Disability Dialogue with Bill

Encourage Empathy and Inclusion by Taking Time to Understand What Some People Experience and Remove Barriers

The Meaning of Empathy and Inclusion and How Accessible and Usable Digital Technology Assists

An introduction to the meaning of empathy and inclusion and how accessible and usable digital technology assists to create an equitable experience while attempting to avoid certain negative consequences.

Empathy Can Be Defined As:

The ability to understand a diverse group of people by taking time to listen and learn to help create an equitable experience for everyone.

Empathy can also be described like “the base of scaffolding” added to a person’s education that can be incorporated along with inclusion and accessibility for digital technology to also help create an equitable experience for all.

Inclusion Can Be Defined As:

The ability to unconditionally include everyone with or without a disability. This includes people with a visible, invisible or temporary disability as well as people with diverse ethnic backgrounds and gender differences.

Examples of a Visible Disability:

• A person who is blind or visually impaired using a white cane.
• A person who is hearing impaired wearing hearing aids or who is being assisted by a signer.

Example of an Invisible Disability:

• A person who has suffered a traumatic brain injury possibly from a stroke or accident.

Examples of a Temporary Disability:

• A person who has a broken bone such as an arm or leg.
• A person who is recovering from a major surgery or procedure.

Usability and Accessibility Issues

Example of a Usability Issue:

A user interface with a non-intuitive design impacts people with disabilities who  use assistive technology as well as people without a disability who are first time users to the application. For example, a person without a disability attempts to find one part of a user interface and locate information on it or a person who is blind and uses a screen reader also attempts to locate information in that same application and both give up after trying unsuccessfully.

Therefore, even though the user interface does not have technical accessibility issues as described in Success Criteria in Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, it clearly has usability design issues thus preventing certain users from locating information successfully and efficiently.

Example of an Accessibility Issue:

An email publication application did not generate keyboard accessible hyperlinks in email messages. This prevented keyboard only users from activating the links. Therefore they could not locate the website to participate in the activities that were available on the webpage. This simple user interface accessibility issue impacted both keyboard only users and screen reader users and took a couple of years to resolve. This simple user interface accessibility issue could have been avoided if designers and developers were more educated in accessibility and making resolutions to these accessibility issues a priority.

Built-In Assistive Technologies

To gain an understanding of what it is like for people who use assistive technology with digital technology a person needs to try out the built-in assistive technologies that are available in the different operating systems.

Examples of Built-In Assistive Technologies:

• Microsoft Narrator screen reader- located in Ease of Access Center
• Android TalkBack Screen reader- for Android users, located in Settings under Accessibility
• Apple VoiceOver screen reader for macOS- located in Settings under Accessibility
• Apple VoiceOver screen reader for iOS- located in Settings under Accessibility

In order to better emulate how a person who is blind or has low vision uses their computer or mobile device a person needs to learn how to interact with digital technology using some form of assistive technology only. For instance, while your screen reader is running  attempt to interact with the digital technology you are using by having your monitor turned off and using your keyboard only. This will give you a better understanding of what a person who is blind experiences using assistive technology with  digital technology for their job or in their personal life.

However, screen readers only represent one of the many types of assistive technologies that help people with blindness or low vision. There are other types of assistive technologies that assist people who have other forms of disabilities. Since there are numerous types of assistive technologies, I encourage people to try out and experience these different assistive technologies for themselves.

Learning About Empathy and Inclusion May Help Avoid Uncomfortable Situations

Learning about empathy and inclusion may help to avoid getting into uncomfortable situations such as having to tell a customer or employee with a disability that modifications to digital technologies are not worth the effort it will take to enhance equality for people with disabilities. This reason may be given because it is assumed that making these needed modifications is a waste of other peoples’ time to do this work. They would rather not do the modifications thus causing the people with disabilities to be excluded instead of being included and making it an equitable experience for them also. In reality accessible, usable and intuitive digital technology is a valuable and beneficial investment for everyone. It is definitely not charity to enable a person who is disabled to be productive and contribute to the success for all. However, if people are constantly excluded this continued exclusion can lead to mental or physical health issues for them. In addition, the outcome of  this exclusion can negatively affect family and friends of the person being excluded  due to the added stress of the situation placed on everyone involved and concerned.

Therefore, in order to decrease exclusion and increase inclusion for all people with a disability  let’s practice empathy and inclusion in our daily lives to promote equitable experiences. This can be easily accomplished by increasing accessibility and usability in digital technology when planned early in the design and development phase instead of retrofitting the accessibility issue later on after it has been reported and causes frustration for the users. This includes performing the required and necessary automated accessibility evaluations as well as manual testing by people with a variety of disabilities using a range of assistive technologies with different operating systems and a variety of web browsers.

For instance, some accessibility issues are simple to resolve such as adding a missing quote in the code for certain accessibility attributes like HTML IMG alt and Grommet a11yTitle.

People Should Not be Discouraged From Participating In Digital Technology

I believe people should not be discouraged by others from participating in digital technology simply because there are accessibility/usability issues preventing them from equally participating and contributing. If a person has the mindset of attempting to compare the cost of remediating an accessibility/usability issue compared to the perceived value of a person experiencing the issue, then they should consider that the person experiencing these issues is not being given an equal chance to demonstrate their complete abilities and skills. This makes that person feel they are not worth the effort and their contributions are not valued.

Actually in order for a person to not be put in the situation of excluding others they should make an effort to design, develop, purchase and deploy accessible and usable digital technology for everyone.

