays the same emoji/emoticons but with a different visual appearance on different platforms and with a different description of the emoji/emoticons. For example, an emoji can be called “Slightly smiling”, “Smiling face”, “Happy face” and so on.

To know more about emoticons/emoji Unicode check out the Unicode List. Let’s find out how different screen readers render emojis created using Unicode and <img> tag in HTML.

Emojis created using Unicode in HTML:

Using the code <p>&#128525;</p> in HTML, the generated emoji is announced as below by different commonly used screen readers:

But what if we want the accessible name to be uniformly identified on all platforms?
We can mark the emojis using <img> element and provide an appropriate and descriptive name. But yes this is only to enhance the user experience.

Emojis created using <img> tag in HTML:

When using a <img> tag along with an appropriate alternate text will render to all screen readers uniformly.

For example, creating an emoji as an image and providing an alternate text as below will announce as ‘Smiling face with heart shaped eyes’ to all screen readers on all platforms.

<img src="smiling-hearteyes.png" alt="Smiling face with heart shaped eyes">

This helps us to conclude creating emojis as images will help users render the same meaning across the platforms.

How to make emojis accessible?

Let’s check different ways to make the emojis accessible for all users.

Alternate text

Alternate text is important for understanding the emojis to assistive technology users. That does not mean providing alternate text when the emojis are used for decorative purposes on a webpage.

When the emojis are informative or/and interactive they should have an alternate text that describes them which will help the user to select the suitable emojis.

Alternative text should be concise and unique. For example, Happy face, Sad face, Angry face and so on.

<img src="angry.png" alt="Angry face">

<img src="angry.png" alt="Red circle with two dots and a brace bracket">

In the above bad example, the emoji is described per its visual appearance, however, it is difficult to conclude it indicates an angry face.

Colour Contrast

Emojis are presented using different colours like default, white, black and brown, giving users more options to select emojis. This adds up a task to ensure the emojis are visible in different modes like high contrast, dark mode and light mode. The emojis should meet the required contrast to help all users to identify the emojis.

Colour contrast requirements as per Success Criterion 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast:

• Identify all the key parts of a graphical object i.e., Emojis.
  • For example, in the case of a crying face emoji, the yellow circle face, the blue tears, black eyes and mouth are key parts of the emoji for a user to identify it as a crying face.
• Ensure that all the key parts meet the color contrast requirement of 3:1 with their adjacent colours.

Check out the Decoding WCAG 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast blog that explains the Non-text content requirements in layman’s language.

Note: Meeting Success Criterion 1.4.11 is only required when the emoji does not have any alternative to convey the same information in the surrounding.

Good Example:

In the above good example, the ‘heart’ emoji is clearly visible due to its sufficient contrast with background.

Bad Example:

In the above bad example, the ‘speechless’ emoji is not clearly visible due to its insufficient contrast with background.

Moving and Blinking Emojis

Many emojis move continuously like a clinking wine glass, a smiley with a thumb moving to indicate a like, moving eyes, and so on emojis. We must have seen such emojis on different platforms and even used some of these.

Watching them all move is delightful, but will it be the same for users with reading impairments, vestibular disorders and users with attention deficit disorders I guess NO.

One should avoid the auto movement of emojis. Even if auto movement is required it should only appear on keyboard focus or mouse hover. Also, the movement should be slow and stop within 5 seconds.

Good Example:

Using a Gif that stops within 5 seconds.

In the above good example, the Gif will be stoped after 5 seconds, not distracting users from page content or even having severe consequences.

Bad Example:

Using a Gif that cannot be stopped.

In the above bad example, the Gif will be played continuously, distracting users from page content or even having severe consequences.

CSS @prefers-reduced-motion media query

Use CSS @prefers-reduced-motion media query that ensures the page is displayed as per the user’s device setting for displaying animated content.

Animation can be displayed using the user’s device setting:

• On Windows to reduce the motion use Show animations in Windows
  • Steps: Settings > Display > Ease of Access
• On MacOS to reduce the motion use Reduce Motion
  • Steps: Settings > Accessibility > Display.
• On Android to reduce the motion use Remove animations
  • Steps: Settings > Accessibility > Text and display.

Hello!

Try the user’s device setting to turn off the animation.

