El lenguaje del tacto

El mundo en tres sentidos es un especial del periódico lainformacion.com que dedicó a la sordoceguera.

El segundo vídeo, El lenguaje del tacto:

Las manos son los ojos y los oídos de un sordociego. Se comunican con el mundo gracias a dos sistemas básicos: el dactilológico y la lengua de signos apoyada.

Libro Designing with progressive enhacement

Acabo de leer el libro Designing with progressive enhancement. La descripción del libro dice:

Progressive enhancement is an approach to web development that aims to deliver the best possible experience to the widest possible audience — whether your users are viewing your sites on an iPhone, a high-end desktop system, a Kindle, or hearing them on a screen-reader, their experience should be as fully featured and functional as possible.

Traducido al castellano:

La mejora progresiva es un enfoque para el desarrollo web que tiene como objetivo ofrecer la mejor experiencia posible a la mayor audiencia posible, ya sea que los usuarios están viendo sus sitios web en un iPhone, en un ordenador de gama alta, o en un Kindle, o escucharlos con un lector de pantallas (screen reader), su experiencia debería incluir todas las características y funciones como sea posible.

Recomiendo este libro porque muestra un interés especial por la accesibilidad web. Por ejemplo:

But this bounty of Internet riches has downside: while advanced interactions tend to work beautifully on the newest browsers that support advanced CSS and JavaScript, there's a whole universe of web-enabled devices -from the newest Kindle or Wii gaming system to a wide range of older computers and mobile phones- that have limited or no support for these features, and can be left with a broken and unusable experience. And even with a modern browser, sites can exclude blind or vision-impaired users if web developers don't take care to support keyboard interaction and layer in specific accessibility features required by screen-reader software and other assistive devices.

Traducido al castellano:

Pero esta abundancia de las riquezas de Internet tiene inconveniente: mientras que las interacciones avanzadas tienden a trabajar muy bien en los más nuevos navegadores que soporten CSS avanzado y JavaScript, hay todo un universo de dispositivos-desde la web habilitada la nueva coleccion de juegos Kindle o Wii a una amplia gama de los equipos más antiguos y los teléfonos móviles-que no tienen soporte para estas características limitadas o, y pueden resultar con alguna experiencia roto e inservible. E incluso con un navegador moderno, los sitios pueden excluir a los usuarios ciegos o con problemas de visión, si los desarrolladores web no cuidan para apoyar la interacción del teclado y de la capa en las características específicas de accesibilidad que precisa el software lector de pantalla y otros dispositivos de asistencia.

Consejos para que el audio y el vídeo sea accesible

En Making Audio and Video Media Accessible del W3C se explica cómo crear contenido multimedia accesible:

Accessible audio and video is essential for people with disabilities, and benefits organizations. Depending on the content of your media, it might need captions/subtitles (a text version of the audio that is shown synchronized in the media player), a transcript (a separate text version of the audio), audio description of visual information (usually an additional audio stream that describes important visual content), or other accessibility functionality/features.

La semántica lo es todo para la accesibilidad web

En Semantics to Screen Readers se explica:

Assistive technologies (ATs), which are hardware and software that help us perceive and interact with digital content, come in diverse forms. ATs can use a whole host of user input, ranging from clicks and keystrokes to minor muscle movements. ATs may also present digital content in a variety of forms, such as Braille displays, color-shifted views, and decluttered user interfaces (UIs). 

One more commonly known type of AT is the screen reader. Programs such as JAWS, Narrator, NVDA, and VoiceOver can take digital content and present it to users through voice output, may display this output visually on the user’s screen, and can have Braille display and/or screen magnification capabilities built in. 

If you make websites, you may have tested your sites with a screen reader. But how do these and other assistive programs actually access your content? What information do they use? We’ll take a detailed step-by-step view of how the process works.

El artículo incluye estas figuras:

Cómo hacer accesible el típico menú de la hamburguesa

El ejemplo de Accessible Slide Menu es totalmente accesible mediante teclado.