Demonstrate Empathy by Educating People on the Topic of Empathy

Let’s demonstrate empathy by educating people on the topic of empathy and help reduce accessibility, usability and non-intuitive digital technology user interfaces. This will help to create an equitable environment for all to flourish in their personal and professional lives.

In closing I chose a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that, I believe, aligns with this particular topic.

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others?”

If you have any comments or feedback, can you please send an email to Bill Tipton since unfortunately the comments are closed to my blog site.

Bill

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton 

Happy Holidays; Value of Companionship and Relationships

As one year comes to closure and another is about to blossom into new opportunities and experiences it provides me reason to reflect on what I have.,  Unfortunately there are less fortunate and others who may have to deal with serious medical conditions.  I also think about the people who may not have friends or family to be with to help start  the new year with companionship and gratitude.

Our global world has many unique people with a broad range of cultural differences and a variety of visible and invisible disabilities. Our unique differences  enhance the enjoyment and educational opportunities  of every interaction we have if one is observant. Because of the large variety of differences one may observe some people have different opportunities than others. To keep ones focus on goals you should not be discouraged if you are not getting the same assistance or opportunities other people may appear to have. Just try to stay positive, healthy, and do what is under your own control and do not rely  on others to accomplish ones goals and happiness.

Do not let what seems like unsurmountable challenges or set backs stop one from pursuing ones  goals. Since with perseverance and determination one can accomplish almost anything.

I am grateful for many things during the holidays some of which I have listed below.

• I am grateful for my loving wife, Kathy, who without her I would’ve died for sure in 1999. One reason out of many was due to Kathy’s dedication in keeping watch on the medical staff when I was in the hospital for seven months. She provided her medical advice and did not let the doctors take me off of life support when they suggested I had no hope to live a fulfilling life.
• I am blessed to find a volunteer to help me with things around the house I cannot do with no eyesight from a local nonprofit agency who has turned into a good friend of mine, since we have been seeing each other for over twelve years now.
• I am grateful that I have been employed at my current employer for over 25 years in a roll that leverages my many years of technical skills to help create more accessible and usable digital technology to assist people with disabilities to use  the technology more effectively.
• I am thankful that due to my accessibility and disability skills the work I do has positive impact for many employees around the world at my place of employment.
• As a person who is completely blind I am grateful I took the time required to study and become certified in accessibility, multiple disabilities and assistive technologies to better assist my customers.
• Although I get frustrated and upset when there are things that my wife and I cannot accomplish around our home and other places, I am grateful that eventually we find a way to get what we need accomplished with just the two of us by partnering and combining our abilities.
• Usually Kathy and I are way too busy to think about being alone. Although we are fortunate to have each other some people are truly alone all the time.
• I enjoy the holidays because some people reach out a little more which helps with companionship and sense of isolation.
• Some people exchange gifts during the holidays, which is perfectly fine, although I have learned that the most precious gifts are family, friends, and human companionship over material items.
• Since I unfortunately was in the hospital for seven months (3 of which I was in a coma) I spent many hours passing the time by listening to other patients in nearby beds. Some of the patients did not have the option to survive and leave the hospital like I was able to do on December 28, 1999.
• I do have some friends and family although none are close by therefore I seldom see them. Kathy fortunately has a few family members nearby that we do see on occasion. Thankfully we were able to see a few of our family members from Kathy’s side  of the family at a wedding in November 2022 and on Thanksgiving day in 2022. Having the covid pandemic occurring around April 2020 in our area added to the obstacles of seeing people in person which unfortunately kept us isolated for sometime even more so than we are usually.
• I also enjoy December since my wife Kathy and I have birthdays in December which  we usually celebrate by ourselves enjoying each other’s company as our treasured gifts to each other.

Does anybody want to share any comments about what makes the holidays special for you? Do you have examples of how people have made you feel less lonely during the holidays?  How can you assist the disabled, people who are alone  or others who need extra help? Any other thoughts about what I have written? I look forward to hearing from you and I wish you an enjoyable holiday season.

If you have any comments or feedback can you please send an email to Bill Tipton since unfortunately the comments are closed to my blog site.

Bill

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton 

Bill Tipton Talks About the Value of Accessibility in a Video

Hello all,

As some of you are aware from following my blog post one of my passions is to increase creating an equitable experience for all by helping developers and designers to create accessible digital technology. Therefore, I am very happy to share Accessibility — HPE Design System video I did at the request of my employer to help with this very important goal.

Some designers and developers may believe that making digital technology accessible and usable is difficult are just not familiar with creating experiences that are satisfying to all. Although in reality it is far easier to develop accessible and usable digital technology in the early phases of design and development instead of waiting for customers to report issues which requires costly renovations possibly causing delays and software release schedules and add unnecessary additional costs.

Unfortunately, the comments to my blog site are closed although if you have any feedback my email address is on my blog site.

Please keep up your efforts to create a more equitable experience for everyone including people with disabilities who use assistive technology or do not.

I look forward to hearing your comments and feedback.

                Bill

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton 

Human Exclusions for People with Disabilities is More Difficult than Digital Technology Accessibility

As a person who is blind I am grateful I have the ability to leverage assistive technology to access and interact with digital technology (software, webpages& documents). When I experience digital technology that is accessible to people who are disabled including those who use assistive technology following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 it makes me very happy.

It is encouraging that some organizations have realized in order to compete successfully in the competitive global marketplace, accessibility for digital technology is becoming more critical as just one of many components in creating an equitable and inclusive environment for everyone.