Visual tooltip

(Again something that helps enhance user experience)

Yes, you read that correct! There are so many emojis that we have interpreted it wrong even today there are emojis that we do not know the real meaning of.

One of the best examples is folded hands emoji that many have thought of and used as a High Five emoji.

To avoid such misunderstanding for all the visual users it’s best to add a visual tooltip conveying the meaning of the emo

The tooltip does not have to be too descriptive or extra fancy. The tooltip text should be available on keyboard focus and on mouse hover. The requirement of 1.4.13: Content on Hover or Focus should be considered.

Do’s!

• Use colour combination for emojis that have sufficient contrast against all background modes like Default, Dark and High contrast modes.
• Provide concise alternate text that describe the emojis if you want all users to get an identical description.
• Use emojis instead of Emoticons to help the user understand the meaning of it.
• Use emojis in the statement where it makes the most meaning, preferably at the end of the statement.
•  Animated emojis should stop the motion within 5 seconds. If this is not achievable then the best solution is to provide a single play/stop button at the beginning of the page to control the animations. Alternatively, animated emojis should adhere to user device settings of controlling the animation.

Yippee! We have successfully understood the requirement to create accessible emojis for all users.

So, I hope now after understanding the requirement we all will be careful in which context to use emojis and how to ensure they will be accessible.

Let’s use accessible emojis and create delightful reading experiences for all!

The post Using Emojis is so fun! But how to make them accessible?  appeared first on Leader in Offshore Accessibility Testing | Section 508 Compliance | WCAG Conformance | BarrierBreak.

Some of us must have wished for an automated tool that could completely test a webpage for these requirements. That would make this task so much easier. But sadly, there is no such tool. While it is possible to automatically compute contrast ratio of some non-text elements, but it would need that colour (hex codes) is identified from CSS. Without colour identification, tools will struggle to find the right ratio. We will have to wait till such a tool with strong AI is developed. Anyway, understanding the success criterion is much more fun and manual testing is much more reliable.

In a nutshell, testing of contrast for non-text elements cannot be relied on automated tools. It requires manual testing to ensure that all required web page elements are thoroughly tested. It needs human judgement to ensure that only the elements in scope are examined.

As opposed to the title of this blog so far, we have only made it seem even more daunting. So, now let’s try and simplify it by logically dissecting and grouping its requirements. We shall also address the dilemma while testing contrast requirements of the infamous focus indicator.

As the success criterion is quite extensive, we will decode it in a series of blogs.

Overview of Success Criterion 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast

This success criterion was newly introduced in WCAG 2.1 in June 2018. It has been placed under the guideline 1.4 “Distinguishable” which is a part of the principle “Perceivable”. It has WCAG conformance Level of (AA), the minimum conformance level that products should try to achieve. Conforming with this success criterion ensures people with visual impairment, especially low vision users can identify important non-text information.

The success criterion 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast states: “The visual presentation of the following have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 against adjacent color(s):

User Interface Components

Visual information required to identify user interface components and states, except for inactive components or where the appearance of the component is determined by the user agent and not modified by the author;

Graphical Objects

Parts of graphics required to understand the content, except when a particular presentation of graphics is essential to the information being conveyed.”

As the name itself suggests, it requires that non-text elements have sufficient contrast. Note that any form of text is separately tested for contrast under WCAG Success Criterion 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum).

Basic Understanding for Testing

In general terms we can say, all informational non-text elements MUST have a minimum contrast ratio of 3:1 with its adjacent colours. Non-text is considered informational when it is relied upon to identify or understand the purpose of a component. From the normative definition, statements and examples on the understanding page, here is a derived methodology for finding contrast ratio of non-text elements.

Non-text contrast testing methodology key requirements checklist:

• Informational or Not – Find out if the non-text element is informational or not. If yes, proceed further. If no, not required to test further.
• Non-text Identification – Find out the key parts of non-text element that help in its identification or determining its purpose or both.
• Non-text element Colour – Find out the colour (hex code) of the identified non-text element.
• Adjacent Colour – Identify the adjacent colours (hex code) of non-text element which will impact its identification.
• Contrast Check – Check if the minimum contrast ratio requirement is met i.e., 3:1 or above between the non-text element and its adjacent colour. Contrast ratio can be found using any contrast checker tool.