Cómo hacer botones de radio y casillas de verificación accesibles

En Under-Engineered Custom Radio Buttons and Checkboxen:

I keep seeing overly-complex controls with additional elements as style hooks, scripting to make up for non-semantic replacements, images that need to be downloaded, and so on.

This is silly. Here are some really simple styles to make radio buttons and checkboxes look unlike native controls (which seems to be the main goal from these over-engineered attempts).

Propósito de año nuevo: NO USES PLACEHOLDER

En este año nuevo, por favor, no uses el atributo placeholder. O si lo usas, úsalo correctamente.

Ya he escrito sobre placeholder varias veces, por ejemplo, Cómo joder a la gente con el placeholder. Sí, cuando usas placeholder, normalmente lo usas mal y le estás jodiendo la vida a un montón de personas.

¿No me crees? Lee Don’t Use The Placeholder Attribute:

The placeholder attribute contains a surprising amount of issues that prevent it from delivering on what it promises. Let’s clarify why you need to stop using it.

Asqatasun

Asqatasun es una herramienta de evaluación de la accesibilidad web de software libre (open source). La descripción de la herramienta dice:

Asqatasun is the leading opensource software for web accessibility (#a11y) since 2007. Built with reliability in mind, it also addresses SEO concerns, and is extensible to any other domain.
Asqatasun provides a huge level of automation and can be included in Continuous Integration thanks to its Jenkins Plugin.

Lista de cursos sobre accesibilidad web

En Accessibility Courses hay una lista muy completa de cursos sobre accesibilidad web:

University (Paid)

• Central Washington University (CWU) Program dedicated to increasing awareness for accessibility issues
• Georgia Institute of Technology: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Accessibility Verified Certificate
• Media Access Australia (W3C Member): Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility
• Mohawk College: Ontario College Graduate Certificate in Accessible Media Production
• University of Illinois DRES IT Accessibility Badging Program
• University of Illinois Information Accessibility Design and Policy (IADP): Certificate Program
• University of South Australia: Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility
• Ryerson University: The Chang School: Web Accessibility Auditing and Reporting
• Ryerson University: The Chang School: Web Accessibility for Developers

Private (Paid)

• 4syllables's Accessibility for web writers
• Deque University - Note: PwD are eligible for scholarships
• Level Access (previously SSB Bart Group) - Access University
• Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Institute for Professional Development Accessibility Track
• Pacellio Group - TPG Tutor
• Pluralsight - Making a Web Form Accessible
• Pluralsight - Meeting Web Accessibility Guidelines (Section 508/ WCAG 2.0)
• Siteimprove Academy
• Styles in MS Word: A Primer for Accessible Document Design, the Course!
• Team Treehouse - Web Accessibility Compliance
• UX Foundations: Accessibility
• WebAIM's Web Accessibility Training

Conferences & Events

• A11Y Project Events
  • A11yTO
  • A11yCamp Australia
• Accessing Higher Ground
• Accessible by Design
• ASSETS: ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility
• CSUN Assistive Technology Conference
• Environments for Humans' Accessibility Summit
• Inclusive Design 24 (#ID24):
  • October 2019 Playlist (YouTube)
  • October 2018 Playlist (YouTube)
  • November 2017 Playlist (YouTube)
  • June 2017 Playlist (YouTube)
  • 2016 Playlist (YouTube)
  • 2014 Playlist (YouTube)
• Knowbility's AccessU
• Web4All

Free

• Accessibility MOOC - Inclusive Online Course Design
• Digital Accessibility as a Business Practice
• Future Learn - Digital Accessibility: Enabling Participation in the Information Society
• Google's Udacity Accessibility course (text version)
• Google's Udacity Web Accessibility - Developing with Empathy
• Microsoft's Training teachers to author accessible content
• Professional Web #A11y Auditing Made Easy
• Start Building Accessible Web Applications Today, by Marcy Sutton
• Teach Access
• UC Berkeley Intro to Course #Accessibility - 6 modules on designing accessible content
• Open.edu: Assistive technologies and online learning
• Ryerson University & Canvas.net: Web Accessibility for Developers
• University of Colorado Boulder & Coursera: Basics of Inclusive Design for Online Education
• Minnesota IT Services: Accessible Word Document Training
• UNICEF Agora Training on Web Accessibility