 

Impact of Digital Technology with Accessibility Issues

Digital technology with accessibility issues not only creates barriers to equal participation for some users it also causes added stress and frustration. Accessibility issues also have these same effects on everyone who is in contact with the person who experiences these barriers such as co-workers, spouses, family, friends and others.

To heighten these accessibility issues not everyone may believe the user when they say that the issue they experience is a technical accessibility issue. One misunderstanding for example is when someone who is not knowledgeable in the technical aspects of accessibility and not knowing any better may tell a user who is experiencing an accessibility issue that their issue is not a technical accessibility issue. They may believe the issue is due to lack of training. They may also tell the same user that they are not experiencing a technical accessibility issue since they may be able to get past the issue by counting keystrokes. For example the user is told to attempt to get to a particular location in the digital technology and type or interact with it with little or no awareness of where they are. Or someone might say the user should attempt to activate hyperlinks on words or sentences that are not coded correctly for assistive technology users to know that they are hyperlinks until the user finds an active hyperlink that works.

This extremely challenging experience of hunting around and interacting with user interactions that do not work is like using a computer or mobile device with a shattered display or one that is extremely dim preventing someone from seeing the complete screen. Also it is like using a keyboard with some of the keys broken causing errors in typing.

No Time for Improvements

Fortunately I have been working in the accessibility field for many years and have been using assistive technology for over 20 years. I am also a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies  by IAAP. I can explain and demonstrate the technical accessibility issues with the application or web page owner. However for those who have similar skills as I do certain application or web page owners might think it is too time consuming and not worth the effort to make a needed accessibility enhancement .

When someone is being excluded due to accessibility issues because no one has the time or wants to prioritize resolving the issues, it makes the person feel like they have two disabilities.

1. For example a disability which requires assistive technology and the issue is caused by the digital technology not being accessible to the users of assistive technology causes a barrier. This is also true for people who do not use assistive technology and experience accessibility issues.
2. Several people not understanding the broad range of disabilities people have and not taking any action to remove the inclusive or misunderstood barriers could be the second disability. This exponentially compounds the problem of just the initial accessibility exclusion and makes these people feel like they are not worth the effort to be equitably included.

 

Solving Human Exclusions for People with Disabilities is Difficult

Creating an equitable environment for all requires passion, empathy and a willingness to take the time needed  to learn and understand everyone’s unique and beautiful differences .

This is just one reason why solving one aspect of inequalities  of people in the world is more difficult than creating accessible digital technology. This reason is because we  cannot force people to change attitudes or influence people to take needed time to understand people with disabilities using technology like we can do for solving the digital technology accessibility issues.

When we think about disabilities we need to be sure to include people with a broad range of visible disabilities as well as hidden disabilities.

This attitude or lack of knowledge regarding the people side of how and why to create equitable environments may be a result of the times we live in today such as the need to complete things more quickly with fewer people and less support. Also, another issue in today’s world there is very little or a complete lack of verbal communication between real people and doing more online without any verbal communication. However I know that on-line communication is extremely beneficial for people who may have voice disabilities, hearing disabilities, other disabilities or challenges.

Also unfortunately to save time I’ve noticed that people do not take as much time to talk on the phone and prefer to send instant messages.  Not holding personal two way conversations does not have the same person to person interaction requiring interpersonal communication skills which can lead to solid friendships, partnerships or productive collaboration.

Fortunately  These Exclusions  Can Easily be Overcome

These exclusions can easily be overcome with consideration. I feel if everybody had the option to slow down, listen to others and care about what might be preventing every person from participating and having a happy and fulfilling life we would all be better off. I believe this kind of attitude would go further for making  positive progress in this fast-paced world we live in today when peoples’ first thoughts are of how to cut corners, which can exclude certain people.

Although there could be many solutions to some of the equity issues one thought that comes to mind to help would be to get a Chief Accessibility Officer to oversee everything regarding accessibility if these issues were within a organization or company. Also if these issues were within an organization or company people would need to be trained on the technical aspects of digital accessibility so people experiencing accessibility barriers would not be falsely accused of doing something wrong when in reality the issue is actually a technical accessibility issue. Also if this is in a controlled environment such as an organization or a company providing detailed training on a broad range of disabilities and empathy is another solution to some of these equity issues.

If you are experiencing any of these obstacles in your career aspirations or personal life  try to stay positive and assist where you can with improving equality issues for the disabled.

Does anybody have any thoughts or comments about how we can slow down and not exclude people because of time constraints or misunderstandings? Has anyone experienced similar interactions? Any recommendations on how to resolve exclusions for people  with disabilities which is a problem that I believe goes far beyond accessibility issues with digital technology.

Thank you and stay positive, keep a smile on your face, slow down, talk to others, leverage accessible digital technology and most important utilize all peoples’ unique skills. Together we will spread happiness and understanding.

If you have any comments or feedback can you please send an email to Bill Tipton since unfortunately the comments are closed to my blog site.

Bill

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton 

Mental Health: Lack of Accessibility, Inclusion and External Challenges May Create or Compound Mental Health

Since October 10 was World Mental Health Day I hope this blog post can bring some awareness to the seriousness of those who are affected with any mental health condition.

Although I am no expert in mental health I feel people with mental health issues experience unique challenges. I have some thoughts that in my opinion may negatively impact mental health below that in some cases can be reduced or removed to help promote a healthier life.