* Key point to identify the adjacent colour
Adjacent colour is the colour next to the component. To identify the adjacent colour appropriately, it is critical to first identify the component itself. Adjacent colour may be identified differently based on the non-text element that needs to be tested.

For example, in case of a bordered input field with white internal and external background, the border becomes the key for identifying the input field. Hence, the border encompassing the white internal background helps to identify the component and white colour external background outside this border becomes the adjacent colour of the component.

In another example, a bordered input field has a dark external background and light internal background. The input is majorly identified based on the light internal background as the border gets visually absorbed within the dark external background. Hence, the light internal background becomes the component and dark coloured external background outside the input becomes the adjacent colour.

Basically, when a component is identified its surroundings with best possible contrast become its background. This contrast ensures its identification. Thus, the background provides us with the adjacent colour to find the contrast ratio.

CSS Hex Code vs Picker Hex Code

For accuracy, it is always recommended to take the hex codes of colours from the CSS whenever available. If the colour is not defined through CSS, then we should use the colour picker to find out the colours hex code.

Sometimes authors use the CSS property of ‘opacity’ to lighten the elements. In such cases a contrast tool that also considers the opacity (alpha value) should be used for computing the contrast ratio. Another way but not an ideal way would be to use a colour picker to directly find out the hex code of the colour with reduced opacity.

Conclusion

So far, we have covered the initial understanding and requirements of the success criterion. Other aspects and key areas of this success criterion will follow the same understanding. The same logic will be applied based on the component type. We shall apply the testing methodology on few examples in the upcoming blogs. Also, we shall discuss in more detail about testing graphical objects and user interface components along with their states in these blogs. So, watch out for the next blogs in the series!

For more information on how our accessibility experts test your website and make it accessible, get in touch with our team at sales@barrierbreak.com .

This article by Salim Khan is a part of our BB Geek series where BarrierBreak team members share their expertise on accessibility and inclusion, drawing from their extensive experience in the field.

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What is the European Accessibility Act?

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) Directive 2019/882 is a landmark European Union (EU) law that requires certain products and services manufactured and provided in the European market to be accessible for persons with disabilities. It follows a commitment on accessibility made by the EU and all Member States upon ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. (UNCRPD).

The act sets out accessibility requirements for products such as computers, telephones, and televisions, and for services like banking and transport. The goal of the act is to ensure that people with disabilities can fully participate in society and enjoy the same opportunities as everyone else.

Businesses operating in the European Union (EU) should be ready for the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and start planning their accessibility journey now. As a pioneers in accessibility offshore, Barrierbreak can help businesses understand the importance of EAA and how they can ensure that their digital products and services are accessible and compliant.

Is the European Accessibility Act enforceable?

Yes, the EAA is a law and therefore enforceable. Till now the EU has required public-sector to adhere to accessibility requirements under the EU Web Accessibility Directive. But with the EAA, even the private-sector companies will be faced with an accessibility legislation.

When will the European Accessibility Act apply?

From June 28, 2025, businesses, manufacturers, service providers, and publishers will only be able to supply products and services in the European Market that comply with the Directive’s accessibility requirements.

The act requires Member States of the European Union to take the necessary measures to ensure that accessibility requirements are met for the products and services covered by the act, and to make these requirements binding and enforceable.

So, if you want to supply products and services to the EU then don’t wait, start implementing accessibility today!

What is covered under the European Accessibility Act?

The EAA will apply to the following products and services:

• Computers and operating systems
• ATM’s & Payment Terminals
• Electronic Ticketing Services
• Transport Service Information
• E-Readers & E-Books
• Websites & E-commerce
• Mobile device-based services including mobile applications.
• Banking Services
• Television & Media Services
• Telephony services

How will businesses benefit from the European Accessibility Act?

The European Accessibility Act will benefit businesses in several ways:

1. Harmonized market: The EAA sets out common accessibility requirements across the EU, which will reduce costs for businesses by eliminating the need to comply with different national standards.
2. Increased customer base: By making products and services more accessible to people with disabilities, businesses will be able to tap into a large and growing market of potential customers.
3. Improved brand reputation: Companies that are seen as leaders in accessibility will enhance their reputation and brand image, attracting more customers and employees.
4. Better innovation: Encouraging businesses to develop innovative accessibility solutions will drive technological progress and lead to new products and services that can be sold in both domestic and export markets.
5. Better compliance with laws and regulations: Complying with the act will ensure that businesses are in compliance with EU laws and regulations, reducing the risk of fines and legal action.

