Good morning <<First Name>>,
Global Accessibility Awareness Day is this month and we are hosting free webinar with Able Docs President, Adam Spencer. We will be covering the evolution of accessible documents and Adam will shed light on the
advancements in technology and standards.
Be sure to secure your place in this free event.
See you next issue!
Karl Mccabe
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Intentions are the First Step
13th of May, by Shane Fynn (Senior Sales Executive)
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Netflix was one of the clear winners from the pandemic. Industrious office jockeys suddenly found themselves needing a home away from home and it arrived in the form of binge-ready documentaries and dramas for our consumption. Conveniently, just a short walk from your new desk too.
I, like millions of others, enjoyed the glut of shows on offer. And it was a great escape from the uncertain world we had all just become a part of. Enter a recent instalment – “WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn”, a cautionary tale about a unicorn start-up. The parallels with the recent Theranos trial are alarming.
Like Socialism, WeWork had a set of guiding principles that had every right to succeed and enough people who resonated with those to ensure that success. Most people reading this article would predictably exist in a free-market capitalist state. But, the underlying principle of Socialism being social organisation in which the community and each person own all property is beautiful, if not naïve. In the same way, WeWork’s co-founder, Adam Neumman’s favourite quote and underlying principle was, “Success is not just making money. Success is happiness. Success is fulfillment; it’s the ability to give.” What a beautiful concept. That sentiment is echoed by many businesses through mission statements and corporate social responsibility reports. But how wide is the gap betwixt the dream and the reality?
So, when do good intentions become lies or virtue-signalling? That question should become iterative within any organisation. In my role based around digital accessibility, I hear a lot of good intent, but much less are backed by activity. Put more simply, organisations will resource what they truly value.
It is time for organisations to check in with their numerous mission statements and market announcements to ensure they are living up to their own stated standards. That said, we should all celebrate these bold declarations of inclusion and business missions that aim to benefit society. This flood of social responsibility reflects changing demands put on corporations. No longer are they judged on a singular plain of profit. And, away from the bluff and fizzle of marketing sentiment, market pressure and consumer demand will win out in a free market economy.
The much-disparaged millennials (no I am sadly not young enough to be part of that cohort), have certainly been a driving force for the way we treat the environment and others, such as those in the LGBTIQA+ community. A lifestyle that would have got you killed, or at the very least assaulted in my early days, is now something to be rightly celebrated. And Gen-Xers, like me, cannot take much of the credit for that. Especially as the Stonewall riots pre-date our, self-absorbed cohort.
So, let us embrace the positive change, but be wary of statements that run far ahead of reality. Ensure your efforts in inclusion continue to drive forward for all. Oh, and do not forget about accessibility for ALL your digital content; And, compliance is critical, but an inclusive user experience is the ultimate, decisive test.
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Did you know when you capitalize the first letter of each word in your hashtag, it's easier for everyone to read?
And screen readers will announce each word separately.
Compare #MakeItEasyToRead to #makeiteasytoread
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 From the VP
13th of May, by Amanda Mace (Vice President)
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Recently I was thinking about the push back that happens when it comes to investing in accessibility. It’s never malicious (not in my experience anyway) but it’s often dismissive. Any digital accessibility advocate would likely recite variations of the same repetitive excuses. I’ve heard everything from “People with disabilities don’t use/buy/need us” to “It only affects a small group of people.” The one that really gets me though is, “We tested it with *insert automated or semi-automated tool here*, it’s accessible.” This has never held up, not in practice when tested by people with disabilities, not when tested by experts and it certainly didn’t hold up in court in the US (see Gomez vs GNC case.)
I want to be clear; I am not against accessibility tools, some are amazingly helpful and make testing for accessibility easier for everyone. They can be highly visual and help provide code-based feedback without the intimidation of needing to know HTML. They can’t do the job of a human being though. The rationale of a human mind to tell you if the alt text for an image is correct and descriptive for example. The best tools recognise this and provide advice for items that need humans to review and confirm.
One of the things often, and sadly lost, in this conversation is the experience of the end user. At the end of the day, nothing, should override that of a person with lived experience. Let’s stop looking for the one button solution, the one button tell-all test and let’s start talking to real people. People of all abilities and capabilities. It’s not about WCAG or PDF/UA. Those standards guide us, but really, it’s about people. As I said, when it comes to accessibility, people are not malicious, so let’s remind them what it’s really about, the people.
Several years ago, Web Key put together a team of user testers with different types of disabilities to compliment our technical audits and provide validation not just to what testing to the standard tells us, but the user experience by real people. We use a controlled testing environment as opposed to out-sourcing user testing. Using our own user testing team means they train in accordance with our methodology and we know their needs and strengths. Typically, we will give each user tester a journey/steps/process to complete and they give their anecdotal feedback about how the journey went for them, reporting where they found difficulties and where things worked really well. Email us if you’re interested in knowing more about this service.
