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UKAAF Conference: ‘Accessibility is Good Usability’
By
Sharon Williams (UKAAF Treasurer) |
June 17, 2019
Congratulations to UKAAF for hosting a brilliant conference
on 12th June 2019. The theme for the day was the relatively recent
EU directive that requires all public sector websites to be accessible. And the
line-up included a great range of speakers.
Bruce Lawson kicked it all off with a very loud shirt, bad
jokes and a strong message about how the internet was made to be accessible,
not inaccessible. Bruce has even worked with Sir Tim Berners Lee, so should
know… The main message was ‘accessibility is good usability’ so is better for
everyone, not a minority.
George Rhodes was the next speaker to the podium. George,
the digital accessibility and compliance lead at Kent County Council, gave a
fantastic talk about the huge effort Kent County Council is making to ensure
that they are complying with the directive. No mean feat when you consider that
this effort extends to supporting not only the County Council, but District
authorities, Town and parish Councils, Police, Fire and parts of the NHS within
the County. So good to hear about a local authority making such a commitment to
inclusion.
James Baverstock of AbilityNet then took the baton to keep
the momentum going. James is a Senior Accessibility Usability Consultant at
AbilityNet, where he delivers accessibility audits, user testing and client
training. The session from James was an in-depth approach to developing a plan
to address the new accessibility regulations. Lots of notes being taken all
around the room!
And, on the final leg, was Dave Williams. Dave is a customer-focused
digital accessibility specialist, but actually has a very long history of
working with accessibility media, both as a user and as a professional. It was
a great way to end the conference to have the benefits of good accessibility,
and the downfalls of poor accessibility, straight from the horse’s mouth. And
I’m sure Dave won’t mind my comparing him to a horse…
Thanks
to UKAAF for such an energising, uplifting and informative conference.