I believe that experiencing digital technology usability/accessibility issues and inclusion barriers  in general can contribute to mental health issues. The usability/accessibility issues regarding accessing digital technology could be if a person has a disability and they use a form of assistive technology such as a screen reader and the application they are attempting to use does not conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. Therefore, the application may have accessibility issues preventing people with disabilities or other unique challenges from using the application at all, effectively or efficiently causing stress and exclusions. If this happens frequently in my opinion it would lead to mental health issues. If these inclusion barriers occur over an extended period such as years, the negative impact on mental health I feel would be even greater. This would not only impact the person who is directly being excluded due to usability and accessibility issues it would also affect the family who lives with the person. This is because the added stress would be carried over to family life thus expanding the scope of the mental health issues to family members.  

Since we are in a unique time in the world today where we are coping/fighting a global pandemic (Covid - 19) which could also cause additional stress perpetuating mental health issues that would compound these issues caused by lack of usability/accessibility and inclusion in the world.

In addition to those two challenges that could lead to mental health issues just by themselves if someone already has a mental health issue caused by a medical condition their mental health issue would be even worse.

Besides those three stressful situations if someone added an additional stressful situation such  as a family member experiencing a long-term medical condition it can compound the stress level and could lead to a mental health issue.

On top of these challenges if someone has a disability and during normal times they are able to function without limitations although with the four other challenges I mentioned I feel most people may  be overwhelmed with added stress. They may even feel the loss of control of the situation especially if they are alone trying to navigate through the maze of challenges which can lead to mental health issues .

Although others have more challenging experiences of mental health issues to get us thinking and raise awareness I have noted some challenges my wife and I have experienced over the past year or so that could possibly lead to mental health issues.

• My wife has not been feeling well since March/April 2020 and her issues are growing in numbers and getting worse although fortunately none seem to be life-threatening .
• Observing my wife being sent to many urgent care visits , having many tests, given many types of medication for over a year without providing any relief to her uncomfortable issues all of it made for a stressful situation.
• In August 2021 fortunately we were able to see a primary care doctor in person then my wife was sent to many other doctors, had many other tests and was even sent to the emergency room without any relief. There were long delays in-between doctor appointments for which she experienced little improvement.
• Since the pandemic hit and attempting to be safe ordering everything online including food to be delivered added to the stress of wondering how we would eat.
• Although things are just starting to get better in regards to the pandemic due to a relapse in her health issues  she had to revert to ordering everything online again for she is not able to drive even to the doctors.
• My being completely blind and relying on assistive technology to access digital technology and at times experiencing usability/accessibility issues which prevents me from having an equitable experience and causes sadness. Although not a happy comment I sometimes jokingly tell others that it happens so frequently it’s like I might have post-traumatic stress syndrome/disorder due to these exclusions.
• At times have others think I am making a mistake in using an application or providing technical explanations simply because I am blind thus causes me to be frustrated.
• My wife and I living by ourselves and having to track down help when we are not able to do something with just the two of us causes stress.

Some questions to consider and think about when it comes to your own experience and others:

Do you have a mental health issue brought on by a medical condition or brought on by external sources like I mentioned above? How do you help your mental health issue either get better, be stable or not get worse? Have any ideas/suggestions on how to avoid causing mental health issues for others?

Although as I mentioned I am no expert one goal for family and friends affected  with mental health issues I feel should be feeling included, happiness, love , well-being and practicing resilience.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://intercoms/wdtipton

Leverage Collective Intelligence, Accessible Digital Technology and Music: Creates Happiness and a Beautiful World

After listening to Gustavo Dudamel, who is a conductor of orchestras interview “Harmony In Times Of Crisis” on a local radio station, caused me to think about how his ideas could also positively assist with leveraging collective intelligence, accessibility and inclusion. Gustavo talked about how a person needs to utilize everybody’s unique skills and talents to get the best results. If you left any section or person out of the orchestra or anything you do it would result in a poor performance which would show up in the quality of  the work and more than likely the customer may not be happy.

When listening to the interview it reminded me of my blog post I wrote “Collective Intelligence: Include The Disabled for Success” that talks about digital technology (which is anything accessed by a computer or mobile device). If a person does not utilize and leverage everybody’s unique skills and differences the result will be a poor performance in any project they are doing. This is because the people you are working with do not truly represent your customers in the world that are a diverse population including people with disabilities. The result of your work would be as if an essential section was left out of an orchestra such as the violin, flute, piccolo, English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet, French horn, Trombone, keyboard and others. Therefore, it would result in an orchestra that would not sound pleasant and the concert would be a failure instead of a widely diverse group of people working gracefully together to create astonishing results.

If you are a designer or developer of digital technology you could be preventing  some people from being able to participate in the orchestra of life if you do not incorporate accessibility and usability into the digital technology you are developing like I describe in my Collective Intelligence blog post.

During these times in our world we have plenty of things to be discouraged about therefor let us all be happy and make a beautiful world for all people as we harmonize and combine all peoples unique and different skills to create a loving orchestra of people with fewer barriers to inclusion.

Do you have any stories or examples to share regarding the benefits of allowing all people to equitably participate without accessibility barriers? Does anyone have any suggestions regarding how to educate people on the benefits of utilizing collective intelligence of people to resolve complicated issues or how to work better as a team?  Our world is an orchestra of diverse people including those with disabilities who participate in the orchestra to deliver beautiful music and create a  happy  and  a beautiful world. Do not place false barriers such as inaccessible digital technology in the way of creating joy and causing sadness and exclusions.

