intro to accessibility: what employers need to … · intro to accessibility: what employers need...

Intro to Accessibility: What

Employers Need to Know to

Create a Technology-

Accessible WorkplaceFebruary 22, 2018

AskEARN.org

http://AskEARN.org

AskEARN.org

Intro to Accessibility: What Employers Need to Know to Create a

Technology-Accessible Workplace

2

Brett Sheats

National Project Director

Employer Assistance and Resource

Network on Disability Inclusion

(EARN)

AskEARN.org 3

Employer Assistance and Resource Network on

Disability Inclusion (EARN)

A no-cost resource for employers seeking to proactively recruit, hire,

retain and advance qualified employees with disabilities

Access trainings, webinars and numerous publications

Funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of

Labors Office of Disability Employment Policy

Collaborative of multiple partners with expertise in technical assistance,

training and research

Visit website at http://AskEARN.org

http://askearn.org/

AskEARN.org

Housekeeping

4

For audio call: 415-655-0045

Access code: 666 127 353#

Contact WebEx tech support at 1-866-229-3239

Download slides at AskEARN.org

An archived recording of the webinar will be posted to AskEARN.org within the week

Submit questions via Q&A window or via @AskEARN

Having trouble posting to the Q&A window? Email [email protected]

Tweet using #AskEARN

Live captioning is located at the bottom right of the screen

Receive 1.0 general recertification credit hours through the HR Certification Institute (HRCI) and theSociety for Human Resource Management (SHRM) (via email following the event)

mailto:[email protected]://AskEARN.orghttp://AskEARN.org

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Audience Assessment Question

5

On a scale of one to five (1 = very little

understanding and 5 = extensive understanding),

how would you rate your understanding of ways

you can increase the accessibility of your

workplace technology and individual

documents?

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Intro to Accessibility: What Employers Need to Know to

Create a Technology-Accessible Workplace

6

Corinne Weible

Deputy Project Director

Partnership on Employment and

Accessible Technology (PEAT)

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What is Accessible Technology?

7

Accessibility means that everyone can use the exact sametechnology as anyone elseregardless of whether they can manipulate a mouse, how much vision they have, how manycolors they can see, how much they can hear, or how they process information.

Accessible technology adds layers into computer operatingsystems, mobile phones and more to allow people with disabilities to access the same information as everyone else.

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Everyone Benefits from Accessible Technology

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57% of computer users are likely or very likely to benefit from the use of accessible technology due tomild or severe disabilities (Forrester Research)

Examples of accessible technology originally createdfor people with disabilities:

Text messaging

Speech-to-text technologies

Video captioning

https://www.microsoft.com/enable/research/phase2.aspx

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Accessible Technology and the Employment Lifecycle

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AskEARN.org

2015 eRecruiting & Accessibility Study

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46% of participants ratedtheir last experience applying

for a job online as difficult to

impossible

Of those, 9% were unable tocomplete the application and

24% required assistance

TOP eRECRUITING ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES

Complex navigation Timeout restrictions Lack of video captioning No alternative text for images Poor screen contrast Inaccessible form fields Mouse-only input option

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Make eRecruiting Accessible - PEATworks.org/TalentWorks

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TalentWorks TalentWorks

TalentWorks Home

> eRecruiting and Accessibility

> The ROI of Accessible eRecruiting

- Buying Accessible eRecruiting Products

- Adopting an Accessibility Policy

Make Your eRecrui t ing Tools Accessib le

TalentWorks Resource

Home TalentWorks eRecrui t ing and Accessibi l i ty

The ROI of Accessible eRecruiting Of course any initiative you under take boils down to the return on investment , and accessibil i ty should be no except ion Thankful ly, purchas ing and using access ib le techno logyinc lud ing access ib le eRecrui t ing too lscan benef i t your organizat ion immensely Read on to learn how...

The Benefits of AccessibleWorkplace Technology

W h e n it comes to h u m a n capital , taking steps to improve the accessibil i ty of your workp lace techno logy infrastructure within all s tages of the emp loymen t lifecvcle can reap signif icant rewards in terms of e n h a n c e d emp loyee

Featured Resources

Why Accessible eRecruiting Matters

http://www.PEATworks.org/TalentWorks

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Buy IT! Purchasing Guide - PEATworks.org/Buy-IT

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Buy IT! Buy IT!

Buy IT! Home

Planning

- Step 1: Setting ProcurementPriorities

- Step 2: Preparing to Buy

Solicitation

> Step 3 : Issuing YourSolicitation

- Determine Your Solicitation Type

- Define Requirements

- Write It!

Home Employer Tools Buy IT! Solicitation

Step 3: Issuing Your Solicitation With your vendor research complete, you should be well equipped to write and issue a procurement solicitation that clearly speci fes your business requirements and accessibility expectat ions. This section of Buy IT! offers helpful background on writing effective solicitations, as well as sample language to incorporate into your Requests for Proposals.

