Tag: accessibility

Posted on

Standard accessibility acceptance criteria 

This is based on a document I wrote several years ago, a proposal to standardise test acceptance criteria for our quality assurance process.

Scottish Enterprise's device testing lab has a variety of different devices, from desktop to mobile and everything in between, all displaying the same content simultaneously.
Our test lab, from a few years ago

I deliberately avoided any reference to WCAG guidelines or success criteria – instead, I chose to keep the focus on the user experience, what they should be able to perceive, understand, and do, in that scenario.

It didn’t really get anywhere, but I came across it the other day and thought I may as well publish it; perhaps someone can make use of it.

It’s written in gherkin format, because that was what we were using at the time. But it could be adapted to any format you need

This is far from perfect. I welcome contributions from others more knowledgeable than me. Especially people with lived experience.

Continue reading “Standard accessibility acceptance criteria “
Posted on

The disability myth

Saying “No-one using our service has accessibility needs” is a bit like saying “We don’t need a ramp, no-one in a wheelchair has ever come up the stairs”.

An access ramp in a modern structure with large sloping glass windows admitting plenty of light on a sunny day.
An accessible ramp at Glasgow Queen Street train station. The long, low rake helps wheelchair users but also people pushing prams, or a bike, or – as in this case – a heavy suitcase. Basically, it makes life easier for everyone.
Continue reading “The disability myth”
Posted on

How to create inclusive personas, without creating inclusive personas

I watched a webinar earlier today about creating inclusive personas to encourage accessible, human-centred design. The instructors talked about the disabilities people have, the assistive technologies they use, and how to create inclusive personas that describe those needs.

A young man with brown skin and dark, cropped hair. He is wearing glasses, and a navy blue jacket over a grey t-shirt. His hands are held in front of his body in a pose that suggest he is in the middle of explaining something.
A portrait we used in one of our personas. This is a real person, who we’ve supported. No AI, no stock images.

And that’s all great, and laudable. But, with all my experience, I am not convinced it’s always the right approach.

Let me explain.

Continue reading “How to create inclusive personas, without creating inclusive personas”
Posted on

How to create accessible Word documents

First, some definitions

An accessible document is a document that people with a range of physical and cognitive impairments can read and understand.

An accessible document is, typically, also a document that people with no physical or cognitive impairments can read and understand better, and faster.

Also typically, an accessible document is easier for content authors to maintain. Because it uses tools that are baked in to Word and other MS Office applications to support accessibility and improve workflow.

So, here are some tips on creating accessible Word documents.

Continue reading “How to create accessible Word documents”
Posted on

Accessibility – Sharing knowledge between organisations

Using Skyscanner and Scottish Enterprise brand colour palette to show the same visual explanation to a11y being used for short for accessibility
Accessibility can be written as a11y for short — 11 is the number of letters between the first and last letters

Heather Hepburn is the Accessibility Lead for Skyscanner and has been running their accessibility programme for just over a year.

Stéphanie Krus works as a Service Designer and is a member of the ‘Disability Positive’ group at Scottish Enterprise.

We ‘met’ virtually in October 2020 after a talk at the UCD Gathering from Heather Hepburn (Skyscanner) and Adi Latif (AbilityNet): “Digital Accessibility – How to get your organisation on the right track” 

We realised we had a lot we could share regarding how we address and improve accessibility in our organisations.  So we planned a knowledge sharing session which was held online on 27 January 2021 with about 20 people.

Continue reading “Accessibility – Sharing knowledge between organisations”