Accessibility trainings



A little backstory
I hold quite a noble title of an “Accessibility Specialist” in my current company.
During my internship years ago I was given a printed copy of all WCAG guidelines and I was told to learn it, because nobody else in the company knew anything about it.
So I did. I read it a few times and got very friendly with the original documentation.
“Friendly” as in... a love-hate relationship. Mostly hate in the beginning. Then a bit of understanding. And finally love. Like a backwards marriage.
Anyway – after a few years of learning about ally from a lot of sources, I like to think I’m quite knowledgeable in the subject field. I have done quite a few accessibility audits for various websites and I consult developers in their WCAG–taming struggles. I also try to raise awareness about a11y in my company – so that product owners know that it’s important, include it in their roadmap and not be too scared of it.
ACCESSIBILITY
Treating everybody equally
My accessibility trainings
I’m currently carrying out accessibility training sessions – for other companies and for people in my current company. They are usually aimed at people who have no idea what accessibility even is, so my sessions often act as an introduction to the topic. That's why they are typically divided into three simple parts:
1. What is accessibility
2. Why make accessible products
3. How to make accessible products
// show
// explain
// teach
8 Simple Accessibility Guidelines
I also created 8 simple accessibility guidelines for UX designers based on my knowledge and experience. I wanted them to be precise and practical, so that designers can easily incorporate them into their work and greatly improve the accessibility of their designs.
I like to think that – while developing a fully accessible product may be difficult at times – inclusive design doesn’t have to be strenuous at all.
Because you don’t have to know everything about accessibility to improve it in your designs.
Sharing my knowledge in a condensed, easy to digest form, is really fun to do.
And the thought that more and more designers incorporate accessibility
guidelines into their work makes me super thrilled.