Webinars

• 3playmedia
• Accessibility Association
• Accessibility Talks (A11Y Talks) - Virtual meetup and video series

Educational Videos

• 3playmedia's Videos
• A11ycasts with Rob Dodson
• Debugging Accessibility with Alice Boxhall
• Marcy Sutton's Accessibility Presentations
• State of Texas Creating Accessible Microsoft Office Documents

Meetups

Also refer to the AccessMeetups Twitter list by Web Axe and this other meetup list by Deborah Edwards-Onoro.

• Accessibility DC
• Boston Accessibility
• Buffalo Accessibility Meet-up (Buffa11y)
• Chicago Digital Accessibility and Inclusive Design
• London Accessibility Meetup
• Montreal's web accessibility & inclusive design meet-up
• Mid-MO Web Accessibility Meetup
• New York City A11yNYC
• Ottawa a11yYOW
• Portland Accessibility and User Experience Meetup
• Quebec City a11yQC
• Raleigh-Durham a11yRTP
• role=drinks
• role=drinks Hamburg
• San Francisco
• Seattle Area Accessibility & Inclusive Design
• Toronto a11yTO - both a meetup and a conference
• Web Accessibility & Inclusive Design - Sydney
• Web Accessibility & Inclusive Design - Melbourne
• Digital Accessibility and Inclusive Design Meetup - Auckland

Certificates

• International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) Certification
• Media Access Australia (W3C Member): Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility
• Mohawk College: Ontario College Graduate Certificate in Accessible Media Production

Vendor Materials

• Chrome & Chrome OS Accessibility (on YouTube)

For More Information

• Books, tutorials & blogs here
• Follow these people on Twitter
• A11ySlack Slack Channel

Metadatos sobre accesibilidad

En la página Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (pero supongo que ocurrirá también en otras páginas de esta editorial) he encontrado algo muy interesante:

Parece que hace uso de Schema.org para indicar las características de accesibilidad. En concreto, las propiedades de CreativeWork:

ccessMode	Text	The human sensory perceptual system or cognitive faculty through which a person may process or perceive information. Expected values include: auditory, tactile, textual, visual, colorDependent, chartOnVisual, chemOnVisual, diagramOnVisual, mathOnVisual, musicOnVisual, textOnVisual.
accessModeSufficient	ItemList	A list of single or combined accessModes that are sufficient to understand all the intellectual content of a resource. Expected values include: auditory, tactile, textual, visual.
accessibilityAPI	Text	Indicates that the resource is compatible with the referenced accessibility API (WebSchemas wiki lists possible values).
accessibilityControl	Text	Identifies input methods that are sufficient to fully control the described resource (WebSchemas wiki lists possible values).
accessibilityFeature	Text	Content features of the resource, such as accessible media, alternatives and supported enhancements for accessibility (WebSchemas wiki lists possible values).
accessibilityHazard	Text	A characteristic of the described resource that is physiologically dangerous to some users. Related to WCAG 2.0 guideline 2.3 (WebSchemas wiki lists possible values).
accessibilitySummary	Text	A human-readable summary of specific accessibility features or deficiencies, consistent with the other accessibility metadata but expressing subtleties such as "short descriptions are present but long descriptions will be needed for non-visual users" or "short descriptions are present and no long descriptions are needed."

Podemos encontrar más información sobre esto en WebSchemas/Accessibility del W3C.

