Supporting employment with accessible communications Dr Scott Hollier National Disability Summit 2015

2

• Australia’s only independent not-for-profit organisation devoted to increasing access to media for people with disabilities

• Provides expert knowledge and advice on existing and emerging mainstream technologies

• Works as a catalyst for change in multiple areas of access

Who is Media Access Australia?

Who am I?

• Professional: • Manager, Major Projects • W3C Advisory Committee

• Academic: • Edith Cowan University, Adjunct Lecturer • PhD thesis ‘The Disability Divide’

• Personal: Legally blind, first-hand knowledge of access issues

Top three ICT employment questions we get asked

• What is the best way to provide ICT support to job seekers with disabilities, including job interviews?

• How can employers ensure the recruitment process and workplace environment is accessible?

• How does the NDIS fit into all this?

Disability and technology: three important factors

•  Mainstream computers and mobile devices include a wealth of accessibility features

•  Web accessibility is critical in making assistive technologies work

•  NDIA processes, both current and proposed procurement, favour specialist products and vendors over mainstream

Finding employment: advice for job seekers

•  Get familiar with accessibility features of popular computer and mobile OS

•  Find out what mainstream ICT the potential employer uses

•  Be prepared to explain how you use a computer and your AT

•  Free AT may be a good stop-gap measure

Finding employment: advice for employers

•  Ads: never use a scanned PDF

•  Interview: give candidates a chance to explain ICT needs

•  Be open to different interview techniques

•  Keep your organisation's ICT up to date

ICT accessibility in the workplace: Windows 7/8.1

•  Change the icon and text size •  Mouse pointer size & movement •  High contrast colour themes •  ToggleKeys •  Visual alerts •  On-screen keyboard •  Magnifier (touch-enabled in 8) •  Narrator screen reader (better in 8) •  NVDA: free alternative to Narrator

ICT accessibility in the workplace: Mac

Improvements over Windows: • Better screen reader

VoiceOver • Braille display support However… • VoiceOver doesn’t work with

the Office suite, works mostly with OpenOffice for Mac

ICT accessibility in the workplace: iOS & Watch

iOS (IPhone/iPad) •  Great access: VoiceOver, zoom,

captioned video, colour changes. •  App compatibility improving,

AppleVis good crowdsourcing advice website

Apple Watch: •  Includes some iOS features such as

VoiceOver, zoom, audio in one ear

ICT accessibility in the workplace: Android

Google Android phone and tablets: •  Talkback screen reader,

magnifier, colour contrast adjustments (5.x), global caption support

•  Good third-party apps like BIG Launcher

•  More affordable than Apple

However… •  Only really a viable alternative if

running Android 4.2+

Support in the workplace: Policy

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA recommended by AHRC

• Relevant to Section 24 of DDA 1992 • Requirements of UNCRPD • Also an ISO standard

Support in the workplace: Web presence

• Focus on WCAG 2.0 implementation • Guidelines include:

• Alternative text on images • Captioned video • Colour contrast ratios • Keyboard accessible • Enough time to complete process • Easy to find things • Avoid and correct mistakes

Support in the workplace: Documents

• Consider the best document format (HTML, Word, PDF)

• HTML: avoid ‘click here’, be descriptive

• Word: use styles and built-in accessibility checker (2010/2013)

• PDF: use tagging and create from accessible source

Support in workplace: Social media

• Dedicated accessibility teams at Facebook and Twitter

• Use Twitter hashtags such as #a11y for accessibility

• AT helpdesk for Facebook • Easy Chirp for Twitter • Keyboard shortcuts for Skype •  Improved caption support on

YouTube

NDIS and employment

•  Employment a focus of NDIS goals •  Where possible, participants should

consider their ICT needs and who is appropriate assessor

•  Check that service provider responsible for assessment is aware of the your preferred solution

•  Specifically state ICT needs in goals

17

Service Providers Accessibility Guide:

Quick reference guide for accessible communications

Free resource for service providers

18

• Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility • Six week online course • Tertiary backed, delivered by UniSA and

Media Access Australia • For ICT professionals to integrate web

accessibility into work practices

Visit: mediaaccess.org.au/learn

Professional development in web accessibility

19

• Digital Accessibility Maturity Assessment

• Accessible content workshops • Website testing and auditing • Document remediation

Free advice: Geoff Knight Business Development Manage E-mail: geoff.knight@mediaaccess.org.au

Need help with digital accessibility issues?

Further information

• E-mail: scott.hollier@mediaaccess.org.au

• Telephone: • (02) 9212 6242 (head office) • (08) 9311 8230 (direct)

• Website: www.mediaaccess.org.au • Twitter: @mediaaccessaus