WEBVTT 00:00:00.716 --> 00:00:02.476 The web is about information accessibility. 00:00:02.476 --> 00:00:04.136 It's really a basic human freedom 00:00:04.136 --> 00:00:05.696 that we're just really beginning to talk 00:00:05.696 --> 00:00:07.076 about in the last decade. 00:00:07.076 --> 00:00:11.026 It's important, therefore, that everybody have this freedom. 00:00:11.106 --> 00:00:12.836 Any freedom that's only allotted 00:00:12.836 --> 00:00:14.346 to a few is not really a freedom. 00:00:14.546 --> 00:00:18.866 The web is about information and it's important 00:00:18.866 --> 00:00:21.376 that people can access the information that they need 00:00:21.376 --> 00:00:23.436 in order to complete a workflow 00:00:23.436 --> 00:00:25.586 or get their job done, finish a task. 00:00:25.986 --> 00:00:27.566 I think the web should be accessible 00:00:27.566 --> 00:00:29.326 to everyone all the time. 00:00:29.326 --> 00:00:32.126 I grew up with it being easily accessible to me. 00:00:32.926 --> 00:00:35.866 It's how I learned information easily. 00:00:35.896 --> 00:00:38.526 I can't imagine someone not being able 00:00:38.526 --> 00:00:40.156 to just Google something instantly 00:00:40.716 --> 00:00:42.676 and getting what they need. 00:00:42.806 --> 00:00:44.976 I think websites should be accessible 00:00:45.246 --> 00:00:49.156 because the web was founded kind of on this idea 00:00:49.156 --> 00:00:50.256 of sharing information. 00:00:50.256 --> 00:00:51.856 And if you can't share information, 00:00:52.236 --> 00:00:53.776 or if some people can't see it, 00:00:53.776 --> 00:00:55.206 then it's not truly being shared. 00:01:10.616 --> 00:01:11.666 We all have different abilities 00:01:11.666 --> 00:01:12.456 and disabilities. 00:01:13.136 --> 00:01:16.076 And if we're all going to be able to get the same content 00:01:16.686 --> 00:01:18.826 and interpret it in a somewhat similar fashion, 00:01:18.826 --> 00:01:21.256 it has to be given to us in that way that's accessible 00:01:21.256 --> 00:01:22.276 so that we can actually reach it. 00:01:22.586 --> 00:01:24.426 Accessibility is important 00:01:24.896 --> 00:01:25.926 for a number of reasons. 00:01:26.636 --> 00:01:29.016 For one, there are laws that apply. 00:01:29.906 --> 00:01:33.726 Another is it can relate to our reputation. 00:01:34.716 --> 00:01:37.706 And a third is that by paying attention 00:01:37.706 --> 00:01:40.616 to it we create a more inclusive educational environment. 00:01:41.146 --> 00:01:42.596 I think we are really good 00:01:43.016 --> 00:01:45.556 as developers at being . 00:01:46.346 --> 00:01:47.986 . . focusing on the 80% case. 00:01:48.466 --> 00:01:50.056 Focusing on how do we make four 00:01:50.056 --> 00:01:51.706 out of every five of our users happy? 00:01:51.976 --> 00:01:53.826 How do we build things for those group of people? 00:01:53.826 --> 00:01:56.436 Because that last 20%'s always hard. 00:01:57.816 --> 00:01:59.986 But I say that the web's for 100%. 00:02:00.616 --> 00:02:03.736 It's for everybody, which is what Tim Berners-Lee said. 00:02:03.736 --> 00:02:05.946 I definitely am really moved 00:02:05.946 --> 00:02:07.526 by this notion of inclusiveness. 00:02:07.526 --> 00:02:09.826 I mean, I think that for me is a part 00:02:09.826 --> 00:02:12.486 of why this is important to me. 00:02:12.976 --> 00:02:15.076 But there's also just the ... 00:02:15.146 --> 00:02:16.986 the sort of ... 00:02:17.986 --> 00:02:19.106 the notion of ... 00:02:19.596 --> 00:02:23.756 having everybody's contributions to the ... 00:02:23.906 --> 00:02:24.266 sort of ... 00:02:24.346 --> 00:02:24.986 the knowledge. 00:02:25.556 --> 00:02:26.706 The big challenge is 00:02:27.436 --> 00:02:30.756 to escape your own viewpoint and to not make the assumption 00:02:30.756 --> 00:02:32.786 that everyone sees the web the way you see it 00:02:32.786 --> 00:02:36.476 on the device you see, the way you use it. 00:02:37.096 --> 00:02:38.906 And so when you're creating web pages, 00:02:38.906 --> 00:02:42.046 that's the biggest challenge is getting outside 00:02:42.046 --> 00:02:43.276 of where you're sitting. 