Pre-Conference Workshops

Pre-Conference Workshops will be offered on Monday, March 13 for Full-Day and Half-Day workshops. These workshops are designed to give in-depth training on specific topics.

Introduction to Assistive Technology Workshop Bundle

For the 2023 Conference, participants can register for the Introduction to Assistive Technology Workshop Bundle at the full-day workshop fee (a savings of $135 or more) or register for either portion at the half-day workshop fee. The Introduction to Assistive Technology Workshop Bundle includes:

• Assistive Technology Basics
• Maximize AT User Outcomes Using AT Assessments

Workshops

9:00 AM PST

Designing Beautiful Native Assistive Technology Experiences

Full-Day Workshop

Summary

Level: Intermediate

Attendees will come away from this workshop leveling up their Accessibility skills through a deep understanding of their chosen Assistive Technology and how it impacts other users on their chosen platform. While this seems like a lot, this is a course that can be attended by a broad audience. By focusing on empathy for other users from our own perspectives we can see how our own experiences impact others. What we will learn is that by configuring our Assistive Technologies in a testing centric way we can understand how experiences on one technology impact another. Combine this with a little platform knowledge we can take these understandings and communicate them more clearly with others, particularly engineers.

We will accomplish all of this by gradually creating a deeper understanding of Assistive Technologies and how the platform interacts with them by focusing on Empathy with a little side of light platform technical detail. This will be an all day workshop. The first hour will be review for advanced participants as we get on the same page, after this content will be meaningful for a broad audience.

Learning Objectives

• Empathy for All iOS/Android Assistive Technology Users
• Understand the Differences between Native and Web Accessibility
• Introducing Platform Accessibility through an Assistive Technology Lense
• Utilizing Learnings to more Effectively Communicate with Development Teams

Biography

Chris McMeeking

Chris McMeeking is one of the leading Native Mobile Accessibility specialists in the industry and veteran Accessibility Speaker and Trainer. Qualifications include a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from U of M, 10 years of accessibility experience at Deque Systems, contributions to WCAG 2.1, and research contributing to both iOS and Android platform assistive technologies.

PDF Document Testing with NVDA

Full-Day Workshop

Summary

Level: Intermediate

Adobe-certified trainers Chad Chelius and Dax Castro will take you from beginner to confident tester in just a few ours. Just install NVDA and register for the class and we will give you all the tools you need to start testing your documents to ensure good user experiences.

This hands-on lab will kickstart your screen reader capabilities. Every attendee will be given a Screen Reader Shortcut Key Basics cheat sheet and a Testings for Accessibility/Usability Checklist they can use to move through any document with confidence.

Accessibility Topics Covered:

• What is a good/bad user experience
• How user experience differs from WCAG compliance
• NVDA Interface/Settings
• Basic screen reader shortcut keys for success
• How to walk through your document
• Key areas to check in your PDF
• Usability pitfalls almost no one ever catches
• Checking tables for usability

This is a BYOD (Bring your own device) workshop. Attendees will need to have Acrobat Pro and NVDA installed on their computers. You will also need a set of earphones or headphones for the workshop.

Learning Objectives

• Build confidence using a screen reader to test for usability
• Learn the basic checkpoints for PDF usability testing
• Develop evaluation skills to recognize good and bad user experiences

Biography

Dax Castro

Dax Castro is an award-winning, Adobe Certified PDF Accessibility Trainer and certified Accessible Document Specialist (ADS) with more than two decades of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Not only is Dax an accessibility expert with more than 200 hours of training, he is an online influencer, trainer, speaker, and accessibility advocate that pushes the envelope of technology to produce more robust accessible documents. His hobbies include blacksmithing, ostrich egg carving and raising 2 alpaca, 10 rabbits, 20 chickens a desert tortoise, 2 dogs, a cat and more than 400 fish.