What will be the Impact of the European Accessibility Act?

The EAA is expected to have a positive impact on the life of 135 million people with a disability in the European Union and provide businesses with seamless cross-border trading.

Over the coming years, it is hoped that the EAA will ensure digital products and services are more accessible for people with disabilities, making it easier for them to participate in the digital economy.

How can BarrierBreak help?

If you are doing business in Europe, it is important to start planning for the European Accessibility Act now. Businesses that fail to comply with the EAA could face significant financial penalties and damage to their reputation. It is therefore important for businesses to take the necessary steps to ensure that their products and services are accessible and comply with the requirements outlined in the EAA.

We are an offshore digital accessibility company that provides accessibility consulting and accessibility testing solutions and assist businesses in complying with the European Accessibility Act in several ways.

By working with BarrierBreak, businesses can ensure that they meet the requirements of the EAA and provide accessible products and services to people with disabilities.

Get in touch with our accessibility consultant or write to us at sales@barrierbreak.com on how to prepare for the EAA and ensure that your business is compliant.

The post Are you ready for the European Accessibility Act? appeared first on Leader in Offshore Accessibility Testing | Section 508 Compliance | WCAG Conformance | BarrierBreak.

Digital transformation is the process of embracing new technologies to create better customer experiences. It’s also about adopting new ways of working and new ways of thinking that enable organizations to stay ahead of their competition. 

Digital transformation is a hot topic in the business world today. As technology evolves, organizations must adapt to stay competitive. Here are three digital transformation trends that are gaining popularity: 

Change management 

Businesses are changing rapidly with the use of digital technology. Change management trends are on the rise in the workplace. Implementing digital transformation can be a challenge for any organization. It is important for managers to be able to manage change and lead their teams through it. Digital adoption platforms are being used to facilitate and support change in many different ways. 

Growing cloud migration 

Another top digital transformation trend is the growing migration to the cloud. As businesses strive to become more agile and efficient, many are turning to cloud-based solutions to help them meet their goals. 

Use of advanced technology  

Finally, the use of advanced technology is also a top digital transformation trend. As businesses strive to stay ahead of the competition, they are turning to cutting-edge tech like artificial intelligence and machine learning to help them gain a competitive edge. 

Some companies have successfully transformed themselves from traditional businesses into digital businesses by using new technologies to reduce costs, increase customer engagement, and improve performance. Digital transformation has made it easier for people to access information and services.

But how accessible is this digital world for everyone? 

BarrierBreak is an internationally recognized and trusted accessibility vendor providing cost-effective accessibility consulting and digital accessibility services.

The changing landscape of digital accessibility  

Digital accessibility is an important topic that has been gaining momentum in the past few years. It is the responsibility of companies to make sure that their products are accessible to people with disabilities. As the world becomes increasingly connected and more people gain access to the internet, accessibility is becoming a priority for many organizations. 

There are a number of factors that are changing the landscape of digital accessibility.  

• An important factor that is changing the landscape of digital accessibility is the availability of advanced technologies to help people with disabilities assert their rights. In the past, many people with disabilities were unaware that they had any legal rights to access digital content and services. However, as the internet has become increasingly essential to daily life, people with disabilities have begun to demand greater access to online content and services.  

• Since the past 2-3 years, we have seen an increase in digital accessibility lawsuits. This trend is expected to continue in 2023 and beyond, as plaintiffs become more aware of their rights and the technology to help them assert those rights becomes more widely available. This increased awareness of digital accessibility rights has been fueled by a number of high-profile lawsuits against well-known companies, such as Netflix, Uber, and Sephora etc.  

What to expect in 2023? 

Mobile Accessibility 

As per Statista, the number of smartphone subscriptions worldwide today surpasses six billion and is forecast to further grow by several hundred million in the next few years. As the use of mobile devices continues to grow, it is important for businesses to consider how to maintain ADA compatibility across all mobile platforms.  

In recent years, the Department of Justice has focused on ensuring that mobile applications are also accessible to people with disabilities. In 2017, the DOJ issued guidance on how to make mobile applications accessible and compliant with the ADA. The guidance includes best practices for designing and developing accessible mobile apps, as well as tips for testing and deploying accessible mobile apps. 