I look forward to hearing your comments to help us increase happiness in the world and not leave any instruments (people) out of the orchestra of life.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://intercoms/wdtipton

How To Publish Photos /Images Even People Who Are Blind Can Visualize

Like myself some of you add photos / images to your social media posts with a goal that these images will provide enjoyment, attract or keep the attention of your followers or friends. One thing you may not be aware of if you do not take one extra relatively simple step to make the images you share accessible by adding alternative text some of your followers or friends will not know what the photo or image is. Alternative text provides a textual alternative to non-text content such as photos and images. Without taking the step of adding alternative text to your images people who are blind or visually impaired who use screen readers may feel left out since they will have no idea of what the image is.

Also finding an image without alternative text may cause your followers or friends who use screen readers to pause and wonder what they are missing in the image, thus distracting them from the desired text in the social media post. Sometimes the screen reader user even has to go back and attempt to reread the text understanding that on their second attempt they will need to skip through some images without alternative text while concentrating on the text they can read in-between the inaccessible content. Or even worse, some readers may give up attempting to read the message due to the accessibility issues in the content.

Fortunately, in most cases it only takes a few extra steps to add alternative text descriptions to make your photos and images accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired and use screen readers.

Alternative text descriptions should describe the image in as much detail as possible. However, they should also be concise to reduce the amount of text read by the screen reader. To best determine what alternative text description to use, just close your eyes and think about what you would want somebody to tell you to describe any image you cannot see enabling you to clearly visualize what the image looks like in your mind.

If your publishing software does not allow for adding alternative text directly in your publishing user interface it is possible you can incorporate HTML or ARIA directly in the code your publishing software published. For some suggestions refer to my two HTML examples below and for more details see the resource section.

If you are able to edit and view the HTML code, look for a line that says something similar to the example below:

<img src="filename.gif" alt="filename">

Replace the text in between the quotes after alt="with the alternative text description you want. For example, for the photo below I used “Bill wearing blue jeans, a red, black and gray flannel shirt, blue vest, sunglasses with support cane extended and long cane in pouch clipped to belt standing by lake at Grant Ranch Park with green rolling hills, trees, shrubs and a gray cloudy sky overhead”.

 

If the image or photo is decorative and adds no meaningful content add “” after alt =“”.

Although the suggestion described above is focused on HTML, these alternative text description concepts can assist for Facebook, Twitter and Yammer as well.

Below are some resources with details to help you add alternative text to images in Yammer, Twitter and Facebook. Also, there are tips to leverage HTML and ARIA if your publishing interface does not allow adding alternative text directly. Lastly, I have additional resources to help you learn more about alternative text and why it is so critical to help increase inclusion and decrease exclusion.

 

• How to add alternative text to images in Yammer
• How to add alternative text to images in Facebook
• How to add alternative text to images in Twitter
• WebAIM-Alternative Text
• WAI Web Accessibility Tutorials-Images Concepts
• WCAG WG-Using aria-labelledby to provide a text alternative for non-text content
• w3schools-HTML img alt Attribute

 

On the topic of alternative text descriptions does anyone have any other recommendations to help create a more inclusive environment for people who are unable to see the photos / images shared in social media?

Do any of you have suggestions on how to include everybody equally in our social media posts? Does anyone have tips to help increase inclusion for people with other disabilities besides blindness or low vision?

We all look forward to hearing your valuable comments and suggestions.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Reach Out to the disAbled for Assistance to Design and Develop an Intuitive and Accessible Application or Web Page

Are you responsible for the application or web page development cycle? Is one of your goals for it to be intuitive and accessible for everyone to use efficiently?  You could be designing or developing an enterprise application installed on a server accessed by a browser by anyone over the internet. Maybe you are designing or developing a consumer or an enterprise application installed on a computer, mobile device, or a web page. Or you may be deploying a digital service and have these same goals of equal access.

As part of your careful design and development process you may have implemented user interface (UI), User Experience design (UX), accessibility and usability techniques to help with this goal. 

One valuable resource you may have overlooked to assist is getting some guidance from people with disabilities. Since they may use a variety of assistive technologies, they could provide excellent feedback on User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), usability as well as accessibility. To be sure you are evaluating for a broad range of assistive technology (AT) I suggest you at least have people evaluate with screen magnification, screen readers and voice recognition AT. Also people with disabilities have other unique and valuable skills that could be beneficial to your design.

Although other people with disabilities or challenges can assist just as well as I can, I will explain some skills a person who is blind may have that can relate to assisting with developing an organized and accessible user interface with some added accessibility tips.

Since I am completely blind it is helpful to keep track of things around the house and in my office. To assist with this goal I attempt to keep things in a familiar and organized location. This organization allows me to easily and quickly locate what I am looking for by utilizing landmarks by touch alone.

The way I locate things and get around in my physical world could be compared to designing a user interface in the digital world where all aspects of the application or web page are usable and accessible. This includes all user elements in the application or web page.

Some examples of user elements are hyperlinks, buttons, radio buttons, check boxes, drop down lists, form fields, navigational elements and additional user elements.  This design includes insuring text and all user elements has sufficient contrast in an organized well-designed user interface where all actions can be performed by a keyboard. This user experience design and development attention along with accessibility techniques will aid in creating a positive user experience to help prevent frustration and unintentionally excluding some users.

