Are you tired of coming in at the end of a project to do accessibility testing with little control over schedule and design? Are you concerned with how your team will adjust to the changes in accessibility law? Here is a roadmap of best practices, political tools, learning lists, and background knowledge to increase the quality of work for the beginner development-side tester responsible for accessibility. This course of action will also plant seeds to move you toward a long term role as a skilled analyst able to fulfill requirements and to participate in the user experience from the beginning of the lifecycle on for both creativity and a more pleasant project for everyone.

1. Quality and the “Secret Mission”
From End Stage Tester to Skilled Analyst

2. So, You're the Accessibility Guru…
New to accessibility...
You've been a tester before, project
coordinator or help desk tech....
Your team just limped through a review...
You want to do better....

3. Your “Secret Mission”…
is to make your work
accessible over compliant...

4. Your Life is About to Change...
Regulations are moving from a
nuts and bolts model, to a
feature-based model,
independent of technology ......

5. The Good News...
Many issues you found before... you
can call as errors
You'll be able to address more user's
complaints
Benchmarks will be clearer
You'll have a lot to do....

6. The Bad News...
The old approach is a small part
of what you'll be responsible for
You'll be able to address more
user's complaints
Benchmarks will be clearer
You'll have a lot to do....

7. And guess what?
The
leader
is
you....

8. Um, WHAT?
As the requirements increase...
Your team will call
upon you to help
them adjust.

9. You'll be expected to:
Know what to do
Train Your Team
Prove to that you have the background
Get the tools and ideas to be successful

10. Your Mission, Should You Choose
To Accept It….
Get through current testing
Establish strong expertise
Get into the project earlier
Introduce new requirements
Spread responsibility of best practices

11. Use the Testing
»You Currently Have

12. Establish Awareness
Manage Risk
Expectations
Reporting bugs
Project Reports
Improve Your Current Game

13. Software Development Lifecycle
Functional Specifications
Page list
Design and UX Specs
Training Materials
Requirements
Establish Awareness: Dossier

14. Agency Behaviors
– COTS Policies?
– Workarounds?
– Project concerns?
– Assistive Technology Centric?
– Enforcement Team/ Help Center?
Establish Awareness: Intel

15. Audience
Number of users
Public or Private-facing
Codebase
Type of code
Dev Time/Re-work
Age of system practices
Design
Color schemes
Widgets, Bells, and Whistles
COTS Tools
Impacts of New Regs?
Manage Risk

16. Responsive Design!
508 Update
POUR,
WCAG 2.0 A, AA
Mobile
Authoring Tools
Sheer Numbers
High Alerts!

17. ResponsiveRisk: Agent
or Double Agent?
Focus
Controls
Content
Progressive Dev
Design
Test

18. Early and often
Elevator Speeches
Debunk
Spread news and goals
Make Storyboards
Screenshots/Wireframes
Current issues
Which could be planned ahead?
Log issues under future regs as improvments
Seek PMs help to estimate Level of Effort (LOE)
Manage Expectations

19. Wireframing:
– OmniGraffle
– Balsamiq Mockups
– Storyboarding:
– Any graphic program
– Prototyping:
– Axure
– Content Inventory:
– Sitemapping Tools
– Excel
User Experince Tools
Feedback Tools:
User Interviews
– Poll Daddy
– Feedback Army
– Analytics:
– Google Analytics
– A/B Testing:
– Website Optimiser

20. Assist Fellow Agents
with Storyboarding!

21. Exhibit: Design Workaround
For Close Colors

22. URL, breadcrumb trail, etc
Screen capture with
notation
What's there
What's expected
Field Notes: Bug Description
Code snippet w/ line
number
Any DOM info
Test Steps (Paste!!!!)
Severity
Broken regulation or
requirement

23. One useful page (minus image)
Trackable lists of issues
Track LOE
Log improvements and warnings
against future regs!
Bug Description: Mission

24. Overview first!
Improvements in performance
Repeating issues
Labor that might have been saved
Recommend Processes
Interaction Design notes and storyboards
Custom Test Cases
Warnings for changing laws
Project Reports:

25. Secret Weapon – Costs of Late
Defects in Project Lifecycle!
In Depth Commentary:
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20100036670.pdf#original

26. Gather Background
Knowledge
Regs
Languages and Platform Notes
User Experince
Assistive Technologies
Programmatic Fundamentals

27. Dossier: Regs
•508 Refresh
– News
https://www.access-board.gov/news/1573-update-on-the-board-s-refresh-of-the-section-508-
standards-and-telecommunications-act-accessibility-guidelines
Draft Regulation
http://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-
refresh/draft-rule-2011
WCAG 2.0
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/
Communication and Video Accessibility Act
http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/twenty-first-century-communications-and-video-accessibility-act-0
Air Carrier Access Act
http://www.disabilitytravel.com/airlines/air_carrier_act.htm

28. Dossier: Languages
» & Platforms

HTML – Yes, you need to know it!