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are two of the hottest topics in the tech world right now. And it’s no surprise why – these cutting-edge technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way we live and work. From self-driving cars to automated customer service, AI and ML are already starting to change the world as we know it. 

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can be used to increase accessibility for people with disabilities. While AI and ML still have some limitations when it comes to accessibility, the potential is there to make a real difference in the lives of people with disabilities. As these technologies continue to develop, we can only hope that they will be used to make the world a more accessible place for everyone. 

Stricter Accessibility Laws  

Digital accessibility laws are an important part of making the digital world a more inclusive place for everyone. These laws help to ensure that everyone has equal access to digital content and devices, and that they can use them without barriers.  

As the world becomes increasingly digital, the future will focus on the importance of accessibility laws to keep up with technology.  

Conclusion 

Digital technology is advancing at an unprecedented rate and it’s changing the way we interact with the world. It’s also changing the way people with disabilities interact with the world. With digital accessibility, everyone can enjoy all of the benefits of digital technology. 

The recent trends in digital technology have been focused on making more things accessible to more people. Through better design and inclusive interfaces, everyone can experience the convenience and joy of using a computer or mobile device. 

To know more about our digital accessibility solutions and how we can help you in creating an accessibility roadmap, feel free to contact our digital accessibility experts. 

The post Rising trends in Digital Transformation and Digital Accessibility appeared first on Leader in Offshore Accessibility Testing | Section 508 Compliance | WCAG Conformance | BarrierBreak.

There are a number of reasons for this, including the lack of awareness about the rights of people with disabilities and the lack of infrastructure and support services. However, the most significant barrier to inclusion is the attitudinal barriers that exist within society.

Marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities observed on the 3rd of December, Kiran Somvanshi from Economic Times speaks with Shilpi Kapoor, CEO, BarrierBreak, corporate lawyer Amar Jain, and Yogesh Desai, Chief Executive Officer at Helen Keller Institute for Deaf & Deafblind to discuss the various challenges that people with disabilities in India go through.

In this special morning brief podcast by ET Bureau, Shilpi Kapoor shares her thought on how tech can be a blessing for people with disabilities. She shares how technology is moving towards becoming more inclusive and thus ensuring people with disabilities get included in the society and mainstream. She explains web accessibility as “providing people a choice of doing something the way they want to do it using the technology they want to use.”

Listen to the podcast to know more about the laws for people with disabilities, how diversity helps and the ground reality for people with disabilities in India.

The post How technology is making life easier for people with disabilities? – Podcast marking the World Disability Day appeared first on Leader in Offshore Accessibility Testing | Section 508 Compliance | WCAG Conformance | BarrierBreak.

However, the technologies that are being increasingly integrated into education can make life more difficult for some population groups which include people with disabilities. For example, the digital platforms and apps that are increasingly used for students are often not accessible to those who cannot touch screens, such as students with physical or visual impairment.

At BarrierBreak, we assist you in authoring VPATs for LMS & EdTech tools to help you comply to Section 508.

Accessibility is easier when you are a start-up

A common misconception, due to which most of the EdTech start-ups discount students with disabilities from their target user-base, is that the number of disabled students is very small. As per the UNICEF data, nearly 240 million children  in the world today have some form of disability.

Implementing accessibility from the start is much easier than trying to incorporate accessibility once you have developed a digital platform or an app.  As the role of technology in education continues to expand, it is important that as a start-up, accessibility is not an afterthought.

Accessibility can protect your start-up against lawsuits

No matter how small your start-up is, accessibility applies to everyone. With the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) reauthorized in 2004 and amended in 2015 and Section 504 the demand for an accessible EdTech environment continues to grow

Accessibility helps you generate a positive buzz

EdTech Accessibility is more than just providing an augmenting experience, it is a holistic practice, that can not only level the playing field for students with disability but enhance the overall learning experience for all. Beyond legal requirements, a commitment to providing equal access to education is the right thing to do.

Governments across the world are becoming increasingly interested in funding and supporting entrepreneurship in the field assistive technology and projects that aim at accelerating accessible innovations. Get better understanding about accessibility guidelines and standards such as Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) and Section 508. 

Make an informed decision by working closely with publishers and educational institutes and evaluating the accessibility needs of students with disabilities.