One example from the physical world might be how some people who are completely blind walk down a hallway. They could know when they reach the fifth doorway on the right side of the hallway from cane tapping, sound differences as they pass doors or if they use a guide dog.  If they have been in the room before they may know what the layout of the room is based on past experience. If you translate that to user interface design in the digital world you could think of each doorway as navigating down to the third heading level and know what is within that heading based on the text of that heading and the text of the second level heading.

Another way you can think about designing an effective user interface and creating a positive user experience is by being able to find your way around no matter where you are located within the application or webpage. For example from the physical world if I drop something on the floor and I hear it bounce or slide far away from where I am located I listen for it hit the floor. As it either bounces or slides across the floor I focus on where it stops making the noise to give me an idea of where it might be. I can then locate it by feeling navigational landmarks on the floor such as furniture to help me avoid obstacles and guide me to what I have dropped. This is similar to designing an effective user interface with key landmarks on it that will guide the user to sections, user controls, form fields or other user interaction types.  This design will help the user to intuitively use the application or web page successfully.

Another example from the physical world. Just think of a completely blind person attempting to walk alone without the aid of a long white cane or a guide dog in an unfamiliar area. Their chances of locating a glass of water they were told would be on one of the tall cabinets in one of the rooms could be difficult or time consuming.

If you label all like user element types the same throughout the application or webpage and have sufficient descriptive landmarks this will assist users in effectively knowing how to interact with the user elements and move around the user interface with ease.

In addition to the Design, Development and Accessibility Section further down I have a few accessibility and usability tips below. If I use HTML terminology please translate these to whatever coding language you are using.

• Insure every user element in your application or webpage is accessible by a keyboard because not everyone uses a mouse. Designing for keyboard accessibility not only helps the disabled who use specific types of assistive technology it also will help the keyboard only users who do not have a disability.
• Be sure all essential graphics have alternative description to enable the screen reader users to understand the complete content and interact with all user controls.
• Insure all hyperlinks describe the destination and are descriptive when reading out of context and none of them have duplicate names if the destination page is not the same.
• Be sure the tab order and on-screen focus is correct. When you use your tab key to navigate through the interface the focus should mirror the visual order of navigation, links and controls on the page with sufficient visual indication of focus. 
• Insure any tables are accessible by identifying the row and column headers and use captions if needed.
• Be sure all aspects of the application or web page have sufficient contrast to help all users.
• Insure like user controls are named the same within the same application or group of web pages that have the same topic to help the user from getting confused. Example: Do not use both buttons and hyperlinks if they both act like hyperlinks.
• Use headings and utilize other landmarks to assist with navigating the user interface to speed up navigation for all keyboard, voice recognition such as Dragon Naturally Speaking, and screen reader assistive technology users.
• The use of proper headings will not only help screen reader users, these will also assist keyboard only users and help with the structure and visual layout.
• Headings will also assist people who use voice recognition assistive technology such as Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS) since some of the DNS users could speak the concise heading name to jump from heading to heading.
• Leverage proper semantics or the equivalent in your application or web page. If you cannot incorporate HTML in your application utilize the equivalent of semantic elements that are available in HTML in the specific technical requirements for your technology you are using to develop your application.  Also use semantic elements when developing webpages.  By leveraging semantics you can provide meaningful information regarding the user elements or page structure to the web browser thus to assistive technology users to assist them in using the product effectively.
• Developing a usable and accessible application or webpage does not only assist the disabled it helps everybody. For example you may have heard of people without any disability talking about an application or web page where they were so confused attempting to interact with it they had no way of intuitively knowing how to use it. This leads to extreme frustration and loss of valuable time.

After you complete your design and have a functioning product you are ready for your first pilot and to receive feedback. If you know of a person who uses assistive technology such as a screen reader, screen magnification or voice recognition ask them to try out your application or web page and provide their valuable feedback. If you do not know of anyone, contact a professional accessibility evaluation company to assist. You could also contact a non-profit organization related to people with disabilities and they may be able to get you connected with a person who can assist. In my opinion if they are located near you, you might even watch them use the application or web page in person over having them perform the evaluation remotely since this will benefit you in at least two ways.

• You will see any difficulties they may be experiencing first hand to allow you to resolve the issues in the next revision or better yet on the fly when you are with them.
• You will see a big grin on their face if you’ve developed and designed the application or webpage well and they can easily navigate it. I know personally I have a great big smile on my face if I am using an application or a webpage that is accessible, designed and functions well.

To learn about how people who are blind access information on their PCs or mobile devices read Understanding Assistive Technology: How Does a Blind Person use the Internet and How People Who Are Blind Can Orientate Themselves Using a Screen Reader.

Resources to Assist with Design, Development and Accessibility

User Interface Design Basics-Usability.gov

A Beginner’s Guide to User Experience (UX) Fundamentals-General Assembly

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1

Does anyone have any tips for User Interface designers, User Experience designers and developers for applications and web pages to help us design more effective applications or webpages that will result in a user friendly experience instead of a user unfriendly experience? Do you have any resources to share that will help us all in designing more effective and accessible user interfaces or techniques to design more intuitive and less cluttered user interfaces?

We all look forward to hearing your valuable thoughts, resources and any other information you want to share to help everyone to showcase talents equally and effectively without artificial limits.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Resolving Accessibility Barriers in Isolation: Achieve with Kindness

Are you older and have found using some technologies such as web pages, web applications, standalone applications on your mobile device or computer difficult to use if not impossible? Are you disabled and use assistive technology on your mobile device or computer and find using these same technologies not possible?  Do they not react the way you believe they should compared to similar technologies you have successfully used? Are you disabled or have short- or long-term challenges and do not use assistive technology and find using these same technologies difficult?

