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Our industry is shockingly bad at accessibility: by some estimates, over 70% of websites are effectively unavailable to blind users! Making your app accessible isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the law. In this talk, we’ll share what it’s taken to scale GitHub’s accessibility program and equip you to do the same at your company.
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In this session titled "How to make your application accessible (and keep it that way!)" presented by Joel Hawksley at RailsConf 2024, the focus is on enhancing web accessibility, particularly for individuals with disabilities. Joel, a Staff Engineer at GitHub, outlines the current state of accessibility in the tech industry, emphasizing that a significant majority of web applications are not friendly to disabled users, especially the blind. Key Points Discussed: - **State of Accessibility:** 70% to 99% of websites are unusable for blind users, showcasing an urgent need for improvement in digital products. - **GitHub's Journey:** After being acquired by Microsoft, GitHub prioritized accessibility, integrating initiatives that aim to scale effective accessibility practices across their platform. - **Legal Risks:** Failing to meet accessibility standards can lead to substantial legal repercussions, as highlighted by the spike in digital accessibility lawsuits. - **Measuring Accessibility:** GitHub employs AX, an automated accessibility scanning tool, and emphasizes the importance of measuring accessibly metrics to track progress. - **Organizational Accountability:** To maintain ongoing accessibility, GitHub implements a service catalog and assigns ownership of code files to teams, ensuring responsibilities for accessibility do not fall through the cracks. - **Lived Experience:** Programs that teach developers about the experiences of users with disabilities, such as using screen readers, have been critical. The company also encourages feedback from users who can share their experiences with the application. - **Continuous Improvement:** Hackathons and the gradual introduction of accessibility conformance reports (ACRs) help maintain visibility on accessibility issues that need to be addressed. Significant Examples: - Joel shared how GitHub reduced accessibility violations from approximately 50 to zero by focusing on their design system documentation and highlighted successes in their use of AX scanning for ongoing assessment. - The 'Ship of Theseus' analogy to illustrate the continuous ownership and accountability for accessibility as the code and teams evolve over time. Conclusions: GitHub’s commitment to accessibility not only meets legal standards but enhances the user experience for all. The session emphasizes the need for organizations to start measuring their accessibility efforts and encourages attendees to incorporate accessibility into their application development lifecycle actively. This proactive stance fosters a culture of inclusivity and accountability, which is crucial in today’s technologically advanced landscape. Joel encourages attendees to take actionable steps towards making their applications more accessible, ensuring that all users are supported and can effectively navigate digital spaces.
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