Writing a solicitation from an accessibil ity mindset doesn't have to be difficult. It's most important to understand and clearly specify which accessibil ity requirements your desired product needs to meet (based on applicable laws and standards).

The fol lowing steps will help you write and issue a solicitation that produces an accessible and usable version of the product you need:

Part One: Determine Your Solicitation Type

Featured Resources

How to Request Accessibility Informationfrom Vendors and Contractors

Best practices from GSA for defining requirement criteria and exceptions for both commercial-off-the-shelf and custom ICT items. Click here to learn more

http://www.PEATworks.org/Buy-IT

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Accessibility Benchmarking PEATworks.org/TechCheck

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Tech Check Start

Welcome to TechCheck, a powerful but simple tool to help employers assess their technology accessibility practices. Whether you have a formal accessible technology

effort or no t TechCheck can help give you a benchmarking "snapshot" of the current state of your technology, the accessibility goa ls you want to reach, and what steps

you might take to achieve them.

TechCheck is scalable and intended for U.S. employers of all typespubl ic or private sector large or small.

What you can expect:

* It's quick and easy. TechCheck takes about 10-15 minutes to complete.

* You'll get rapid feedback . After completing the questions, you' l l receive a Readout evaluation of where you stand across several dimensions, from internal

training efforts to procurement policies.

* It's comple te ly conf ident ia l . PEAT does not retain your answers except to create your customized Readout. And we wil l never publish any o f your answers, or

share that you have participated in TschCheck without your explicit permission.

* A foundat ion for buildina a more access ib le w o r k p l a c e . TechCheck Provides formal documentation that you can use to w in support from management to

http://www.PEATworks.org/TechCheck

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14

Jim Corporal

Account Executive

The Viscardi Center

AskEARN.org 15

Document Remediation - Agenda

Introduction

What is Document Remediation?

Why is it Important?

How is it Accomplished?

Follow-up Questions

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What is Document Remediation?

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Headings are marked

Photos and graphics are tagged

Forms are generated with fillable fields

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Document Components - Example

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What Types of Materials Should be Made Accessible?

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Employee Handbooks

Job Applications

New/Legacy Documents

Training Materials

Student Worksheets

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Why is it Important?

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Legal Risk

Business Case

Most Importantly: Social Inclusion

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Why is it Important? The Law

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Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

ICT Refresh

January 18, 2018

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How is it Accomplished? (Art & Science)

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Creation

Automation (science)

Manual Intervention (art)

Quality Assurance

Delivery

How is it Accomplished? (Continued)

22AskEARN.org

http://www.AskEARN.org

How is it Accomplished? (Continued)

23AskEARN.org


AskEARN.org

How is it Accomplished? - Getting Started

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Accessibility Checks

Section 508 Guidelines www.section508.gov

WCAG 2.0 (2.1 currently in development)

W3C www.w3.org

PDF/UA www.pdfa.org

http://www.section508.gov/http://www.w3.org/http://www.pdfa.org/

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25

Aaron Bangor, Ph.D., CHFP, CPACC

Lead Accessible Technology Architect

AT&T Corporate Accessibility

Technology Office (CATO)

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At AT&T, Accessibility is a Multi-Stakeholder Effort

HR D&I

CATOIDEAL(ERG)

AAPAA

HR Talent

Attraction

IT Dept.

Corp. Soc.

Resp.

Advancing internal accessibility

efforts has taken numerous voices

and advocates

Weve combined:

Commitment from our HR teams

Accessibility expertise

Collaboration with IT department

Support from our disability-

focused employee resource

group (ERG)

And many others

26

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Accessibility by Process, Not Individual Heroism

Integrate accessibility as early as possible, with a caveat

Its difficult to know how to make something accessible if you dont

know what that something is i.e., its scope

Once project teams know their scope, they dont necessarily know the

appropriate accessibility solutions

Corporate processes must help them connect the dots and provide them

the resources needed to implement or procure accessible technology

Project ScopeAccessibility

SolutionsProject

Requirements

27

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Key Resource: Accessibility Standards

Technical Standards

Example standard: Where ICT

[Information and Communications

Technology] emits lights in

flashes, there shall be no more

than three flashes in any one-

second period.

Expect this for federal employees

(i.e., Section 508)

Outcome-Based Standards

Example standard: Provide at

least one mode that does not

require user vision.

Also known as: Functional

Performance Criteria or

Performance Objectives

Expect this as a default where no

technical standards have been

prescribed in regulation

28

AskEARN.org

Make Applying Standards as Easy as Possible

Standards

Requirements

Solutions

Test Tools

Most program/project managers,procurement managers andtechnical staff have littleawareness of accessibility

Make the process granular

Spell out each step

Provide them guides based on domains (e.g., web, apps,email, videos, etc.)