Chad Chelius

Chad Chelius is a trainer, author, consultant, and speaker. He resides in the Philadelphia area and has been using Adobe products for over 25 years. He began his career in the design and publishing industry. As an Adobe Certified Instructor and consultant he teaches and advises on all Adobe print and web products, specializing in InDesign and InCopy workflows, Illustrator, automation, and PDF accessibility using InDesign, Word, and Adobe Acrobat. He works with clients both large and small in and outside of the United States, helping them to solve design, workflow, and accessibility challenges using Adobe products. Chad is a LinkedIn Learning author and you can connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Stem to Stern Accessibility

Full-Day Workshop

Summary

Level: Beginner

This workshop is a general overview workshop aimed at everyone involved in IT from executives to PMs, designers, developers, and QA. There is no code in this workshop. At the end of this workshop, you'll know all of the various places to consider accessibility and the best practices for doing so.

Depending on the audience, Accessibility is often treated as either a coding discussion or a compliance discussion, without considering the relationship between the two. Worse, it is almost never discussed as part of the larger discussion of quality. This results in projects that are inaccessible, expensive, and late.

The path to an inclusively-designed and compliant product is paved through the integration of accessibility at all phases of the development lifecycle.

Accessibility must begin and continue through management commitment, vision, and planning, through design and coding, to testing, documentation and delivery. In this workshop, we will explore ways for integrating accessibility into software development. Whether you work in a large or small organization, follow an agile or waterfall process, are experienced or just starting out, this workshop will guide you toward reliably developing accessible and usable products. Integrating accessibility relies on a diverse set of skills across the product-development spectrum, so this workshop is structured to be inclusive and engaging to all skill sets and levels. Your participation will be encouraged through group interaction and shared experiences as we explore the process of building not only an accessible software product, but a culture that sustains cost-effective, ongoing delivery of accessible products.

Learning Objectives

• Understand accessibility's place in project management
• Learn about procuring ICT to ensure accessibility
• Learn about accessible design and development concepts

Biography

Karl Groves

Karl Groves has worked with over 90 of the largest private companies, educational institutions, and federal agencies in the United States and he has trained several hundred developers, QA, design, and product staff at many of these clients. He has also spoken at conferences on accessibility in 15 countries over the last 5 years. His work has won awards ranging from the CUES Diamond Award to a product that was named as one of Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2006. His work has been cited in a dozen books, white papers, and academic research in accessibility.

Assistive Technology Basics

Half-Day Workshop and Part 1 of Introduction to Assistive Technology Workshop Bundle.

Summary

Level: Beginner

Assitive Technology Basics includes a wide discussion of the variety of assistive technology, including the vast array seen here at the CSUN Assitive Technology Conference. This workshop is especially useful to newcomers to the fields of assitive technology and disabilities.

Learning Objectives

• To have a general understanding of AT and be able to describe technologies that support participation, communication, and learning.
• To be able to describe the process for implementation and the conditions that promotes growth or challenges the implementation process.
• To have a general understanding of how to match appropriate AT features to individuals who need support in the areas of participation, communication, and learning.
• To be able to describe how to modify the environment or devices to include AT solutions that support individual functionality in society or in the individual’s environment.
• Understand how to use a variety of F2F & online resources and training opportunities: expand and support your AT knowledge, skills and abilities.

Biography

Rebecca Cagle

Cagle has worked in the assistive technology field for more than 20 years. She has served in many roles related to AT assessment and outcome measures. As a graduate of the CSUN M.S. Assistive Technology Studies and Human Services program Cagle has taught for the CSUN ATHS Master's program since 2016 and brings real-world experience to the classroom. She is credentialed as a job skills trainer, job placement specialist, and supported employment specialist in Texas and teaches courses to employment specialists in these areas in Texas. Cagle is deeply involved in the AT world nationally and internationally. She is an IAAP (International Association of Accessibility Professionals) Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies, a member of the Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe, a National Rehabilitation Association member, and a member of the International Association of Workforce Professionals. She has served on advisory committees such as Vispero, Elsevier publishing, and the American Airlines Arena accessibility committee.