To know more about our services visit the Accessible EdTech page. We understand that practicing effective EdTech accessibility can be challenging and if you would like to know how BarrierBreak can support you, get in touch with our accessibility expert.

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Speech recognition software is a type of computer program that is able to interpret human speech and convert it into text. This software is used in a variety of settings, including personal assistants, mobile applications, and more. In order to work, the software must first be trained to understand the user’s voice and accent. 

Speech recognition software is used by people with mobility impairments, and they have multiple options today across different operating systems to choose from. Dragon Naturally Speaking is one of the old players and still the preferred choice for many speech recognition users. Both Windows and Mac have in-built speech recognition and so do Android and iOS. 

Additional Resource: Cheat Sheet – Dragon Naturally Speaking Commands for Web Testing

How Speech Recognition Works? 

Speech recognition technology has come a long way in recent years. This technology enables computers to understand and interpret human speech. There are many different applications for speech recognition, from voice-activated assistants to hands-free control of devices. 

Once the device is trained to recognize your voice, there are multiple ways through which a task can be performed. All the different speech recognition software gives users variety of interaction methods to carry out their tasks. Based on the task at hand, users can opt to use an interaction method.  

Interaction Patterns 

How do we really interact with speech recognition? What are the various commands that we give? 

• Voice Command: ‘Click Submit’, ‘Click First Name’ 
• Dictation Command: ‘Add line’, ‘Delete’  
• Users say: ‘Show Numbers’  
• Show Labels or Names 
• MouseGrid –Used for controls that lack keyboard support 
• Users can carry out keyboard commands, control the mouse & carry out gestures too.

Common Accessibility Challenges 

• Lack of keyboard focus indicator  
• Textual description for image links and buttons doesn’t match with the visual text on the image 
• Links with identical text 
• Lack of image descriptions for image-based controls 
• Content available only on mouse hover, drop-down menus, tooltips 
• Clickable area is too small 
• Accessible areas for user interface controls don’t match with their visual labels 

Accessible Implementation 

Managing focus correctly, making sure all the controls are keyboard operable, using native HTML elements and providing semantics for custom controls are applicable to speech recognition in the same way as they are applicable to other assistive technologies.  

To know more in detail about the various techniques of accessible implementation download this presentation on Web Accessibility for Speech Recognition Users. Get in touch with us at info@barrierbreak.com for accessibility related queries.

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An accessibility audit is a comprehensive evaluation of a website or application’s conformance with accessibility standards to meet the needs of people with disabilities.  

The audit process usually involves: 

• Performing manual and automated testing by Accessibility experts 
• Conducting testing with people with disabilities 
• Assessing the overall design and user experience of the site or the app 
• Reviewing the code for potential accessibility issues 

The accessibility audit help identify potential accessibility barriers and provide recommendations for how to make your site or app more accessible. 

What are the common standards & guidelines that one can conform to? 

When conducting an accessibility audit, there are a variety of standards & guidelines that can be used to measure conformance. The most common standards are: 

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) set forth by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). WCAG 2.1 and 2.0 are the versions. 
• EN 301 549 – This is the European standard that covers Accessibility for all ICT. 
• Section 508 – Section 508 requires access to ICT developed, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies. 

Which technologies should you conduct an accessibility audit for? 

The myth for a long time has been only for websites! But accessibility is needed for all web and non-web Information & Communication Technology (ICT). So time to think: 

• Websites 
• Web Applications 
• Mobile Apps 
• Software 
• Gaming 
• SAAS Platforms 
• Documents 

This list will keep evolving as we see digital technology evolving! 

When should you conduct an accessibility audit? 

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of when to do an accessibility audit.  

The simple answer is start testing your solutions as early on in the process. Often accessibility is one of the last things that we check for and that is why it also feels like a lot of effort.  

It is generally recommended that audits be conducted on a regular basis, prior to launch and then if there are significant updates. But it makes sense to set a regular cadence so that you keep investing the accessibility efforts.  

At BarrierBreak, our accessibility consulting and digital accessibility services assist organizations to audit, maintain and strategize to ensure that accessibility is an on-going effort and not an afterthought. 

Schedule a meeting or write to us at sales@barrierbreak.com to talk to an accessibility consultant and get started on your accessibility journey right away. 

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