Long-term need for more accessibility-aware employees involved in technology projects

29

AskEARN.org

Focus Areas & Basic Tips

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Technology Area Basic Accessibility Tips

Web sites Follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 AA

Emails Follow web site (HTML) standards; use plain language

PDF documents Ensure source document is accessible; finish in Acrobat

Videos Captioning; ensure alternative for visual content

Town Hall / Meeting Captioning; accessible materials; use microphones

Apps Follow platform accessibility guidelines (iOS / Android / Windows)

IVRsNon-speech/audio alternatives; alt. for timed responses;

user-centered menus; prompts w/ good audio and pace

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Resources

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Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion(EARN): http://www.AskEARN.org

Job Accommodation Network (JAN): https://AskJAN.org/

U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy(ODEP): https://www.DOL.gov/ODEP

Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT):www.peatworks.org/

http://www.askearn.org/https://askjan.org/https://www.dol.gov/ODEP/http://www.peatworks.org/http:///

AskEARN.org 32

Contact Information

Brett Sheats

National Project Director

Employer Assistance and Resource

Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN)

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.askearn.org

Corinne Weible

Deputy Project Director

Partnership on Employment and Accessible

Technology (PEAT)


Website: www.peatworks.org/

Jim Corporal

Account Executive

The Viscardi Center


Website: www.viscardicenter.org

Aaron Bangor

Lead Accessible Technology Architect

AT&T Corporate Accessibility Technology

Office (CATO)

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]://www.askearn.org/mailto:[email protected]://www.peatworks.org/mailto:[email protected]://www.viscardicenter.org/mailto:[email protected]

AskEARN.org 33

Audience Questions

AskEARN.org

Takeaways

34

Ensure that your virtual doors are open to everyone! Inclusive technology practices attract talented employees with disabilities,

which in turn leads to a more diverse workplace. Plus, universally-designed technologies can lead to productivity gains for all

employees.

It's less expensive to buy the right product the first time. Making accessible IT a priority is a cost-effective business practice that

you can easily integrate into procurements.

https://www.visionaustralia.org/dat: Accessibility ribbon menu for Microsoft Word that makes it quicker and easier to create

accessible documents.

http://www.wave.webaim.org/: Free tool to scan a website for accessibility compliance.

Integrating accessibility in to the technology lifecycle needs a strong, step-by-step process.

Accessibility standards are necessary, but so are other resources so that project and procurement managers as well as technical

staff can produce accessible technology.

EARN & PEAT Ten Tips for Accessible Websites http://www.askearn.org/topics/creating-an-accessible-and-welcoming-

workplace/technological-accessibility/3747-2/

https://www.visionaustralia.org/dathttp://www.wave.webaim.org/http://www.askearn.org/topics/creating-an-accessible-and-welcoming-workplace/technological-accessibility/3747-2/

AskEARN.org

Audience Assessment Question

35

On a scale of one to five (1 = very little

understanding and 5 = extensive understanding),

how would you rate your understanding of ways

you can increase the accessibility of your

workplace technology and individual documents?

Thank You!

Visit us at AskEARN.org

AskEARN.org 36


Intro to Accessibility: What Employers Need to Know to Create a Technology-Accessible WorkplaceIntro to Accessibility: What Employers Need to Know to Create aTechnology-Accessible WorkplaceEmployer Assistance and Resource Network onDisability Inclusion (EARN)HousekeepingAudience Assessment QuestionIntro to Accessibility: What Employers Need to Know toCreate a Technology-Accessible WorkplaceWhat isAccessible Technology?Everyone Benefits from Accessible TechnologyAccessible Technology and the Employment Lifecycle2015 eRecruiting& Accessibility StudyMake eRecruitingAccessible -PEATworks.org/TalentWorksBuy IT! Purchasing Guide -PEATworks.org/Buy-ITAccessibility Benchmarking PEATworks.org/TechCheckIntro to Accessibility: What Employers Need to Know toCreate a Technology-Accessible WorkplaceDocument Remediation -AgendaWhat is Document Remediation?Document Components -ExampleWhat Types of Materials Should be Made Accessible?Why is it Important?Why is it Important? The LawHow is it Accomplished? (Art & Science)How is it Accomplished? -Getting StartedIntro to Accessibility: What Employers Need to Know toCreate a Technology-Accessible WorkplaceAt AT&T, Accessibility is a Multi-Stakeholder EffortAccessibility by Process, Not Individual HeroismKey Resource: Accessibility StandardsMake Applying Standards as Easy as PossibleFocus Areas & Basic TipsResourcesFocus Areas & Basic TipsResourcesContact InformationAudience QuestionsTakeawaysAudience Assessment QuestionThank You!