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Rocky Mountain Ruby 2023 - Accessible by default by Joel Hawksley It’s one thing to build a new application that meets the latest accessibility standards, but it’s another thing to update an existing application to meet them. In this talk, we’ll share how we’re using automated accessibility scanning, preview-driven development, and an accessibility-first form builder to make GitHub’s 15-year-old, 1,400-controller Ruby on Rails monolith accessible.
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In this presentation titled "Accessible by Default," Joel Hawksley discusses the challenges and triumphs of enhancing accessibility in GitHub's extensive Ruby on Rails monolith, which consists of 1,400 controllers built over 15 years. He emphasizes the importance of addressing accessibility not only for new features but also for existing applications, highlighting the use of automated accessibility scanning, an improved form-building approach, and a concept he calls preview-driven development. Key Points Discussed: - **Personal Experience and Motivation:** Joel shares a personal story about his home being destroyed in a wildfire, which opened his eyes to the realities of trauma and accessibility, particularly how it can affect cognitive abilities temporarily. - **Defining Accessibility:** He explains accessibility as the ability for everyone to use a product or service, noting that disabilities can be visible or invisible and categorizing them into situational, temporary, and permanent disabilities. - **Use of Screen Readers:** The discussion includes the role of screen readers in accessing content on web applications, emphasizing that developers must ensure their applications are compatible with assistive technologies. - **Automated Accessibility Scanning:** Joel advocates for using automated tools like Axe to detect and address accessibility issues, explaining that while not exhaustive, these tools can significantly help improve compliance. - **Form Accessibility:** He introduces an innovative approach to form building that creates accessible forms by default, reducing the potential for errors in linking labels to form controls. - **Preview-Driven Development:** This new approach enables developers to preview UI components in isolation while integrating accessibility checks, thus promoting best practices in code development and testing. - **Universal Design Concept:** Joel emphasizes that making technology accessible for people with disabilities often leads to enhancements beneficial for all users, citing Single Sign-On (SSO) as an example. Conclusions: - Joel's key takeaway is the importance of building empathy in engineering practices, emphasizing that understanding the experiences of users with disabilities can reveal significant insights into potential blind spots. - He highlights the ongoing necessity for organizations to address accessibility proactively using automated checks and continually advocating for improvements within their applications to foster a more inclusive tech environment. This approach not only mitigates legal risks but also enhances user experience for all users.
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