Árbol de decisión para escribir el texto alternativo de una imagen

En An alt Decision Tree del W3C se presenta un árbol de decisión que ayuda a escribir un buen texto alternativo de una imagen:

This decision tree describes how to use the alt attribute of the <img> element in various situations. For some types of images, there are alternative approaches, such as using CSS background images for decorative images or web fonts instead of images of text.

Colorblindly

Colorblindly es una extensión para el navegador Google Chrome que simula diferentes tipos de ceguera al color:

Simulates colorblindness in your web browser.
Colorblindly is an extension that helps developers create websites for the people with colorblindness by allowing them to simulate the experience those users have on websites.
There are 8 different settings to experience:
-Blue Cone Monochromacy / Achromatomaly
-Monochromacy / Achromatopsia
-Green-Weak / Deuteranomaly
-Green-Blind / Deuteranopia
-Red-Weak / Protanomaly
-Red-Blind / Protanopia
-Blue-Weak / Tritanomaly
-Blue-Blind / Tritanopia

¿Por qué un usuario que utiliza un lector de pantalla querría tener una línea braille?

En Why would a screen reader user have a braille display? se explica:

As he wasn’t deaf-blind, I asked why he uses such expensive equipment, when devices have built-in free screen readers. One of his reasons was, in retrospect, so blazingly obvious, and so human.
He likes to read his kids bedtime stories. With the braille display, he can read without a synthesised voice in his ear. Therefore, he could do all the characters’ voices himself to entertain his children.
My take-home from this: Of course free screen readers are an enormous boon, but each person has their own reasons for choosing their assistive technologies. Accessibility isn’t a technological problem to be solved. It’s an essential part of the human condition: we all have different needs and abilities.

Y los comentarios también proporcionan información interesante:

Comentario 1

there are so many reasons to use braille. By the way, the screen reader is also controling braille output. Among the reasons: Learning to spell and format, ability to read silently, becoming literate in a foreign language (or in one’s own,) reading music notation, not having to listen to speech synthesis, playing sudoku and other word games, and others.

Comentario 2

Reading bedtime stories to your child using a braille display, that’s a really powerful example indeed!
However, a braille display isn’t an alternative for a using screenreader. It’s the screenreader that outputs information to the braille display (and it often also doubles as a braille input device).
Most bind professionals I know, simply can’t do their job without using a braille display. Every-day tasks like editing an article, for example, is a dreadful experience when you have to rely on text-to-speech only.

Si es interactivo, tienes que destacar el foco

Focus styles don't have to be ugly! Focus styles are an integral part of any mature design system. This talk will discuss the intersection of WCAG compliance and Inclusive Design, as well as new focus-related CSS selectors. Additionally, strategies for how to effectively implement them in your organization will be discussed.

La guía definitiva de subtitulado

Muy completo el artículo The Complete Guide to Captioned Videos.

AInspector WCAG

AInspector WCAG es un addon para Mozilla Firefox:

AInspector WCAG evaluates the accessibility compliance of web pages based on WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA requirements using OpenAjax Alliance rulesets. It organizes the evaluation results by Rule Categories and WCAG Guidelines.

Si es interactivo, necesita un estilo cuando reciba el foco

Muy interesante el vídeo If it’s interactive, it needs a focus style:

Magnifixer, un magnificador de pantalla de bajo coste

Magnifixer es un magnificador de pantalla de bajo coste. Sus características principales son:

• Adjustable zoom factor - Up to 40x Magnification
• Place anywhere on your screen
• Dual monitor supported
• Smoothing for better readability
• Cursor tracking or fixed location view
• Stay-on-top window option
• Color Display (HTML or RGB mode)
• Most settings are saved and reused
• Very simple and intuitive interface
• Uninstall option

Vídeos sobre accesibilidad de Microsoft

Muy interesante la colección de vídeo Accessibility at a Glance de Microsoft:

