How to test: quality assurance for accessible sites, apps, and documents

How to test: quality assurance for accessible sites, apps, and documents

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Course Description

Go beyond the basics with this in-depth, hands-on course designed specifically for Quality Assurance teams who are “in the trenches” auditing accessible technologies.

David Berman will convince you why accessibility and standards are important for everybody: to broaden your audience, to comply with the law, to drive down costs, or simply to be socially responsible. He also provides in-depth familiarity with W3C WCAG 2 (addressing both WCAG 2.0 and 2.1) and PDF/UA success criteria. These guidelines will help you audit web pages, apps, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, InDesign, video, sound or PDF documents. You’ll also gain familiarity with the assistive technologies that help people with specific disabilities and difficulties in order to improve your auditing techniques.

Participants leave with techniques they can use right away for auditing based all relevant WCAG criteria and the ability to document their findings to help their design and development teams take appropriate action to repair any issues found.

This course incorporates adult learning principles and activities appropriate to a variety of learning styles, and qualifies for CEUs (certified by organizations such as PPAC).

“Excellent… knowledge I can use.”

– Sandra Clark, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Oslo (Norway)

“Focused and easy to follow.”

-Jason Hollett, gordongroup

“Great. He kept me listening and understanding.”

– Matthew Brunetti, Lixar IT

“Inspiring!”

– Morten Budeng, King Design

“Excellent.”

– Sylvie Nyman, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

What Makes This Course Unique

Our course leader, David Berman, is a consultant on accessible for large IT projects, and has worked on Web accessibility projects for many large organizations including Statistics Canada, the National Research
Council, and IBM.

He is a high-level advisor to the United Nations on how accessible IT can help fulfill the Millennium Development Goals more rapidly.

He has been the project manager of numerous accessible Internet projects, has developed strategy and design for CFIA, CRA, CMHC, Health Canada, Canadian Heritage, Industry Canada, and the International Space Station … as well as many private sector and non-profit organizations.

By addressing and understanding accessibility issues, publishers can more effectively deliver their message to their entire audience, regardless of physical or mental impediments, while complying with legal and moral responsibilities.

“I enjoyed it all.”

– Robert Hallat, Public Service Commission

“Right on target.”

– Marius Monsen, Reaktor ID

“He knows what to do!” “This will guide us for the AA Standards”

– Bassil Wehbe, Agriculture Canada

What You Will Learn

You will learn how to make your current communications more accessible by complying with emerging standards and guidelines. Specifically, you will learn:

• Guidelines, principles and techniques for meeting success criteria (including WCAG 2 (addressing both WCAG 2.0 and 2.1), WAI-ARIA, basic concepts, limitations of the specific guidelines, principles, and techniques, what is normative vs. non-normative; what is included in different levels (A, AA, AAA)
• Accessibility quality assurance (i.e., assuring the quality of accessibility throughout the development life cycle, difference and overlap between user experience and accessibility)
• Accessibility supported technologies (including user’s assistive technologies and accessibility features; combination of assistive technologies and users agent; design decisions in choosing technologies that support accessibility; e.g., not choosing Flash when something else has better accessibility support, differences in assistive technology supports and behaviors, differences in support for touch when screen reader is on vs. off)
• Standard controls vs. custom controls (e.g., using standard controls when possible; if using custom controls build them using WAI-ARIA best practices)
• Strategies of persons with disabilities in using web solutions (e.g., navigation of screen reader users, headings and landmarks, coping strategies, user preferred methods vs. website specific methods, using keyboard vs. mouse)
• Interoperability and compatibility issues
• Testing with assistive technologies (e.g., navigation of screen reader users, headings and landmarks, screen magnifiers, high contrast, using keyboard vs. mouse)
• Testing for end-user impact (e.g., low vision, cognitive, mobile/touch)
• Testing tools for the web (both automated and manual tools, i.e., what they are and what are their limitations; e.g., unit testing, browser based tools, spider tools, bookmarklet, automated tools used to monitor site vs. external tools)
• Level of severity and prioritization of issues (e.g., cost benefit; legal risk, user impact, what is the problem, what to focus on first)
  Recommending strategies and/or techniques for fixing issues (i.e., best solution, solution that most widely useful, feasibility of solution, fixing vs. redesign, how to fix it)

“Very good: made me think…”

– Bente Mollevik, Norwegian Savings Bank Association

“Great: very comprehensive. Touching on all aspects of accessibility.”