00:02:44.096 --> 00:02:47.216 The biggest obstacle to accessibility, 00:02:47.266 --> 00:02:49.356 I think, is pure knowledge. 00:02:49.666 --> 00:02:52.356 It's really about putting yourself in the mind of a person 00:02:52.356 --> 00:02:53.936 with disabilities, a person who has ... 00:02:54.446 --> 00:02:59.236 who has no motor skills, has no hands, has a lack of vision, 00:02:59.346 --> 00:03:03.166 has a lack of hearing, may have a cognitive disability. 00:03:03.166 --> 00:03:05.156 To be able to put yourselves in their shoes 00:03:05.156 --> 00:03:07.226 and understand how are they working with the thing 00:03:07.226 --> 00:03:09.206 that I'm building or designing right now? 00:03:09.596 --> 00:03:10.516 Can they use it? 00:03:11.436 --> 00:03:13.936 The alternative is you build something, 00:03:14.306 --> 00:03:17.056 someone says: "Oh no, it's not accessible." 00:03:17.826 --> 00:03:19.816 And so you go back to try to fix it. 00:03:20.236 --> 00:03:23.136 But you probably have been doing the wrong thing in many places. 00:03:23.876 --> 00:03:26.246 You know, you may have hundreds of images with no alt ... 00:03:26.656 --> 00:03:27.416 alt texts. 00:03:27.416 --> 00:03:31.626 You may have navigation that's very confused or you're relying 00:03:31.626 --> 00:03:35.346 on libraries that assistive technologies aren't going 00:03:35.346 --> 00:03:35.866 to figure out. 00:03:37.236 --> 00:03:40.406 And so that's when someone says: "Oh, it's too much. 00:03:40.556 --> 00:03:41.276 It's too expensive. 00:03:41.276 --> 00:03:41.966 It's too much work." 00:03:42.696 --> 00:03:45.546 Well, just do it from the beginning and it'll -- 00:03:46.096 --> 00:03:49.966 you'll probably get a quality product with less work. 00:03:50.756 --> 00:03:52.166 Accessibility is important 00:03:52.166 --> 00:03:54.536 to incorporate early on because 00:03:54.666 --> 00:03:56.356 if you don't incorporate it early on, 00:03:56.416 --> 00:03:59.186 you will incorporate it later at greater expense 00:03:59.666 --> 00:04:02.696 with a certain amount of time that you don't have, 00:04:02.696 --> 00:04:04.146 or a certain amount of money you don't have 00:04:04.226 --> 00:04:05.326 to try to make it better. 00:04:05.586 --> 00:04:06.986 Accessibility, unfortunately 00:04:06.986 --> 00:04:09.676 like everything else in design, in web design, has to be done 00:04:09.726 --> 00:04:10.516 from the very beginning. 00:04:10.916 --> 00:04:12.926 So whether you're designing for your different devices, 00:04:13.026 --> 00:04:16.826 whether doing for different kinds of human abilities, 00:04:17.076 --> 00:04:18.316 all those things have to be thought 00:04:18.316 --> 00:04:19.816 of from the very beginning and built 00:04:19.816 --> 00:04:22.246 into your concept of what your plan is. 00:04:22.246 --> 00:04:23.826 Of course nobody wants to take time at the end. 00:04:23.826 --> 00:04:24.486 We're almost there. 00:04:24.486 --> 00:04:25.506 We just want to get it out 00:04:25.506 --> 00:04:27.586 and that's the mistake many of us make. 00:04:27.586 --> 00:04:28.956 It's like "well, I'll just get it out 00:04:28.956 --> 00:04:30.146 and then I'll go back and fix it." 00:04:30.626 --> 00:04:31.816 No, doesn't ever happen. 00:04:32.076 --> 00:04:33.206 It was the next project. 00:04:33.436 --> 00:04:36.906 The first step in getting an accessible site is 00:04:36.936 --> 00:04:40.086 to work with the management so they understand the value 00:04:40.086 --> 00:04:41.196 of making it accessible. 00:04:41.766 --> 00:04:44.036 And also helping them understand 00:04:44.136 --> 00:04:47.106 that we can do pretty much anything they want 00:04:47.256 --> 00:04:48.166 and be accessible. 00:04:48.396 --> 00:04:50.486 If you just talk about accessibility, 00:04:52.206 --> 00:04:54.286 it may not be immediately appreciated 00:04:54.286 --> 00:04:55.766 as something important to do. 00:04:56.296 --> 00:05:01.396 But if you start talking about quality and the overlap 00:05:01.396 --> 00:05:04.876 of search engine optimization and accessibility and things 00:05:04.876 --> 00:05:05.626 of that nature, that ... 00:05:05.776 --> 00:05:07.696 that will tend to get people's attention more. 00:05:08.386 --> 00:05:10.766 When I started, I was a designer. 