Stop Press: ISG Accessibility Testing All ISG development teams requiring immediate accessibility testing on their products and services should contact directly: Brinda.large@cms.hhs.gov - Section 508 Compliance Officer for further details and support. |
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Reading Time: 8 minutes Introduction to Accessibility Accessibility is the cornerstone of inclusivity, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their abilities or challenges, can fully participate and engage in the world around them. It goes beyond physical spaces to encompass digital platforms, information, and services. The purpose of accessibility is not just compliance with regulations, but rather fostering a societal mindset where everyone can access information, interact, learn, work, share, and communicate effectively. By embracing accessibility, we empower everyone to contribute their unique talents, perspectives, and potential, enriching our collective human experience and driving innovation forward. Executive Order The Executive Order (EO) 14035 on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal Workforce (published June 2021) is a new mandate that outlines universal provisions and modifications to ensure equal access to employment and for people with disabilities, and the reduction and or elimination of virtual and physical barriers with inclusive best practices. We recommend reviewing the complete draft here. This covers a broad set of topics from policy, definitions, DEI Strategic Plan and the responsibilities of Executive Departments and Agencies to list a few. Ethical Concerns Ethical concerns related to accessibility in the workplace revolve around ensuring equal opportunities for all employees. Failing to provide accessible environments, tools, and accommodations can lead to exclusion and discrimination against individuals with disabilities. This not only violates principles of fairness and inclusivity but also undermines employee well-being and potential. Addressing these concerns is essential to uphold ethical standards, promote diversity, and create an environment where every employee can thrive and contribute their best. Business case Embracing accessibility and inclusion in the workplace and government is not just a moral imperative; it's also a smart business decision and a crucial step towards effective governance. By creating environments where diverse talents and perspectives can thrive, organizations and governments foster innovation, problem-solving, and better decision-making. Accessible workplaces attract a wider pool of skilled employees, boosting productivity, diverse thinking and employee satisfaction. In government, inclusion ensures equitable representation and policy formulation that addresses the needs of all citizens. Both settings benefit from improved public perception, enhanced collaboration, and a stronger bottom line, ultimately contributing to a more just, competitive, and prosperous society. E-commerce for all market sectors continues to show considerable growth, when $5.2 trillion (about $16,000 per person in the US) of conducted sales business in the USA with a projection of over $8.1 trillion by 2026. Understanding disabilities - Understanding disabilities requires empathy and a willingness to learn. It's about recognizing that diversity extends beyond what meets the eye. Disabilities can be physical, sensory, cognitive, or invisible, affecting people's experiences and interactions in unique ways. Educating ourselves about different types of disabilities, challenges individuals may face, and the tools or accommodations that can enhance their participation is essential. By actively listening to people's stories, seeking out resources, and treating everyone with respect and dignity, we can foster a more inclusive and compassionate world for all.
- Guiding how accessibility impacts your job role, and your performance can offer true insight. The UK Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has developed nine (9) work roles from UX Researchers to Software engineers to Business analysts to Product managers, outlining; things to consider, planning, content hierarchy and risk throughout the duration of a project.
- World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium that develops web international standards and guidelines for accessibility. They have a series of ten impactful (10) videos exploring the need of web accessibility for people with disabilities.
- W3C offer a Free Digital Accessibility Foundation 16–20-hour self-paced course https://www.w3.org/WAI/courses/foundations-course/
- W3C offer a variety of training courses based on function and role type https://www.w3.org/WAI/courses/list/
Accessibility Mindset Consider an accessibility mindset as an approach from true human experiences rather than limitations of compliance as required by law that allows us to go beyond the - Gain leadership support: Prioritize accessibility by involving leaders in product creation and collaborating with affected individuals.
- Embed inclusive processes: Incorporate intentional processes and teamwork across the organization for creating universally usable experiences.
- Establish ongoing education: Invest in learning about accessibility throughout the organization.
- Focus on human experience: Frame accessibility discussions around its impact on people and approach it as a human-centered design challenge.
- Foster inclusive workplaces: Invest in technology, culture, and organization to create workplaces that attract and retain individuals with disabilities, breaking down barriers and normalizing accessibility perspectives.
Personas Personas are a key HCD method to understand and empathize with real user groups without creating stereotypes. Here are a set of eight fictitious personas of disabled users in given situations that help build understanding for the human experience and potential challenges. - World Wide Web Consortium (WC3) has developed a highly actionable folio of eight (8) diverse disability personas. Each persona provides highly informative insight and context to differing challenges for the users. https://www.w3.org/WAI/people-use-web/user-stories/#shopper
- Each persona provides three (3) additional criteria for consideration: Abilities and Barriers, Tools and Techniques, and lastly Accessibility Principles with additional accessibility requirements and considerations.