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 Apple accessibility features can revolutionise how you use your iPhone
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Siri was created to help the blind and is now part of our everyday lives.
Apple has added a whole suite of accessibility features to its new iPhone and iPad updates and, while they're made with the differently able in mind, they can revolutionise the way you use your phone.
Here's how to set up a few awesome features.
Have your iPhone listen for you
I never hear my doorbell when I need to.
Now my iPhone listens for me and turns the smart lights in my study red when it hears the chime of my Ring doorbell.
You can do the same on an iPad but that's just scratching the surface of Apple's Sound Recognition.
Your iPhone can listen for fire alarms, sirens, cats and dogs, glass breaking, a kettle and even a baby crying or coughing, and notify you when it does.
This is obviously designed for the deaf or hard of hearing, and turns off 'Hey Siri' when you activate it, but it's arguably more useful.
You can turn this on in settings > accessibility > sound recognition, and then set up personal automations in Apple's Shortcuts app.
Here's a quick video about the setup.
Have your iPhone read to you
Ever received an email so long that you can't be bothered reading it?
With Speak Selection and Speak Screen, your iPhone will read it out loud for you.
Both need to be activated in Settings > Accessibility > Spoken content.
Once on, swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers and your iPhone will start reading everything on screen - and I mean everything.
That includes text hidden behind menu buttons on websites and the very first text in a conversation chain that's way off-screen.
The easy solution is to use Speak Selection instead.
Simply highlight any text on screen and - if the setting is turned on - your phone will talk through what you've selected.
Supersize your text
Those with elderly relatives take note; there are secret ways to make text even bigger.
You can only make text so big in the general settings on an iPhone or iPad, but it's a false ceiling you can smash right through.
Head to Settings > Accessibility > Display > Text size > Larger text.
Once you enable Larger Accessibility Sizes, your options almost double.
At the largest setting, the text will be comically large to the average user but for those who need it, it's a vital and more comfortable option.
Hide ads with Safari
We've all been on websites that bombard you with ads and images.
Turns out you can clear through the clutter with a tap of a button.
When using Safari, tap on the "AA" in the search bar and hit Show Reader.
This won't work on every page of every website, but most do.
For example, the button is greyed out on the homepage of theage.com.au but it does work on the articles you click to read.
Beyond cutting out ads and unnecessary links and images, the setting also turns the background black and text white to make it easier to read and easier on the eyes.
It's not a setting you can permanently turn on, but once you know it's there, it's quick to activate.
Better still, it works wonders for the functionality of Speak Screen.
Create captions on live video
There's an app that comes with every iPhone that will create animated subtitles on videos as you record them.
Until recently, Clips is an app I barely knew existed, let alone understood.
It's a powerful editor and allows you to create captions on videos you record live using the app.
Those who post to TikTok and Instagram know how valuable captions are and Clips makes the process as quick as it is easy.
Simply open the Clips app, tap the rainbow-coloured star in the bottom right-hand corner and then the speech bubble icon.
There are more than a dozen styles to work with and my personal favourite highlights the words as they're spoken like karaoke.
Frustratingly, it doesn't work on videos I'd previously recorded outside the app - at least, not on those I tried.
Nevertheless it's a handy tool.
Control your watch without touching it
Apple Watch is great, but it's better with Assistive Touch.
Designed for those with upper body differences, you can navigate the watch, answer calls and more with gestures.
Clenching your fist or pinching once or twice gives you all the control you need.
It's not as fast as using touch to navigate menus, but it sure makes answering calls easier if your hands are full.
By default, pinching your thumb and pointer finger together will move to the next item.
Two pinches goes back while a single clench selects or taps.
A double-clench brings up a quick menu that gives you access to the physical buttons on the watch itself and a motion pointer that allows you to navigate a cursor around the screen using motion.
You can customise the gestures yourself in Settings > Accessibility > Assistive touch > Hand gestures > Activation gesture.
And so much more
It's impossible to write a single article on Apple's leaps in accessibility.
These are my six favourites that everyone can make use of but there's so much more.
The breadth and variety of shortcut options alone are mind-boggling and there are even more options for those who would otherwise struggle to use an iPad or iPhone.
Apple has added support on iPad for eye tracking for the paralysed and the joy on the face of Christopher Hills, an accessibility advocate living with cerebral palsy, is priceless.
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Christopher Hills smiles after using eye-tracking on his iPad for the first time. (Nine)
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 Upcoming Events
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Perth Web Accessibility & Inclusive Design Meetups
Monthly meetup
Forklore, West Perth
7:30 - 9:00am
Read more about the Accessibility Meetup group
2022 Round Table Conference
16th to 18th May, 2022
Virtual Attendance Available
Get more information on the 2022 Round Table Conference website
Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)
19th May, 2022
Get more information on the GAAD website
GAAD Webinar With Adam Spencer
Attendance is FREE
19h May, 2022
9:30am - 10:15am GMT+8
Get more information and secure your place
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