UXPA UK Celebrates Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2014
15
May
2014
18:30 to 21:30
IBM, 76/78 Upper Ground, SE1 9PZ
We haven’t solved the problem of accessibility. We need to change that. If we work together, we can. Accessibility exists on a continuum and covers a wide spectrum of needs – we all benefit from accessibility. This is especially true in the mobile context. Accessibility can no longer be viewed as a separate entity and needs to be embedded in the entire UX process. From design to development, the goal for any digital product should be to deliver an inclusive user experience. Our speakers will provide an insight into how you can deliver this both now, and in the future. We will also hear the opinions of the most important stakeholders – the end users.
Logistics and format of the event
18:30 – 19:00 – Mixing and mingling with drinks and nibbles.
19:00 – 20:00 – Speakers.
20:00 – 20:30 – Panel Discussion.
20:30 – 21:00 – Networking
Event resources are collated on Pinterest
[flickr_set id="72157644955310892"]A practical guide to Accessible User Experience (AUX). - Léonie Watson, Senior Accessibility Engineer – The Paciello Group.
Overview: Accessibility is a natural component of UX, and an essential skill for UX practitioners working in the digital landscape. This guide will look at AUX good practice and share practical steps to help UX practitioners make it happen. With professional insights taken from nearly 20 years working on the interwebs, and personal insights drawn from being a screen reader user, Léonie Watson will take a look at AUX now and in the future. Biography: Léonie Watson began using the internet in 1993, turned it into a web design career in 1997, and (despite losing her eyesight along the way) has been enjoying herself thoroughly ever since. After many years as Director of Accessibility at Nomensa, Léonie is now a Senior Accessibility Engineer with The Paciello Group (TPG) and owner of LJ Watson Consulting. Amongst other things she is Chair of the British Computer Association of the Blind (BCAB), writes for .Net magazine, and is a member of the W3C HTML Working Group and HTML Accessibility Task Force. She even appears every now and then on TV and radio to talk about technology. See Leonie’s profile on LinkedIn. @LeonieWatson
Have I Got Accessibility for You: Multi-platform Standards and UX. Ian Pouncey – Senior Accessibility Specialist – BBC Future Media.
Overview: Ian will talk about how the new BBC Mobile Accessibility Standards and Guidelines and the work-in-progress BBC HTML Accessibility Standards relate to UX. He will discuss the importance of good design as the starting point for creating accessible web sites and applications, and the role the UX profession has in improving accessibility on the web. Biography: Ian Pouncey is a Senior Accessibility Specialist and Web Developer at the BBC, writing standards, guidelines, and training material, and advising developers and designers on creating accessible websites and applications. He is the author of Beginning CSS: Cascading Style Sheets for Web Design, 3rd Edition, a W3C HTML Accessibility Task Force member, and web accessibility advocate. See Ian’s profile on LinkedIn. @IanPouncey
The Future of Inclusive User Experience. Meera Pankhania – Head of Accessibility and Usability – AbilityNet.
Overview: So what is the future of accessibility? To solve the problem of accessibility we may have to think of it differently. As technology evolves, the concept of accessibility may have to evolve with it. What opportunities will UX trends such as personalisation and wearable technology bring? Will they remove barriers, or will they present new problems that need to be solved? Meera will discuss these issues in her talk. Biography: Meera leads AbilityNet’s talented team of accessibility and usability consultants by providing strategic direction, business development and delivering consultancy. Her work is especially strong in the financial sector, as well as with organisations of the calibre of BT and Samsung. Meera works with her consultants throughout the entire project lifecycle – from initial awareness raising to final sign-off – ensuring optimal accessibility at every stage. The most prominent example of this was with the extremely successful London 2012 Olympics website. With a background in web design and development, Meera has over 10 years of experience spread across client-side, digital agencies and consultancies, Meera has acquired expertise in the different disciplines required to create and advocate inclusive user experience. See Meera’s profile on LinkedIn. @Meera404
Poster - Investigating the Appropiateness and Relevance of Mobile Web Accessibility Guidelines. Raphael Clegg-Vinell – Accessibility and Usability Consultant – AbilityNet.
Overview: Raphael will be presenting a poster version of his research paper ‘Investigating the Appropriateness and Relevance of Mobile Web Accessibility Guidelines’. The study assessed the validity of the Mobile Web Best Practice Statements (MWBP 1.0) for a wide range of user groups, examining whether issues reported in live user testing sessions could be mapped to relevant Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) Success Criteria or MWBP 1.0 Statements. One conclusion from the research was that accessibility guidelines and standards need to adopt a more user-centred approach to ensure they address issues which will have the highest impact on real-life accessibility. The paper was recently presented at the Web for All (W4A) conference, held in Seoul, Korea, where it won the award for ‘Best Communication Paper’. Biography: Raphael Clegg-Vinell is an accessibility and usability consultant at AbilityNet. His work includes conducting user testing sessions, and advising developers and designers on how to create accessible/usable digital products and services. Raphael has a background in web design/development and has worked on several commercial and personal websites and apps. He has been a member of the UXPA for two years and regularly attends other IT-related conferences/workshops. See Raphael’s profile on LinkedIn @Raphael_CV