– Marc Iafelice, CFIA

“David really knows his topics. Very well done: got the point across in a way that can be apply to everyone.”

– Sean Strasbourg, CFIA

Prerequisites:

Experience with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript/jQuery is required, experience with accessibility and WCAG 2.0 or 2.1 is recommended.

“Clear and entertaining: will allow more strategic planning rather than just reactionary stumbling.”

– Steve Doody, Justice Canada

“This will make us better communicators.”

– Luc Bergeron, SSHRC

“Perfect.”

– Jean Leclair, Environment Canada

Who Should Attend

This course is targeted to all QA teams (and dev teams with no dedicated QA team) responsible for auditing web, app, and document content for conformance and compliance.

Language:

English (French available upon request)

Duration:

One-day course (recommended) or half-day course (we also provide this course customized on-site for your organization).

Experience

Accessibility

We are experts in the fulfillment of WCAG, AODA, and Section 508 requirements regarding accessible documents and Web publishing. We have performed accessibility audit and review for Tim Berners-Lee’s World Wide Web Foundation, on both government and business Web sites in each of over 40 countries.

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

We have expert knowledge in all relevant requirements of the accessibility standards called for in the regulations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA).

We are experts in the fulfillment of AODA regulations regarding accessible documents and Web publishing. Our strength in this area is such that we run regular courses in Ontario that specifically teach executives, managers, educators, content developers, and Web programmers how to comply with AODA regulations. The Accessibility Directorate of Ontario itself (who governs AODA) has repeatedly sent their managers and staff to be trained personally by us.

Ontario municipalities and school boards

Our AODA clients for consulting and training have included a variety of municipalities and public institutions in Ontario (including the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, City of Cambridge, City of Oakville, City of Ottawa, City of Owen Sound, City of Hamilton, City of Peterborough, County of Essex, County of Wellington, Halton District School Board, Hamilton-Wentworth School Board, Limestone District School Board, Niagara Parks Commission, Norfolk County, Region of Peel, Toronto Transit Commission, and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.)

Higher education/academia

Our clients for consulting and training have included a variety of colleges and universities within Ontario (including Algonquin College, Brock University, Carleton University, Durham College, Humber College, McMaster University, Mohawk College, Seneca College, St. Lawrence College, University of Guelph, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, University of Windsor, W. Ross MacDonald School for the Blind, and York University), elsewhere in Canada (Concordia University), the United States (Boston College, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Virginia, Savannah College of Art and Design), and beyond (Cardiff Metropolitan University, London School of Printing and Publishing, Universidad de las Americas, Yarmouk University, Bauhaus / Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Binus University, Caldas University, Central Academy of Fine Arts of China, Federal University of Pernambuco, Lebanese American University, Vilnius Academy of Arts, VCU Qatar).

David is Chair of Carleton University’s Carleton Access Network for accessible information technology, run out of Carleton University’s Paul Menton Centre as an initiative of the School of Engineering.

Corporations and private sector

Our private sector clients for accessibility work include Actuate, Adobe, Blindside Networks, BMO (Bank of Montreal), Bruce Mau Design, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Conference Board of Canada, Empire Life, eXplorance, gordongroup, IBM, Jewish Federation of Ottawa, Lixar, Minto, NetCentric, OC Transpo, OpenText, Oxford Properties, Shaw Media, The Home Depot, Toronto Transit Commission, United Way, Yamaha Music

Government Accessibility

We have been involved with United States and Government of Canada Treasury Board standards on accessibility for over a decade, and have provided training to most major departments and agencies in the federal government. We have also provided consultation to the governments of Manitoba, Ontario, Queensland (Australia), India, and Norway.

“I love David’s approach.”

-Carole Dubuc, Canadian Armed Forces

“Clear, concise, and very useful.”

-Annette Kallevig

“Excellent, eye-opening, and not preachy!”

-Carrie Walker-Boyd, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

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Reviewed November 14, 2019