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RailsConf 2017: Accessibility (when you don't have time to read the manual) by Katie Walsh For some, making web applications accessible is a must; Government websites fall under Section 508 and retail sites need to reduce legal risk. But for others it seems like a luxury; Consultants are expensive, and so are the developer hours spent trying to parse the notoriously hard-to-read WCAG 2.0 docs. There is an easier way to start! In this session, we will demystify the WCAG 2.0 basics. We’ll use Chrome Accessibility Dev Tools to discover and fix common issues. You will leave with a set of free and easy-to-use resources to start improving the accessibility of your application today.
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The video titled "Accessibility (when you don't have time to read the manual)" features Katie Walsh at RailsConf 2017, focusing on the importance of web accessibility and how to implement it effectively. The presentation addresses various misconceptions about accessibility, emphasizing that it is not a luxury but a necessity to ensure that all users can navigate web applications seamlessly. Here are the key points discussed: - **Introduction to Accessibility**: Katie shares personal experiences to illustrate the frustrations of being unable to accomplish simple tasks independently due to communication barriers, drawing parallels to how users might feel when encountering inaccessible websites. - **Understanding WCAG 2.0**: A brief overview of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 is provided. The guidelines outline basic principles of accessibility, including: - **Perceivable**: Information must be presented in ways that users can perceive, including providing text alternatives for non-text content. - **Operable**: Users should be able to navigate and interact with all UI components with a keyboard. - **Understandable**: Information should be clear and easy to understand. - **Robust**: Content must be compatible with a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. - **Benefits of Accessibility**: Making applications accessible not only meets ethical and legal obligations but also enhances user experience for everyone. About 20% of the population has some form of disability, and many experiences, such as temporary impairments, highlight the necessity of inclusive design. - **Live Coding Demonstration**: Katie performs live coding using Chrome Accessibility Dev Tools to identify and fix common accessibility issues on a sample webpage. Through this demonstration, she highlights the importance of meaningful labels for form controls, appropriate text contrast, and clear link text. - **Testing for Accessibility**: It’s emphasized that while automated tools are beneficial, human testing is essential. Resources for effectively testing web applications include both automated tools and manual testing with screen readers, such as VoiceOver and NVDA. - **Concluding Thoughts**: The presentation ends with an encouragement for developers to take actionable steps towards improving accessibility on their sites. It suggests starting with simple changes and leveraging available resources, emphasizing that making the web accessible should be a standard practice within the development community. In summary, web accessibility is essential for user satisfaction and compliance, and developers have the power to ensure their applications are usable for all individuals, irrespective of their abilities.
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