Disabilities; Situational, Temporary or Permanent - Most disabilities are considered permanent, however, there are three groupings of disabilities to consider with varying distinctions and impairments: Situational, Temporary and Permanent. Disabilities increase with age in adults up to 46%.
Guidelines, Testing & ComplianceWCAG The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium that develops web standards. W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) focuses on making the web accessible to people with disabilities. The standards are outlined in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) international standards and materialsinclude guidelines and techniques for making websites and web applications work better for people with disabilities, as well as users with accessibility needs. WCAG documents explain how to make web content accessible to people with disabilities or accessibility needs. There have been three (3) recent revisions to the content and currently there is a WCAG 3.0 drafted for future release. Here are other WCAG language/translation options; WCAG Success Criteria All WCAG 2.1 guidelines offer recommended and testable success criteria at three levels of conformance and defined as: A (lowest), AA, and AAA (highest). CMS require conformance to levels A and AA only. - For Level A conformance (the minimum level of conformance), the Web page satisfies all the Level A Success Criteria, or a conforming alternate version is provided.
- For Level AA conformance, the Web page satisfies all the Level A and Level AA Success Criteria, or a Level AA conforming alternate version is provided.
- For Level AAA conformance, the Web page satisfies all the Level A, Level AA and Level AAA Success Criteria, or a Level AAA conforming alternate version is provided.
Levels of conformance are met by two conditions; the important access issues for people with disabilities that address their problems beyond the usability problems that might be faced by all users, and secondly that usability is testable, to determine if a UX page passes or fails. The WCAG 2.1 site on conformance offers detailed explanations. ISG Accessibility Testing Image ModifiedStep 1: Supplemental Testing All preliminary supplemental testing can be conducted by teams with this self-paced training and testing for accessibility in these categories. This is a robust library of necessary knowledge, tools and tests to support your in-flow development projects before approaching ISG Accessibility Testing team for full compliance. Note there are integral 508 conformances for VPAT/ACR requirements. - Accessibility 101
- NFT (Non-Functional Testing)
- JAWS (Job Access With Speech)
- VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template)
- Section 508 documentation
- WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool)
- Developer Focused Training
Here are resource links: Step 2: ISG Accessibility Testing – Baseline Testing The ISG Accessibility Testing is an internal compliance capability, offering a dedicated Baseline Testing service that walks through a four-step process to test, approve and or remediate all ISG products and services for accessibility before final implementation. Contact directly: Brinda.large@cms.hhs.gov- Section 508 Compliance Officer for further details and support. Figma has a built-in Stark Accessibility Checklist widget for teams to identify, note and track updates and improvements through the development process. https://www.figma.com/community/widget/1030161589655245054 Case Study Quality Payment Program (QPP) 2023 Accessibility Test Case Study The QPP Website collects the clinician data and subsequent clinician scores for the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality. The Application Development Organization (ADO) requests the application to be tested by CMS annually depending on the prior score. (75% is passing). When a score of less than 75% is rendered, an additional test is required. The QPP ADO submitted the Voluntary Product Template with the Conformance Report (VPAT/ACR) and Test Plan on November 13, 2023, for review and requested a date for the Section 508 test. The CCSQ 508 Clearance Officer reviewed the documents and requested the test for conformance of Levels A and AA of the WCAG Standards. The application was tested, and the results were issued on November 30, 2023. After a brief meeting to clarify the results, the Quality Payment Program application was found to be 100% 508 Compliant. The case study documents links below outline the ISG Accessibility pathway to success. Accessibility Beyond Compliance Ad Hoc is a digital services team founded in 2013 that supports HealthCare.gov. They take the position that the result of compliance is enforceable by fear of legal action against an entity rather than the objective. Ad Hoc’s mindset aligns closely with SCOPE, in propagating the social model that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference and therefore, our responsibility is to ensure our products and services do not create or contribute to systemic barriers, derogatory attitudes, or social exclusion. Additional Resources - The World Wide Web Consortium (WC3) has an extensive set of resources for training, knowledge building, community engagement, public reviews etc. The events site is highly informative for current continued learning. https://www.w3.org/events/
- 18F Methods is the GSA’s Technology Transformation Service for accessibility. A highly robust and excellent go-to resource. https://methods.18f.gov/
- The UK Government site has several informative elements including dos and don’ts, design ethics and visual aids for Accessibility in Government.
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