4 and 5

http://www.amazon.com/HTML-amp-CSS-Complete-Reference/dp/0071496297

Learn which are supported and how.

Browser conflicts?

Assistive Technology Conflicts?

Know enough to see what things are

Don't need to be a developer

JavaScript

Understand Learn to read it and Programmatic
Concepts

DOM interactions

Mobile (See also Responsive Design)
http://mobilegovwiki.howto.gov/Accessibility+Testing+Resources

29. Field Notes – User Experince

UX Crash Course: 31 Fundamentals
http://thehipperelement.com/post/75476711614/ux-crash-course-31-fundamentals

UX Matters All Time Top 25
http://www.uxmatters.com/topics/

User Experience Team of One:
A Research and Design Guide

http://www.amazon.com/User-Experience-Team-One-Research-
ebook/dp/B00DUITE5Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399727254&sr=8-1&keywords=UX+one

Study users with disabilities
– A Web For Everyone: Designing Accessible
– User Experinces
http://www.amazon.com/Web-Everyone-Designing-Accessible-Experiences-
ebook/dp/B00HCREJZ6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399727514&sr=1-
1&keywords=a+web+for+everyone

WAI – Designing for Inclusion
http://www.w3.org/WAI/users/Overview.html

Cognitive coping concepts

Plain Language – Don't make puzzles!

Responsive Design (If correct) – Allow simplicity!

30. Infiltrate: Assitive Technologies
Top tools

JAWS

MAGIC

Dragon Naturally Speaking

User Surveys

Known issues and Conflicts

Browsers

High Profile Bug Reports

31. Programmatic Concepts

Knowledge of Controls : Karl Groves /TPG
http://refreshbaltimore.org/events/details/what-is-this-thing-and-what-does-it-do

Progressive Enhancement: Tech Republic:
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/web-designer/understanding-progressive-enhancement-techniques-in-
web-design/

DOM Interaction:
http://www.slideshare.net/LeonieWatson/accessibility-summit-201309

Responsive Design
– – UX Matters
http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2013/04/responsive-web-design-and-accessibility.php
– Dylan Barrell /Deque Preso
http://www.slideshare.net/dylanbarrell/responsive-web-design-and-accessibility-challenges-and-
solutions

WAI-ARIA

Spec
http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria/

Examples
http://oaa-accessibility.org/examples/

A RockNRoll Guide to HTML5 and ARIA
http://www.slideshare.net/LeonieWatson/generate-2013-09

32. Train Your Team

Leverage agency training

Development Knowledge

Design Advice

Document Accessibility

Brown bag lunches, or

Partner with team leads
already doing group training

Leverage experts!

33. Where are the Tools?
Funny you should ask.
This presentation was meant to reduce
dependence on tools.
A few references:

WAVE
http://www.webaim.org/wave/

FireEyes/WorldSpace
http://www.deque.com/products/

Huge List
http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/tools/complete

Tenon, new tool for developers:
http://www.tenon.io/

34. Final Notes

Learn More

Involve the Team

Engage PMs

Love your job!

35. Thank you!
Devorah Firestone
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/devorahf
LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/devorah4accessibility/
Secret Agent Images (via Creative Commons):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/emiliano-iko/
All other images: iStockPhoto.com
Music:
Get Smart
View To a Kill
James Bond
Mission Impossible

36. Extra Thanks!
John F Croston
Eric Wright
Jennifer Alivernini
Dennis Lembree
Karl Groves
Billy Gregory
Barry Johnson
Denis Boudreau
Dylan Barrell
Elle Waters
Derek Featherstone
Steve Faulkner
Marcy Sutton
Angela Hooker
Mike Paciello
Katie Haritos-Shea
Jonathan Firestone
Joseph Firestone
Melissa Phelps Firestone
James Bond
Maxwell Smart
Agent V
Agent 99
Agent 16