Join us for a series of lightning talks discussing digital accessibility and the needs and preferences of users with disabilities.
What's it all about?
Come and enjoy an evening of lightning talks discussing the following accessibility topics:
Topic 1: Towards Possibility!
Living in a VUCA world where volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity are the norm, nothing has made this clearer to us than the dramatic impact of COVID 19. To create a truly accessible society for all we need a new way to think about the world, and that new frame is the Possibility world view!
Topic 2: Moving from Accessibility Guidelines to Documentation Driven
Development
Discussion of BBC's shift to using a more component based
approach to accessibility.
Topic 3: Even Old Typists …
A professional communicator, speaker and
former typist who resisted changing her inaccessible ways for many years until she found
sound, logical reasons to do so. Now j keen to pass those reasons onto you.
Topic 4: Top 5 a11y mistakes I used to make
Common mistakes that many
make when getting started in addressing accessibility within large teams and how to avoid
them.
Topic 5: Why yes, I also need a screen reader
Lived experience of a
sighted screen reader user and how he has used his condition to an advantage.
Topic 6: Finding the needle in the haystack: Helping web accessibility practitioners
understand and deliver on accessibility
Guidelines for making websites
accessible to people with diverse abilities have been published in New Zealand for nearly 20
years. For the last 17 years, it’s been mandatory for core NZ government organisations to
meet requirements for accessibility. Despite this, and even though digital accessibility is
crucial to the health, safety and human rights of disabled people, year after year public
sector websites fail to meet the requirements, continuing to provide government information
and services with basic and critical accessibility issues. Looking at this problem from the
perspective of practitioners, 3 questions Tamsin’s team are seeking to answer will be
discussed.
View the event website for more information.
You should be present for the whole duration of this event.
This event uses an external ticketing provider. You will be redirected to their ticketing system once you click to book.
Wednesday 29 Jul
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Speakers
Minnie Baragwanath
Minnie and her team and board established Be. Accessible, a social change agency committed to the creation of a 100% accessible New Zealand which led to the transformation into the Be. Lab and established what was to become the Centre of Possibility @ AUT. Minnie has been awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit, the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award, the Westpac Women of Influence Diversity award, the 2019 Zonta Centenary women’s award and was placed as a top 10 finalist for the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.
In 2004 Gareth joined BBC New Media (now BBC Future Media) where he founded
the Digital Accessibility Team.
Over the next 2 years The Accessibility Team developed the BBC's
Accessibility Standards V1.0 for bbc.co.uk, the research which enabled
subtitling and Audio Description on BBC iPlayer, the BBC’s online subtitling
editorial guidelines and ensured the BBC iPlayer (v1 and v2) was the most
accessible online VOD service in the world, launching with full screen
reader access, subtitles, signed content and on v2 the first Audio Described
content.
In 2008 Gareth moved from online to IPTV accessibility. He became the
Accessibility Specialist in the product team for Project Canvas, which later
became YouView.
In May 2011 he returned to the BBC to re-bulid the Usability and
Accessibility Teams and since 2012 has headed up the Accessibility Team
full-time.
Gareth sits on several internal management groups including; the diversity
groups for the BBC North and BBC Future Media Divisions, Future Media's
Senior Leadership Team and the Creative Leadership team, as well as pan-BBC
groups for Accessibility
Kylee Maloney
Kylee is a keen and experienced Toastmaster, an international award-winning former broadcaster and access evangelist who also uses assistive technology.
Maz Hermon
Maz is passionate about the web and enjoys continuously learning about ways to create performant, accessible, enjoyable and usable solutions for the web. He is currently working on a large Angular project as part of a large team with Trade Me, including main site, the supporting design system & component library which has been built from the ground up over the past four+ years.
Carl Non
Carl is an experienced Coach, Scrum Master and Tester which includes working with Government based clients, banks, insurance companies and the construction industry. His approach is balanced with understanding the struggles that technical teams could face, while also still placing an emphasis on what works for them rather than applying a "one size fits all" approach.
Tamsin Ewing
Tamsin has over 10 years’ experience working on public sector websites. Her work is informed by principles in design thinking, design sprints, UX, inclusive design and service design. She’s currently a content designer and web accessibility advisor at the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) in Wellington. This year, she’s leading an initiative to improve guidance on meeting the NZ Government Web Accessibility Standard so that digital information and services are accessible to all.
Schedule
We are living in a VUCA world right now where volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity are the norm and nothing has made this clearer to us as a society than the dramatic impact of COVID 19. If we are to create a truly accessible society for all including those living with access needs we need a new way to think about the world, and that new frame is the Possibility world view! The Global Centre of Possibility @ AUT www.gcop.co.nz, is working to push the limits of what accessible design and innovation can look and feel like for 2020 and beyond including in the digital space!
The BBC are shifting to using a more component based approach to accessibility. Why? How?
Kylee Maloney is a professional communicator, speaker and former Typist who resisted changing her inaccessible ways for many years until she found sound, logical reasons to do so. Now she’s keen to pass those reasons onto you.
Common mistakes that many make when getting started in addressing accessibility within large teams and how to avoid them.
Lived experience of a sighted screenreader user and how he has used his condition to an advantage.
Guidelines for making websites accessible to people with diverse abilities have been published in New Zealand for nearly 20 years. For the last 17 years it’s been mandatory for core NZ government organisations to meet requirements for accessibility. Despite this, and even though digital accessibility is crucial to the health, safety and human rights of disabled people, year after year public sector websites fail to meet the requirements, continuing to provide government information and services with basic and critical accessibility issues.
Looking at this problem from the perspective of practitioners, 3 questions Tamsin’s team is seeking to answer are:
1. How might we help practitioners quickly understand what’s required to make their web work conform with WCAG 2.1, best practice guidance, and incorporating digital accessibility work into BAU.
2. How might we help practitioners easily incorporate critical accessibility techniques into their everyday tasks?
3. How might we help practitioners clearly identify the best practice guidance that’s already out there?
Tamsin will also give a short overview of 3 other pieces of work government is doing to improve the accessibility of government online information and services.
Book now
This event uses an external ticketing provider. You will be redirected to their ticketing system once you click to book.
Brought to you by
Sponsors
Similar events
A New Beginning: Purpose-driven, Resilient and Adaptable with Business 4.0™
Technology Disruptions in the New Normal
A Lead in the New Beginning – Banking & Insurance
Transforming the banking and insurance industry using technology to accelerate response while staying true to values and vision.
5G and New Zealand: what will it take to become the first ‘Smart Country’?
Explore what 5G could mean for Aotearoa - our society, our economy and our role on the
global stage where our distance barrier is removed.
A Few Quiet Yarns
AFQY has run No Selling Technology networking events for 12 years; connecting the tech industry through authentic conversations.