Although you may have never heard of usability or accessibility, these issues you are experiencing could be related to accessibility or usability.

If the designers and developers leverage the accessibility recommendations documented in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2. and other guidelines/recommendations the accessibility issues you may have experienced could have been avoided.

If the technology owners are not aware of the positive Business Case for Digital Accessibility (Web Accessibility Initiative) WAI/W3C) they may find this resource beneficial to influence accessibility.

Have you experienced and reported accessibility obstacles and felt like you were working to resolve the issues in isolation? If you have felt or feel this way, I encourage you to never give up hope to not only to help yourself, but to assist the many other people who are experiencing the same barriers as you are. One or more of the many points below and others you find elsewhere may assist you at being successful at working on resolving accessibility issues with kindness.

• When contacting the product managers, designers and developers with kindness keep in mind, they may not have intentionally excluded any person. If you do find a person who has not heard of accessibility and does not understand it, explain how if they would have leveraged the documented techniques and requirements that are available some of the barriers encountered could have been avoided.
• After providing valuable accessibility education some developers may enjoy making the necessary modifications to incorporate accessibility and inclusion.
• Subsequently after receiving accessibility education some may also recognize the benefits of including accessibility in the upfront design and development plans to save time and money over retrofitting for accessibility after the technology has been released to customers and users start reporting the barriers preventing them from using the technology.
• During the process of resolving accessibility issues some owners may offer alternatives that may work to accomplish the task the person was attempting to do when they experienced the issue.  Although these suggestions may not be an efficient or effective solution and will take much longer for the end user to accomplish the task compared to if the technology was accessible.  
• Some may discourage you from doing what you need to accomplish to enhance your personal life or to advance your professional career instead of modifying the technology to incorporate accessibility.
• When someone discourages you from fully utilizing technology this may make you feel like you’re not worthy of participating in certain technology activities that other people who do not run into accessibility challenges are able to do anytime they feel like it without waiting for external assistance instead of implementing the needed accessibility technology enhancements.
• You may hear that it costs too much money to modify the technology after you submit your issue. Therefore, the owner may elect to sacrifice the ability for all people to use the technology over costs to retrofit the technology for accessibility. If you find you need to wait some time before they possibly address your issue keep in touch with the owner you took valuable time to locate and develop a positive relationship with as they incorporate accessibility in their next release.
• It is best to keep in touch from time to time with the person you reported the issue to since if you do not check in the enhancement request may drop off the enhancement list due to other priorities.
• When talking with some developers or others you may hear them say a person with a disability will never use my technology. You might also hear some developer say this hardware is locked up in a closet and only one person has access to it and that person does not have a disability therefore it does not need to be accessible. You may gently remind the developer it is possible that person who has access to the hardware may no longer be available and you may have another extremely qualified candidate to take over that job function who has a disability. Therefore, you would have been better prepared by making the hardware accessible to be ready for such personnel flexibility. Also, all the software to manage the hardware should be accessible since people anywhere in the world are able to access hardware over the Internet or Intranet using the latest technology.
• Some developers or others may tell you this technology is only for managers, scientists or other professions.  You may need to gently remind them that many people with disabilities hold a large variety of positions and are highly successful in their professions.  
• Subsequently after you communicate an issue you may hear back from the owner that this technology is not theirs and they procured it from an outside vendor. If you have a relationship with the person you contacted, they may be in a better position to influence accessibility enhancements on your behalf if this occurs.
• Although bullying or shaming people into making technology accessible may seem like a good short-term solution it is never ever a positive long-term solution for forming mutual exclusive valuable partnerships. At some point you may require their assistance again and if you did not treat them with respect and kindness in the past, they will be less likely to engage with you the next time you need them.   
• Be patient and listen as you educate the designers and developers regarding accessibility. Treat them with kindness, compassion and respect as you teach them about the technical aspects as well as the value of accessible technology to increase their customer base and customer satisfaction.
• I encourage you to not feel discouraged. Pursue ahead to help the product managers, designers and developers understand how they can improve their technology so it works for all people equally and not just certain people. Also remember it does take time to resolve accessibility issues once they are reported therefore be patient and understanding.
• Although at times you may feel frustrated and discouraged at your progress towards increasing accessibility, think about the countless others you are not aware of who do not have accessibility skills to resolve the issues themselves that you are helping to be more productive.
• Never stop partnering with others to increase accessibility with a kind and understanding attitude.
• At times during the process of resolving an accessibility issue you may feel discouraged, sad and tempted to give up. However, it is best to pursue ahead otherwise progress will not be made.
• If you submit an accessibility enhancement request and do not get a response or updates on progress do not be completely discouraged and feel as if you are resolving accessibility barriers in isolation. Although this is an example of poor customer service, it is possible the people you reported the issue to are making progress “in silence” without responding to you with an update.

Do you have any suggestions for people who are working on resolving accessibility issues in what seems like isolation? Do you have any tips for product managers, designers and developers to encourage them to work on accessibility in the design phase instead of waiting for users to become excluded from using the technology they develop? Do you have any tips to assist those who are new to accessibility so they feel more comfortable at providing accurate and actionable suggestions to developers in order to help them resolve any accessibility issue they report?

Also do you have any suggestions on how to help the user so they do not feel discouraged and frustrated when working on accessibility issues on what seems like their own?

