IT Accessibility Toolkit

"Nothing and Everything to Do With Accessibility"

2007-03-19T13:41:00.001-07:00

Laura looked over my presentation this weekend and asked, “so what does this have to do with accessibility.” The title above was my response. Not a presentation about a specific accessibility topic. Instead, it’s a presentation to help accessibility professionals do their jobs by focusing on different tools—– some unique to IT accessibility and some not. But, that point might not have been clear from my presentation, so enter new slide 3.5.

Sneak Peek

2007-03-15T11:36:00.001-07:00

So what am I talking about at CSUN? Here’s a sneak peek, including full speaker notes—– even better than live! (Presentation in Powerpoint) (Large Print Version of Slides)

Predicting How to Train

2007-03-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

While I am no expert instructor, I have given more briefings and presentations than I care to remember. I've noticed that something happens when people "get it"--- they become engaged, interested, and sometimes even passionate. We need to know how to train if we want all those good things, like buy-in and cooperation.

Teaching hits students at three possible levels. First, there's the practical level (e.g. workshops) that gives them the exact tools they need to do the work. These are engaging because having the right tools and knowing how to use them well is one of the most important factors in job satisfaction. Second, there's the logical level where students understand the reason and the business case. I tend to hang out too much at this level. Third, there's the emotional level, which develops true commitment. With so few resources out there on how to teach, a great resource is Clawson and Haskins, Teaching Management, which I think belongs on every consultant's bookshelf.

While good training should blend all three, it strikes me that the order of these three types of training also represent their priorities as one scales the organizational hierarchy. Most importantly, individual contributors need specific tools, middle-managers need to know the business case, and executives need to be emotionally plugged in to drive the organization towards accessibility.

Humble Beginnings

2007-03-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

It all started with the CSUN 2007 Conference. I submitted two proposals--- one great and one not-so-great. Guess which one got selected? So now I was left with trying to figure out how to fill a 45-minute session talking about, "Managing Past IT Accessibility Roadblocks"--- whatever that meant.

A few hours and many drinks later, my ideas were coming into focus. I realized that I was on to something larger. We've all had differing levels of success and we each feel comfortable with different approaches. Why not collect them all together and share them?

So here's how this blog works. Search through it and share your ideas. Have an idea that doesn't quite fit in as a comment? Go ahead and post it anyways! I'll periodically sweep through and collect ideas into a master document that I will post to the site. I hope that this will become an evolving document that can serve as a great resource guide for anyone facing the challenge of making an organization embrace accessibility.