Paula Fuller

Paula Fuller is the Sr. Program Project Coordinator of the University of North Texas – Workplace Inclusion & Sustainable Employment program (UNT-WISE). With extensive experience in training, facilitation, and program development, Paula has been a professional educator and trainer for multiple years. Her specializations include utilizing data and instructional technology to drive program development.  All of Paula's higher education degrees and accolades are in education including her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies and Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Prairie View A&M University and Doctorate of Education in Adult Learning and Leadership from Kansas State University.

This Presentation Link is provided by the Presenter(s) and not hosted by the Center on Disabilities at CSUN. The Center on Disabilities has confirmed, as of March 13, 2023, content linked is relevant to the presentation, but has not been reviewed for accessibility nor will the Center on Disabilities attempt to remediate any accessibility issues in the linked content. Please contact the Presenter(s) with any accessibility concerns.

Accessibility for Designers

Half-Day Workshop

Summary

Level: Intermediate

Good accessibility starts with good design! In this class, you will improve your skills for creating accessible designs, including how to design common UI components, how to write usable screen reader content, and how to annotate designs to help developers. This course is targeted toward visual designers, user experience designers, and content writers, with more emphasis on websites than native apps.  Examples of how code and ARIA influence design will be discussed, but no programming knowledge is necessary. As part of the course, we will discuss an accessibility checklist for designers, presenting examples drawn from years of coaching design teams on designing usable, accessible websites and apps.  We will practice applying concepts using Figma to annotate web mockups (screenshot versions will also be available for those that prefer not to use Figma).

Learning Objectives

• Understand accessibility for patterns like cards, floating buttons, responsive tables, and carousels.
• Understand annotations to set developers up for success, including headings, order, labels, and screen reader text.
• Understand how to identify non-text visuals that must pass contrast checks.
• Understand how to write usable screen reader content for buttons, links, icons, chevrons, and tooltip controls.

Biography

Miranda Capra

Miranda is a Certified Professional in Web Accessibility from the IAAP and has a PhD in Human Factors. She has been conducting audits and coaching both designers and developers since 2013, and has moderated a few usability tests with people with visual disabilities. She is currently Director of Inclusive Design and Accessibility at Truist, a bank with 2700+ branches in 16 states. She is a co-author of the corporation’s digital accessibility policy and leads a team that coaches hundreds of designers and developers in accessibility practice and compliance. She has also worked closely with the Truist Design System team to build an accessible foundation for all of the company’s digital platforms. Prior to switching to accessibility full-time, Miranda spent 15 years moderating usability tests.

1:30 PM PST

Maximize AT User Outcomes Using AT Assessments

Half-Day Workshop and Part 2 of Introduction to Assistive Technology Workshop Bundle.

Summary

Level: Intermediate

Participants will be provided an in-depth look and in-workshop use of several Assistive Technology (AT) assessment tools appropriate for employment and pre-employment considerations. The purpose of the workshop is to provide AT professionals with an overview and experience with several AT assessments. AT services and provision should provide an interdisciplinary approach. Assessments offer a platform for service delivery that provides consistent, usable data, justification, and accountability for the employer, employee, and service provider. Thereby effectively matching the users’ needs, characteristics, and preferences.

Learning Objectives

• Learn the concepts of AT services and AT assessments based on AT laws
• Identify obstacles to adoption or factors that might lead to abandonment
• Develop outcome measures to determine user satisfaction and utilization as well as the efficacy of the device
• Understand factors which make up an AT assessment

Biography

Rebecca Cagle

Cagle has worked in the assistive technology field for more than 20 years. She has served in many roles related to AT assessment and outcome measures. As a graduate of the CSUN M.S. Assistive Technology Studies and Human Services program Cagle has taught for the CSUN ATHS Master's program since 2016 and brings real-world experience to the classroom. She is credentialed as a job skills trainer, job placement specialist, and supported employment specialist in Texas and teaches courses to employment specialists in these areas in Texas. Cagle is deeply involved in the AT world nationally and internationally. She is an IAAP (International Association of Accessibility Professionals) Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies, a member of the Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe, a National Rehabilitation Association member, and a member of the International Association of Workforce Professionals. She has served on advisory committees such as Vispero, Elsevier publishing, and the American Airlines Arena accessibility committee.