00:05:11.116 --> 00:05:12.236 I wanted to make things look pretty. 00:05:13.096 --> 00:05:16.706 And you don't think about anything besides the aesthetics. 00:05:17.586 --> 00:05:21.326 And ... but I soon realized was that when you have something 00:05:21.326 --> 00:05:23.536 that works, it already looks good. 00:05:24.046 --> 00:05:26.996 Right? So that's where I started 00:05:26.996 --> 00:05:28.736 to move towards things being functional. 00:05:29.416 --> 00:05:30.996 And then the beauty came along after that. 00:05:32.706 --> 00:05:33.666 I don't believe 00:05:33.726 --> 00:05:37.216 that making a site accessible inhibits creativity. 00:05:37.526 --> 00:05:41.496 In fact, I would argue it helps creativity. 00:05:41.496 --> 00:05:42.766 It improves creativity. 00:05:43.356 --> 00:05:45.596 Good, accessible design often closely relates 00:05:45.596 --> 00:05:47.036 to good usable design. 00:05:47.896 --> 00:05:49.936 And we've found a really close parallel 00:05:49.936 --> 00:05:53.496 between good mobile design -- mobile for mobile devices -- 00:05:53.566 --> 00:05:56.906 and the simplicity and clarity of good, accessible design. 00:05:57.486 --> 00:05:58.006 Safari. 00:05:58.566 --> 00:05:59.826 Skip to primary content. 00:06:00.196 --> 00:06:00.966 In page link. 00:06:02.156 --> 00:06:02.876 Current Students. 00:06:03.706 --> 00:06:04.516 Future Students. 00:06:04.846 --> 00:06:05.816 Menu Item. 00:06:05.996 --> 00:06:07.326 Accessible Technology. 00:06:07.746 --> 00:06:08.096 So they're ... 00:06:08.096 --> 00:06:10.806 they're all interrelated and basically 00:06:10.806 --> 00:06:12.816 if you're making really complicated sites with lots 00:06:12.816 --> 00:06:14.216 of stuff on them and you're doing... 00:06:14.216 --> 00:06:16.796 using different methods all over the place, 00:06:17.106 --> 00:06:19.246 you're probably not building that great a site anyway. 00:06:19.926 --> 00:06:22.796 The way we create websites today has improved 00:06:22.796 --> 00:06:23.866 from 10 years ago. 00:06:24.146 --> 00:06:25.756 We're not using in line styles. 00:06:26.256 --> 00:06:29.456 We're not only designing for one screen size. 00:06:30.066 --> 00:06:33.386 So, as we're, the developers and designers, are forced to design 00:06:33.386 --> 00:06:38.496 for every person and every device, we can't go backwards; 00:06:38.496 --> 00:06:40.666 we can't become limited again. 00:06:41.566 --> 00:06:44.366 Primarily what you can do as a designer to ... 00:06:44.816 --> 00:06:46.926 to check for accessibility is making sure 00:06:47.076 --> 00:06:50.516 that you have good headings, good proper headings 00:06:50.516 --> 00:06:54.786 and heading structure, good labels on inputs, 00:06:55.176 --> 00:06:56.666 good labels on buttons and links. 00:06:57.086 --> 00:06:58.766 So making sure that you're using the right tags. 00:06:59.146 --> 00:07:02.476 And the second best thing I would say, at least that I do, 00:07:02.476 --> 00:07:05.126 are checking with the keyboard, just looking 00:07:05.126 --> 00:07:07.306 to see keyboard navigation, making sure that ... 00:07:07.436 --> 00:07:09.576 that, you know, there's good focus indicators 00:07:09.576 --> 00:07:12.116 and that you don't get the focus trapped anywhere. 00:07:12.936 --> 00:07:15.456 Part of the challenge in sort 00:07:15.456 --> 00:07:20.746 of the development world is that many developers, you know, 00:07:20.746 --> 00:07:23.786 look around and find open source libraries of really cool stuff. 00:07:24.526 --> 00:07:27.646 So they find ways to make things bounce across the screen 00:07:27.646 --> 00:07:29.376 or make things get big and small and so on, 00:07:29.506 --> 00:07:31.056 and it just doesn't enter their mind 00:07:31.206 --> 00:07:32.806 to evaluate them for accessibility. 00:07:33.246 --> 00:07:35.016 When you're looking at a JavaScript library 00:07:35.016 --> 00:07:37.326 or a content management system piece of code that you would 00:07:37.326 --> 00:07:41.396 like to use, you need to look both at does it do what you want 00:07:41.396 --> 00:07:44.406 for the web and does it also -- is it also accessible? 