11:20–12:00
Embedding a11y in your design process
A presentation about humans, perception and some philosophical questions. And lots of illustrationsn/comics. Did you know that the old greeks (back at homers time) did not have a word for the color blue? Hard to imagine, isn't it? Perception must be learned.
Essentially, Annabelle's presentation will be about showing how perceptions have changed over time. What things do we take for granted today? Language shapes our world. That's why it's so important to speak out and openly address problems. Be the change you want to see in the world. That sounds so cheesy, but is true. Today, accessibility on the web may be a special thing, a difference from the norm. But we can shape this norm, sharpen our perception and be the change we want to see.
- Nasia Makrygianni
12:10–12:50
Decoding the Impact: Accessibility Overlays Through a Scientific Lens
Accessibility overlays are heavily criticised within the accessibility community regarding their effectiveness and whether they meet the needs of the intended user group. This talk details the impact accessibility overlays actually have on usability and user experience, backed by academic research.
Access to digital information is crucial for social inclusion and equal opportunities. Unfortunately, most websites contain accessibility errors, creating a significant barrier for users with impairments. Accessibility overlays have emerged as a potential solution. However, despite their intended benefits and rapid market growth, accessibility overlays face significant criticism within the accessibility community. Various voices question their effectiveness and whether they meet the needs of the intended user group. This talk details the actual impact accessibility overlays have on usability and user experience, backed by recent academic research. The results of a technical evaluation and research conducted with individuals with permanent visual impairments will be presented and discussed, adding new and supplementary information to the discussion.
- Daniela Kubesch
14:00–14:40
Modern CSS Upgrades To Improve Accessibility
Modern CSS provides capabilities we can leverage to make layouts and components more accessibly inclusive for users of all abilities across any device. You'll learn about adjustments to focus states, spacing, color, and more.
CSS features and behaviors have grown exponentially over the past few years, so let's dive into features that can enhance the accessibility of interactive experiences. Most features are well supported across evergreen browsers so you can start using them right away! Others make for excellent progressive enhancements, meaning they will provide an even more optimal experience when used in a supporting browser. We'll also sneak a peek at incoming features that directly impact accessibility, and that you can provide feedback on to the CSS Working Group. While encouraging the development of inclusive experiences is the goal of this talk, you're sure to learn some new things about CSS to extend and apply in multiple scenarios.
- Stephanie Eckles
14:50–15:30
“Built-in” accessibility: blessing or curse?
There's talk of “building in” accessibility, but the risk of overpromise and disappointment is real. This talk proposes some ways to be effective at removing barriers from your products at scale.
“We'll build in accessibility”, they say. Whether it's in standards, browser functionality, web platform features or design system components … the resulting reality could be anywhere from an enormous opportunity to a huge disappointment. There's something at stake here. And as an accessibility specialist, you should probably ask questions. In this talk, we'll look at how “built in” can be effective and how it helps NL Design System to remove barriers at scale.
- Hidde de Vries
15:40–16:20
Android Accessibility: Do or Do
This presentation shows the main accessibility problems users face and what to do with them.
It is more convenient for blind people to use a smartphone than a computer! Of course, this statement is not true for everyone, but there are more and more smartphone users, and mobile operating systems are very quickly developing an accessible environment. Creating an application and uploading it to the store is also becoming easier. But these apps are often inaccessible to users with disabilities and do not work properly with accessibility settings (such as larger fonts). Glafira will go through the main problems that users face and tell you what to do with them.
- Glafira Zhur
16:30–17:10
Navigating the Accessibility Journey: From Proof-of-Concept to Organisation Model
This talk will explore how to integrate accessibility into design and development processes. Anastasiia will share not just their successes but also the mistakes they made. Learn about raising awareness, building a team, planning, and the challenge of convincing stakeholders.
With the European Accessibility Act coming up in June 2025, it’s likely you’ll need to start thinking more about making your products accessible. How do you get started, and who will help you do it? Anastasiia will share her journey of promoting accessibility within the organization: starting from initial advocacy and awareness, to executing a proof-of-concept that demonstrated the tangible benefits, and finally, developing a comprehensive strategy to integrate accessibility across the entire department. The presentation will cover the practical steps taken, challenges encountered, and valuable lessons learned along the way. This session is for anyone who wants to know how to build a team, pitch a vision, and scale accessibility practices effectively within an organization.
- Anastasiia Batarei