1. Accessibility for Microsoft Store Applications: At a Glance
2. Empowering our customers with accessibility - At a Glance
3. Inclusive Interviewing - At a Glance
4. Considering Keyboard Only Users - At a Glance
5. Reading View in Microsoft Edge - At a Glance
6. Microsoft Narrator – At a Glance
7. Audio Descriptions - At a Glance
8. Text Alternatives - At a Glance
9. Introduction to UIA
10. Part 1 Hierarchy of UIA Elements
11. Part 2 UIA Element Properties
12. Part 3 UIA Element Behaviors
13. Part 4 UIA Change Notifications
14. Make Captioning Easy with Microsoft
15. Skip Navigation
16. Language Accessibility
17. Inclusive Presentation Skills
18. Inclusive Presentation Skills (audio described version)

Cinco mitos sobre la accesibilidad digital desmentidos

En 5 Digital Accessibility Myths Busted se explican estos mitos:

• Myth #1: Only a small percentage of my users need an accessible website or app
• Myth #2: It will take too much time/effort/money to make our website or app accessible
• Myth #3: Digital accessibility is a one-time-only task for the developers
• Myth #4: Accessible websites and apps are plain or ugly
• Myth #5: I used some automated testing tools, so my website or app is now accessible

Muy interesante este gráfico:

Examples of these communities include:

• Aging population—may need captioning on videos or larger font sizes to read the text
• Users whose native or primary language is not English—may need more time to read text on auto-rotating slideshows
• Users with cognitive limitations—may need accessibility-friendly fonts or bulleted content to help focus
• Users with limited or low vision—may need to zoom in on content to be able to read and understand it
• Users with situational disabilities—may need better color contrast so glare on a screen does not interfere with them reading the content
• Users with temporary disabilities—may need to access everything with only their keyboard because they are unable to use a mouse

Cómo las Google Glasses iban a ayudar a las personas con discapacidad

Ya casi nadie habla de las Google Glasses, es más, ya casi nadie las recuerdas. Pero hubo una vez que existieron: aparecieron y pareció que todo iba a girar alrededor de las Google Glasses.

Algunos artículos sobre cómo las Googles Glasses iban a mejorar la vida de las personas con discapacidad:

• Las personas con problemas de audición: What Google Glass Means for a Half Deaf Person
• Las personas con problemas de visión: Why Google Glass is a clear winner for the blind
• Las personas con problemas físicos: OK, Glass: I Can't Walk, So Help Me Explore

Mobile Lorm Glove para personas sordociegas

Muy interesante el Mobile Lorm Glove:

The Mobile Lorm Glove is a mobile communication and translation device for deafblind persons. The glove translates the hand-touch alphabet “Lorm”, a common form of communication used by people with both hearing and sight impairment, into text and vice versa.
Textile pressure sensors located on the palm of the glove enable the deafblind user to “lorm” onto his or her own hand to compose text messages. A Bluetooth connection transmits the data from the glove to the user’s handheld device. It is then automatically forwarded to the receiver’s handheld device in the form of an SMS. If the wearer of the Mobile Lorm Glove receives a text message, the message will be forwarded via Bluetooth from his/her handheld device to the glove. Initiated by small vibration motors located on the back of the glove, tactile feedback patterns allow the wearer to perceive incoming messages.
The Mobile Lorm Glove provides particularly two innovative ways of communication for deafblind people. It supports mobile communication over distance, e.g.  text message, chat or e-mail, and it enables parallel one-to-many communication, which is especially helpful in school and other learning contexts. With this newly developed technology and interaction, it will soon become possible to also „feel” E-Books or Audiobooks. The Mobile Lorm Glove functions as a simultaneous translator and makes communicating with others without knowledge of “Lorm” possible. As a result, it empowers deafblind people to engage with a wider social world and further enhances their independence.
The next step of our research will be to prepare the implementation of direct speech input and output.

Dispositivos adaptados para videojuegos

Muy interesante el artículo Adaptive Video Game Controllers Open Worlds for Gamers With Disabilities que describe la evolución de los dispositivos adaptados para jugar a los videojuegos.