Deque University

La consultora de accesibilidad web Deque ofrece Deque University, un servicio de enseñanza de la accesibilidad web. Entre sus cursos aparece:

• Fundamentals:
• Accessibility Fundamentals: Disabilities, Guidelines, and Laws
• Designing an Accessible User Experience
• Basic Web and Document Accessibility for Content Contributors
• Section 508: Fundamentals of the Law and Technical Standards
• IAAP CPACC (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies) Exam Preparation:
• IAAP CPACC Certification Preparation Course
• Web Accessibility:
• Semantic Structure and Navigation
• Images, SVG, and Canvas
• Visual Design and Colors
• Responsive Design and Zoom
• Multimedia, Animations, and Motion
• Device-Independent User Input Methods
• Form Labels, Instructions, and Validation
• Dynamic Updates, AJAX, Single Page Apps
• Custom JavaScript/ARIA Widgets
• Web Accessibility Testing: Screen Readers
• Web Accessibility Testing: Basic Methods and Tools
• Web Accessibility Testing: WCAG Conformance Testing, Detailed Methodology
• Document Accessibility:
• Basic Web and Document Accessibility for Content Contributors
• MS Word Accessibility
• MS PowerPoint Accessibility
• MS Excel Accessibility
• InDesign Accessibility
• PDF Accessibility
• EPUB Accessibility
• Accessibility Management:
• Accessibility Program Management
• Native Mobile App Accessibility:
• iOS Mobile App Accessibility
• Android Mobile App Accessibility

Sobre el uso correcto de figure y figcaption

En How do you figure? se explica el uso correcto de las etiquetas figure y figcaption:

A figcaption is not a substitute for alt text
Regarding images used within figures, one of the biggest misunderstandings of using a figcaption is that it’s used in place of image alternative text. Such a practice is outlined in HTML 5.2 as being a last ditch effort to convey meaningful information, but only when images are published without an author being able to provide appropriate alt text.
From the guidance of HTML 5.2:
Such cases are to be kept to an absolute minimum. If there is even the slightest possibility of the author having the ability to provide real alternative text, then it would not be acceptable to omit the alt attribute.
A figcaption is meant to provide a caption or summary to a figure, relating it back to the document the figure is contained within, or conveying additional information that may not be directly apparent from reviewing the figure itself.
If an image is given an empty alt, then the figcaption is in effect describing nothing. And that doesn’t make much sense, does it?

Y el artículo realiza un análisis del soporte de estas dos etiquetas por parte de varios lectores de pantalla.

Accessibility Conformance Testing (ACT)

Accessibility Conformance Testing (ACT) Rules Format 1.0 es un nuevo estándar del W3C que tiene como objetivo:

ACT Rules Format defines a format for writing accessibility test rules. These rules can then be shared, compared, and implemented by developers of automated testing tools and manual testing methodologies. This contributes to a common set of rules and harmonized interpretation of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). More info is in the ACT Overview at https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/act/

W3C groups are providing vetted testing rules that follow the ACT Rules Format.

• Rules that are formally published by W3C WAI are listed in the Overview page: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/act/#act-rules-repository
• Suggested rules in development by the ACT Rules Community Group are listed at: https://act-rules.github.io/rules/

Análisis del selector de fechas

En Collecting dates in an accessible way se ofrece un análisis exhaustivo de cuál es la mejor forma de seleccionar una fecha en una página web:

Currently, providing a usable and accessible method for collecting dates in forms is fraught with difficulty. Due to the lack of consistent and accessible support for input type=”date”, and the difficulty of finding date-pickers that are accessible to keyboard users and screen reader users, is it safest to just go back to using text boxes and dropdowns?
I believe you must include the include the ability for the user to enter a date using a text box or dropdowns – for keyboard-only users and screen reader users this is still the best and easiest option.
However, as we’ve seen, many people like date-pickers, including people with some disabilities, so if you wish to present a calendar-style date-picker:

• never force people to use it, but instead have it as an option triggered by a button, and

• hide the date-picker from screen reader users.

Día Internacional de las Personas con Discapacidad

Ayer, 3 de diciembre, se celebró el Día Internacional de las Personas con Discapacidad.