00:07:44.406 --> 00:07:46.486 In other words, does it do for you and for everybody? 00:07:47.006 --> 00:07:48.376 So as soon as you develop something, 00:07:48.376 --> 00:07:50.596 you go back and you check it and check it over and over again, 00:07:51.056 --> 00:07:53.926 and on multiple browsers, multiple machines. 00:07:54.586 --> 00:07:57.056 You know, I'll even call people, you know, overseas and say, 00:07:57.156 --> 00:07:58.526 "Hey, can you find it, can you check it? 00:07:58.526 --> 00:07:59.116 Is it working for you? 00:07:59.116 --> 00:07:59.786 Okay, good." 00:07:59.926 --> 00:08:02.566 You know? And now they have tools out there 00:08:02.566 --> 00:08:04.796 where you can check on every single browser out there. 00:08:05.666 --> 00:08:06.976 In the past that was way important. 00:08:06.976 --> 00:08:07.686 It still is. 00:08:07.966 --> 00:08:09.436 We have a few browsers out there, like, 00:08:09.546 --> 00:08:11.126 a handful of browsers that we use. 00:08:11.126 --> 00:08:14.696 But we need to check it on every possible system and platform." 00:08:15.596 --> 00:08:17.366 The best thing that you can do ultimately 00:08:17.646 --> 00:08:20.456 to check a design, be it checking for usability 00:08:20.456 --> 00:08:23.446 or accessibility, it's actually putting it in front of users 00:08:23.446 --> 00:08:24.426 and seeing if they can use it. 00:08:24.726 --> 00:08:26.366 You know no matter how great your site is, 00:08:26.676 --> 00:08:28.546 you know you may think you're hitting all the standards 00:08:28.546 --> 00:08:31.736 and then you watch someone go through it and say, "well, wow, 00:08:31.736 --> 00:08:33.596 that didn't work out so well." 00:08:34.126 --> 00:08:37.036 When I think of what a university does, 00:08:37.136 --> 00:08:44.786 at its core, it's to not take everyone with very similar ideas 00:08:44.786 --> 00:08:48.056 and turn out people with those same ideas but it's to ... 00:08:48.356 --> 00:08:52.466 it's to benefit from a broad range of abilities and skills 00:08:52.466 --> 00:08:53.926 and different perspectives. 00:08:54.576 --> 00:08:57.266 And I see accessibility and disability 00:08:57.266 --> 00:08:58.716 as being a part of that spectrum. 00:08:59.126 --> 00:09:00.526 I think accessibility needs 00:09:00.556 --> 00:09:01.596 to be talked about more. 00:09:01.796 --> 00:09:04.116 It needs to be taught in the institution, in the schools. 00:09:04.116 --> 00:09:06.716 It needs to be enforced in institutions 00:09:06.716 --> 00:09:08.286 and commercial environments. 00:09:08.286 --> 00:09:09.766 As new technology comes out, 00:09:09.766 --> 00:09:12.956 I think there will be some that just neglect it completely 00:09:13.126 --> 00:09:14.656 and others that champion it. 00:09:14.656 --> 00:09:17.666 And the ones that champion it will be more user friendly 00:09:17.666 --> 00:09:18.426 to everybody else. 00:09:18.616 --> 00:09:20.116 They'll win in the marketplace. 00:09:20.756 --> 00:09:23.486 I think the future of the web is 00:09:23.486 --> 00:09:25.026 to be making fewer and fewer assumptions 00:09:25.026 --> 00:09:26.406 about how other people use it. 00:09:26.666 --> 00:09:28.026 We have mobile devices. 00:09:28.026 --> 00:09:33.196 We have screen readers and we even have -- 00:09:33.276 --> 00:09:35.346 your web page or your content might be used 00:09:35.346 --> 00:09:36.076 by another machine. 00:09:36.076 --> 00:09:39.356 So, I think the future of the web is to continue making fewer 00:09:39.356 --> 00:09:42.526 and fewer assumptions and more universal content 00:09:43.146 --> 00:09:45.466 that is not restricted or exclusive. 00:09:46.076 --> 00:09:48.176 I think it can be very challenging 00:09:48.456 --> 00:09:49.206 for certain ... 00:09:49.436 --> 00:09:53.386 for certain applications to serve people with disabilities. 00:09:54.046 --> 00:09:54.856 But that ... 00:09:54.986 --> 00:09:57.066 that's what the engineer needs to think about. 00:09:57.476 --> 00:09:58.586 Why did I become an engineer? 00:09:59.026 --> 00:10:03.306 To make the impossible possible, to solve big problems. 00:10:03.476 --> 00:10:05.136 And this is a big problem so let's attack it. 00:10:05.546 --> 00:10:06.056 Let's solve it.