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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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The talk titled "Accessible by Default" presented by Joel Hawksley at RailsConf 2023 focuses on overcoming accessibility challenges in software development, particularly in longstanding applications like GitHub's Ruby on Rails monolith. Hawksley shares personal experiences related to accessibility, emphasizing the importance of designing for users with varying disabilities. He discusses three main strategies GitHub employs to enhance accessibility: automated accessibility scanning, a custom form builder, and a process called preview-driven development. - **Personal Anecdote on Accessibility**: Hawksley relates a personal story about a natural disaster that affected his family, leading to a newfound understanding of situational and cognitive disabilities. - **Defining Accessibility**: Accessibility is defined as the ability for a product or service to be usable by everyone. He highlights that disabilities can be permanent, temporary, or situational, with many aspects of accessibility affecting a wide range of users. - **Automated Accessibility Scanning**: To confront accessibility issues proactively, GitHub leverages automated accessibility tools such as axe for continuous integration, integrating accessibility checks into their development process. - **Custom Forms Framework**: Recognizing that forms are fundamental in Rails, a new accessible form builder was developed to streamline form creation while ensuring compliance with accessibility standards, thus minimizing common errors in form design. - **Preview-Driven Development**: This innovative approach allows developers to create component previews, which streamline testing and facilitate immediate accessibility feedback during development. - **Universal Design Concept**: Hawksley touches upon the idea that making software accessible benefits all users, not just those with disabilities, using curb cuts as an analogy. - **Empathy in Engineering**: He emphasizes the necessity of empathy in engineering practices, urging developers to recognize and address the diverse needs of users. The major conclusion of the talk is that accessibility in technology is not only a necessity but a fundamental human right, and innovative practices must be integrated into the culture of development to ensure inclusivity. GitHub's commitment to enhancing accessibility reflects its core value of participation and contribution from all users, regardless of their abilities.
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