Para celebrarlo, el W3C anunció la apertura de su curso Introduction to Web Accessibility, ofrecido en la plataforma edX. El contenido del curso es:

This course is based on the open curricula from the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).
Module 1: What is Web Accessibility (2 sections)

• Introduces the broad scope of digital accessibility through real stories of people with disabilities
• Examples of how accessibility impacts the lives of interacting in the digital world

Module 2: People and Digital Technology (5 sections)

• Explores how people with different disabilities use various assistive technologies and adaptive strategies
• Introduces accessibility barriers and accessibility solutions
• Explores how design decisions impact interactions
• Explains the essential components of web accessibility

Module 3: Business Case and Benefits (2 sections)

• Presents direct and indirect return of investment and the organizational business case
• Explains the broader benefits for everyone, with or without disability

Module 4: Principles, Standards, and Checks (5 sections)

• Covers international accessibility standards from W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
• Explains the guiding principles of web accessibility: Percievable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR)
• Guides through first steps in checking accessibility and applications

Module 5: Getting Started with Accessibility (2 sections)

• Explains approaches for integrating accessibility into your design and development processes
• Provides tips to get started with accessibility right away

Accesibilidad de las imágenes en textos digitales (LS)

Se ofrecen recomendaciones para asegurar la accesibilidad de las imágenes en los textos digitales.

Los captchas y la accesibilidad

Una breve explicación en I'm Not A Robot:

CAPTCHA stands for Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans apart and it’s a way to filter out bots and fraudulent automated activity from the behaviour of real people. It's an umbrella term describing several different techniques presented to the user to determine if they are human. A CAPTCHA challenge could be a random collection of letters and numbers, text obscured with background noise, puzzle challenges or audio challenges asking the user to enter the letters and numbers heard with a lot of background static noise. All of these are termed CAPTCHA as they're asking the user to demonstrate they're human and not an automated computer program. 

The theory is humans are very good at being able to identify distorted text, numbers and audio but not a computer program. A computer program i.e. bot can't reliably identify displayed text or audio and so it's a very effective way to stop bot activity affecting your website. 

The problem is CAPTCHA in its many incarnations causes significant challenges for people with disabilities. Asking a user to decipher distorted text may mean vision-impaired people will be unable to complete it. Presenting an audio challenge may mean people with a hearing impairment will have difficulty, reorientating a visual 3D puzzle may affect users with mobility and cognitive impairments and disabilities are rarely isolated, users may have a range of disabilities. 

If your security check is relying on some kind of user input to determine the "humanness" of the person at the other end, it is ultimately doomed to failure.

Accesibilidad de los textos digitales. Parte II (LS)

Definición del contenido tipo texto
La importancia de etiquetar el idioma
Incluir un glosario
Hacer tablas y listas accesibles
El tipo de fuente, su tamaño, el contraste con el fondo y la alineación del texto.         
No utilizar imágenes para transmitir texto
Cómo incluir texto matemático

Canal de vídeo Accessibility Talks

Accessibility Talks es un excelente canal de vídeos en YouTube dedicado a la accesibilidad. Tiene diferentes listas de reproducción donde se clasifican los vídeos para principiantes, desarrolladores y paneles de discusión.

Un vídeo organizado por capítulos

Un vídeo organizado por capítulos ayuda a navegar por su contenido, lo cual ayuda a mejorar la usabilidad para todos los usuarios y también su accesibilidad.

En Adding Chapters to a Video se explica cómo se puede lograr con un reproductor de vídeos llamado Brightcove Player. Los capítulos se especifican mediante un fichero WebVTT, así que es posible que sea compatible con los reproductores nativos de los navegadores... hay que probarlo.

En YouTube se puede lograr una navegación por capítulos indicando el instante de tiempo en la descripción del vídeo. Desafortunadamente, no es muy usable, ya que muchas veces aparecen ocultos los enlaces y los usuarios no son conscientes de ello.

Y aquí un ejemplo de uno de mis vídeos en YouTube que hace uso de esta técnica:


Los enlaces a los capítulos aparecen en la descripción del vídeo.