¿Y para qué desarrollar dispositivos adaptados para las personas con discapacidad? Para esto:

Nuevo estándar de accesibilidad web en China

En Updated Chinese Accessibility Standard Will Help China Build a Barrier-free Information Environment podemos leer:

Last August the Chinese Standardization Administration issued a new national standard, GB/T 37668-2019, “Information Technology Requirements and Testing Methods for Accessibility of Web Content“. According to the China Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF) , this standard will be implemented as a recommended standard in March 2020, and will promote technical and policy support for information accessibility development in China. 

The standard was jointly developed by a number of organizations, led by CDPF and Zhejiang University. It references the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and 2.1. W3C congratulates the standard on the closer harmonization with international standards, which we believe can benefit many communities in China.

En China Focus: China introduces new standard to assist visually impaired internet users podemos leer:

China on Sunday launched a new national standard for the development of barrier-free services on the internet, aiming to better serve the visually impaired population in the country. 

33-year-old Zhao Cheng is among the 17.32 million visually impaired people in China. After he lost his eyesight 10 years ago in an accident, Zhao had to get used to living in darkness. But with the latest technology, he is able to send voice messages to his friends and listen to their replies through WeChat. 

Over the past few years, more and more internet companies have started to step into barrier-free services for the disabled. According to incomplete statistics, by the end of 2019, more than 40 internet companies had set up departments in charge of barrier-free services in China. 

Internet giants in China including Alibaba, Baidu, Tencent and iFLYTEK have all invested in research and development in the field of barrier-free access to information during the last decade, with successful products being put into use in special education schools and even performing art troupes for the disabled.

Los problemas que tienen los "accessibility overlays"

Una "web accessibility overlay" es la capa que se añade a un sitio web mediante un software que promete mejorar la accesibilidad de los sitios web. Ejemplos de este software son Inclusite o inSuit.

En Web Accessibility Overlays Do Not Work se explican algunos de los problemas que tienen este tipo de soluciones.

En Not All Accessibility Overlays Are Created Equal se clasifica este tipo de software en dos tipos:

There are two types of overlays: targeted “Custom JavaScript overlays” – customized to the specific page and website, these overlays can make comprehensive changes to any accessibility concern on a specific page, and “Tool-based overlays” often seen in the form of a toolbar, plugin or extension – these make limited, generic changes to the page, some of which can be controlled by the site visitor.

Y explica los siguientes problemas que tienen las "tool-based overlay solutions":

• They require people with disabilities to download and use a different tool they aren’t used to, instead of the assistive technology they are comfortable with.
• They require the user to know about and install a custom plugin that might introduce its own accessibility problems.
• They don’t work for native mobile applications, so your website is still at risk for an accessibility-related complaint or lawsuit.
• They only address a limited scope of accessibility issues:
• They provide simple modifications to the page overall, they may change the color contrast, add a focus indicator or add a high contrast mode which addresses only a small number of the possible accessibility barriers.
• They cannot add missing complex keyboard or device interactions, they cannot fix specific site semantics and they cannot add meaning or text alternatives where these are missing.

Discapacidad y envejecimiento activo: Soportes tecnológicos (3ª edición) en MiriadaX

El 27 de abril de 2020 comienza la tercera edición de Discapacidad y envejecimiento activo. Soportes tecnológico en la plataforma MiriadaX. El contenido del curso es:

1. Módulo 1. Accesibilidad e inclusión social
2. Módulo 2. Accesibilidad en la Web y Participación social
3. Módulo 3. Educación para la salud, intervención social y TIC
4. Módulo 4. TIC y vida independiente
5. Módulo 5. TIC y tratamiento de la memoria
6. Módulo 6. Las TIC en los Recursos Sociales
7. Módulo 7. Aplicaciones de la Telemedicina
8. Módulo 8. Experiencias internacionales y TIC

Los placeholders causan problemas

El uso de los placeholders causa muchos problemas, no solo de accesibilidad, también de usabilidad. En Placeholders are problematic, se explican muchos de los problemas:

Since the placeholder attribute came along, lots of us started using it as way to show form field hints. Their appeal lies in their minimal aesthetic and that they save space. 

Some go a step further replacing labels with placeholders. Either way, placeholders are an inclusive design anti-pattern.

Publicada una nueva edición de WebAIM Million

Hace unos días se publicó una nueva versión de WebAIM Million. Parece que se va a convertir en un estudio anual.

La introducción del estudio dice:

In February 2019 and February 2020, WebAIM conducted an accessibility evaluation of the home pages for the top 1,000,000 web sites and over 100,000 additional interior site pages. The evaluation was conducted using the WAVE stand-alone API (with additional tools to collect site technology parameters). While this research focuses only on automatically detectable issues, the results paint a rather dismal picture of the current state of web accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

Los resultados del estudio son muy interesantes.

¿Cómo vive el confinamiento por el coronavirus una persona sordociega?

Muy interesante el artículo ¿Cómo vive el confinamiento por el coronavirus una persona sordociega?. Sobre el uso de la tecnología se comenta:

En su caso, confiesa que lo tiene "fácil" a la hora de comunicarse con familiares o amigos a distancia, ya que asegura que lleva "muchos años tirando de las tecnologías como un sistema alternativo de comunicación". "Prueba de ello es que nunca antes había teletrabajado y de la noche a la mañana me encontraba trabajando desde mi casa con normalidad, comunicándome con mis compañeros de trabajo a través del ordenador con la ayuda de una línea braille (un dispositivo que lee en braille todo lo que aparece en la pantalla del ordenador)", explica.

Si bien admite que también ha explorado otras vías de comunicación. "El otro día estuve probando Skype con mi pareja. Yo me enfoqué con el móvil, de forma que ella me pudiera ver y oír, y al mismo tiempo conecté mi línea braille al móvil y abrí el chat para ir leyendo en braille lo que ella me decía", relata. "Quién lo iba a decir, yo, sordociego y haciendo una videollamada", celebra.

Subtítulos para sordos

En Subtitulado para sordos:

Pero ¿qué distingue al subtitulado para sordos de los subtítulos con los que vemos, por ejemplo, las películas en VOS? La principal diferencia radica en que los SPS deben suplir toda aquella información que las personas oyentes percibirían por el canal auditivo y que las personas con discapacidad auditiva por tanto se perderían, como el tono de voz, el idioma en que habla cada personaje o todo aquello que se escucha además de los diálogos (música, risas, voces en off, etc.). Además, no siempre queda claro quién está hablando cuando hay muchos personajes en pantalla. 

Así pues, ¿cómo son los SPS, que pueden incluir tanta información? 

Igual que los subtítulos para oyentes, los SPS aparecen, como norma general, en la parte inferior de la pantalla y no deberían ocupar más de dos líneas. Sin embargo, toda la información sobre el sonido ambiente se sitúa arriba a la derecha (al mismo tiempo que ocurre, claro). Para saber cuándo habla qué personaje, lo que diga cada uno de los protagonistas será de un color determinado. 

¿Y cómo sabe una persona con discapacidad auditiva si los personajes están diciendo algo en voz baja o chillando, si se burlan de un personaje imitándolo o si están siendo irónicos? Esta información, que se llama didascalia, aparece generalmente en mayúsculas y entre paréntesis antes de cada intervención. La alternativa que ofrece la norma UNE es el uso de emoticonos (:-O para cuando gritan, :-; si hablan irónicamente), aunque no se suele utilizar tan a menudo (por hablar, en «La tormenta perfecta», en Canal 9, ha aparecido dos veces, aunque no me ha dado tiempo a fotografiarlo).
Las didascalias siempre son sustantivos o adjetivos, nunca onomatopeyas o gerundios. Por ejemplo, si llaman a la puerta, se subtitulará (PUERTA) y no (TOC, TOC) o (LLAMAN A LA PUERTA). Aparecería arriba a la derecha y de color azul o rojo sobre fondo blanco porque es información auditiva. 

Y si alguien grita «¡Estás loco!» se subtitulará: 

(GRITA) ¡Estás loco!
y no (GRITANDO) ¡Estás loco! o ¡¡¡¡Estás loco!!!!

Y muchas más cosas muy interesantes, así que aconsejo leer todo el artículo.