We all look forward to hearing your valuable thoughts and comments to help increase accessibility thus enabling inclusion.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

 

Coaching and Mentoring Can Assist with Leadership and Self Confidence

I am grateful I have been able to provide assistance to people in many ways since I went completely blind almost twenty years ago.  One example is when I accepted a leadership role in an employee resource group a few years ago. I held this position for over five years. During this five-year time period until I decided to step down and turn over the leadership role to another person the membership grew from less than 10 employees from 1 country to more than 125 employees from over 17 countries.  My action of stepping down allowed that other person to practice coaching and leadership. When in this leadership position along with my leadership team I was happy to help inspire leadership, educate and mentor people individually as well as in group settings.

I enjoy writing and publishing stories at my blog to hopefully help in educating and increasing self-confidence for my readers. Although at times I feel some people may get tired of reading the different stories or my experiences. I sense they might think that I am just talking about myself even though I am actually trying to offer assistance by providing examples of what a person can accomplish. In some of my blog posts I also attempt to inspire leadership and self-determination in others through what I write.

It is beneficial to coach or mentor others to assist them in discovering their leadership skills.  I feel the more moral, ethical and compassionate leaders we have in the world the better we all are. Some people may only need a little gentle nudging or encouragement to enable them to demonstrate their ability and skills to blossom into a leader or mentor.

If you enjoy mentoring to develop leadership skills and self-confidence there are many places to locate people looking to increase these skills. For example, there are nonprofit organizations with clients that may be able to use your assistance. There could be a mentoring program within the company you work for. It is also possible you may meet a person at a local area event or a community function.

At the start of this blog post I stated that I have been assisting others for almost twenty years. I am not sure why I was not as involved with helping others prior to losing my eyesight? Maybe I thought I was too busy. I did not work hard or put enough hours or I did not properly prioritize helping others along with my own family.

I recently read an excellent blog post called Leadership is the Art of Releasing Greatness in Others - Leaders Blog that I believe you will enjoy and might be able to leverage some of the helpful hints from it.

Besides leveraging the excellent suggestions in the blog post “Leadership is the Art of Releasing Greatness in Others” below are a few additional points that may assist you. 

• If you work in a company where they have Employee Resource Groups or Affinity Groups consider taking on a leadership role.
• Do not just talk to the person you are assisting without providing time for them to communicate with you. Listen carefully, sensing any non-verbal cues that could help you assist them.   Ask caring direct questions to help you better understand their educational needs and to know them as a person to improve your coaching experience.
• When teaching leadership skills or mentoring others it's best to sometimes let the mentee experience their own difficult challenges if it will not harm them physically.  When coaching self-reliance skills only assist as you feel it is necessary to help the person build self-confidence.
• If you enjoy writing, locate opportunities to coach by your writing.
• When discovering your leadership skills do not forget to leverage your unique skills and techniques you have learned if you happen to be a person with a disability. These unique abilities and viewpoints you possess are extremely valuable and can be leveraged to help you become an effective leader. Also, others can learn and benefit from your unique skills and techniques and how they helped you to overcome any challenges or obstacles you may have encountered to achieve your success.
• If you are disabled and use assistive technology and have the skills to educate others regarding accessibility/usability demonstrate your leadership skills by coaching developers and designers on how to make the tools you use be more accessible.  This will not only help you it will also benefit other people who use assistive technology. If you accomplish your goal with a caring leadership frame of mind, that person you took the time to coach may help educate others to spread the value of accessibility.
• If you have direct contact with product designers and developers provide your expertise to coach them on how to make their products more accessible and usable to more of their customers with disabilities. This leadership action you take can help the product teams increase their customer base by enabling larger numbers of people to use their products more effectively and efficiently.
• If you are disabled and experience an accessibility issue and report the issue with details it is possible the person you reported the issue to might think, because you are disabled, you might be doing something incorrectly and therefor there isn’t an accessibility or usability issue.  This attitude and way of thinking can stem from their lack of knowledge regarding accessibility or disability awareness skills because they have not had the opportunity to further their education on these important topics. Therefore this provides you with an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your leadership skills by educating them on these accessibility issues. By demonstrating your leadership skills through your knowledge on these issues you can show them that this accessibility issue is not due to anything you did “incorrectly.”  However, possibly because of lack of accessibility awareness, it is the designers/developers of the tool/application who did not develop it correctly that actually caused these issues. After you bring these accessibility issues with tips to resolve them to the owner’s attention you might be amazed at how grateful they may be to learn something new.
• Be prepared to receive negative feedback from some of your ideas about coaching others on various difficult projects that your mentee may be attempting to accomplish. For example, some may say nobody has ever done that before or that is not the way it has been done in the past. They might even have other criticisms about your ideas. Therefore if you are helping others ethically and morally you should proceed ahead with care.
• Besides coaching and mentoring others do not be afraid to receive coaching yourself to increase your knowledge of leadership styles and mentoring techniques. This continuous education will enable you to assist others more effectively and efficiently.
• If you're going to have a long-term structured coaching experience be sure to include detailed goals with objectives and timelines to help everybody keep on track for success.
• If you are able to and believe you aren’t too busy you may want to attempt to prioritize and free up a little of your time to help others.

Do you have any suggestions on how to coach and mentor others to help them improve their leadership skills and/or become coaches themselves?  What examples can you share with us to help us coach or mentor others to be effective leaders or coaches with any tips? Do you have any tips for people with short or long term disabilities to harness their unique abilities and to increase their leadership skills?

We all look forward to hearing your valuable thoughts and comments to help us become better moral, ethical and compassionate leaders.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton