Skip to Main Content

Usability Track
Integrating Accessibility into Usability Practice

The AccessU Usability track is for usability professionals who want to include accessibility in their web usability practice.

• You will learn how accessibility fits into a user-centered design process, and the importance of including people with disabilities at all stages.
• You will observe demonstrations of how people with disability use various assistive technologies such as screen readers, magnifiers and replacements for mouse & keyboard to interact with the Web.
• You will practice both evaluation techniques to inspect a site for basic accessibility problems and usability evaluation with people with disabilities.

The workshop includes hands-on experience so you will leave the track ready to put your new knowledge and skills to work.

Usability Track Class Descriptions

The workshop includes hands-on experience so you will leave the track ready to put your new knowledge and skills to work.

The Usability track also includes all AccessU plenary sessions and networking events.

This hands-on workshop will provide participants with the knowledge and resources to successfully include accessibility evaluation and usability testing with people with disabilities in their usability or user-centered design process. After completing this 2-day workshop, participants will:

• Define web accessibility
• Understand how people with different types of disabilities interact with the Web, and will have observed various types of assistive technologies (AT) and adaptive strategies
• Begin conducting accessibility inspections with assistive technologies and different types of accessibility evaluation tools
• Write a usability session plan to evaluate accessibility, including test planning, test recruiting, preparing test materials, and conducting tests
• Use provided checklists and templates to implement techniques for including accessibility in usability testing
• Get additional information and resources

Key Take-Aways

This hands-on workshop will provide participants with the knowledge and resources to successfully include accessibility evaluation and usability testing with participants with disabilities in their usability or user-centered design process. After completing this 2-day workshop, participants will:

• Define web accessibility
• Understand how people with different types of disabilities interact with the Web, and will have observed various types of assistive/access technologies (AT) and adaptive strategies
• Begin conducting accessibility inspections with assistive technologies and different types of accessibility evaluation tools
• Write a usability session plan to evaluate accessibility, including test planning, test recruiting, preparing test materials, and conducting tests
• Use provided checklists and templates to implement techniques for including accessibility in usability testing
• Get additional information and resources

Who Should Attend

The Usability Track is for usability professionals who are just starting to address accessibility. Those with at least basic knowledge and experience of user centered design (UCD) and usability testing will get the most out of this workshop. No knowledge of accessibility is required.

Instructors

• Margie Bergel, Fidelity Investments
• Ann Chadwick-Dias, Fidelity Investments
• Shawn Lawton Henry, W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) and uiAccess.com
• Tom Jewett, Knowbility
• Whitney Quesenbery, WQusability
• Jayne Schurick, Knowbility
• Desiree Sturdevant, Knowbility Inc.
• Sarah Swierenga, MSU Usability and Accessibility Center

Schedule

Monday 10 May

• 8:30am - 10:00am AccessU Plenary Sessions
• 10:30am - 5:00pm Usability Track

Tuesday 11 May

• 8:30am - 10:00am AccessU Plenary Sessions
• 10:30am - 5:00pm Usability Track