Paula Fuller

Paula Fuller is the Sr. Program Project Coordinator of the University of North Texas – Workplace Inclusion & Sustainable Employment program (UNT-WISE). With extensive experience in training, facilitation, and program development, Paula has been a professional educator and trainer for multiple years. Her specializations include utilizing data and instructional technology to drive program development.  All of Paula's higher education degrees and accolades are in education including her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies and Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Prairie View A&M University and Doctorate of Education in Adult Learning and Leadership from Kansas State University.

Mobile Accessibility Testing Methodology

Half-Day Workshop

Summary

Level: Intermediate

Unfortunately, when developing WCAG2, the Working Group did not envision the current world where mobile is almost ubiquitous. For example, on a mobile device there is no continual access to a keyboard (unless someone is using it as an add-on to the device – or using a Blackberry Classic). WCAG2 requires that all content be accessible to the keyboard interface, but it does not require that all content be accessible to a mouse or to a touchscreen user – which is essential on a mobile device.

In this 3-hour Mobile Site and Native App Accessibility Testing Workshop, digital accessibility expert Gian Wild talks about the unique accessibility issues on mobile sites and mobile apps, including hover traps, VoiceOver swipe traps and zoom traps.

Accessibility is important to all – not everyone using your mobile app, device or wearable will be fully functioning either because they have a disability, or they are simply engaged elsewhere. Gian discusses the things that are essential to avoid when designing mobile apps, devices and wearables to ensure that everyone can use them.

This 3-hour workshop includes:

• Mobile Accessibility Failures
• The importance of mobile accessibility
• How mobile accessibility differs from desktop accessibility
• Accessibility features inherent in mobile devices
• Mobile accessibility and relationship to WCAG2 and WCAG2.1
• A detailed review of the Mobile Site Accessibility Testing Guidelines and the Native App Accessibility Testing Guidelines
• How to test mobile sites, depending on whether they are responsive, m.dot or desktop sites
• How to test native apps, including which OS and browser combinations to use

Each attendee will be provided with:

• The PowerPoint slides;
• The Mobile Site Accessibility Guidelines, along with test cases an example passes and fails;
• The Native App Accessibility Guidelines, along with test cases an example passes and fails;
• Links to articles; and
• Six months' access to OzWiki, AccessibilityOz's database of accessibility errors, solutions, examples and code.

What attendees should bring:

• A mobile or tablet device
• Headphones
• Laptop

 What participants will learn by attending this workshop:

• The importance of mobile accessibility
• How mobile accessibility differs from desktop accessibility
• What an inaccessible mobile site or native app looks like
• How to use assistive technologies, such as screen readers, grayscale and increase text on mobile devices
• How to test a mobile site or native app for accessibility compliance

Learning Objectives

• Learn about mobile testing and why WCAG2 and WCAG2.1 are not yet sufficient to ensure mobile sites and native apps are accessibl
• Learn what to test (devices, assistive technologies) and how to identify pages / iterations of a site or native app to test and
• Identify the new traps that occur in mobile sites and native apps
• Get hands-on experience in using the new test process

Biography

Gian Wild

Gian Wild is the CEO of AccessibilityOz, with offices in the United States, Europe and Australia. She has worked in the accessibility industry since 1998, when she worked on the very first accessible Australian web site. Her major achievements include: six years’ active membership in the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group contributing to WCAG2; her speech on the importance of web accessibility at the United Nations Conference of State Parties in 2015; and the release of the ICT Mobile Site and Native App Accessibility Testing Guidelines as the Mobile Sub-Committee Chair of the ICT Accessibility Testing Symposium. In 2019, Gian won the inaugural Accessibility Person of the Year in Australia. Gian speaks at conferences in Australia, the US, Canada, South America and Europe.