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Re: internal accessibility guidelines

for

From: Tim Harshbarger
Date: Jun 9, 2014 4:05AM

I expect the best way to set up internal standards will first depend on if you have to rely on the current organization or if you have the ability to make some changes to the internal organization and culture.

If you could make any changes you want, I expect there are some really great ways to set up internal processes. My favorite would probably include integrating all user interface standards together into a perfect seamless whole. I agree with Elle. An internal standard does have the potential of being able to change more rapidly as long as the process for maintaining and improving the standard is an active one.

I also agree with Brian. If you have internal standards, they are going to be more directly impacted by internal pressures and considerations. That is likely to lead to some compromises. I'm not sure the compromises are all bad, but if you are going to create your standards internally you probably need to think through how to limit the compromises to the good ones.

I think another challenge of creating internal standards is having a full understanding of how the internal standards relate to the external standards. Are you trying to merge multiple external standards? Is your internal standard intended to be an interpretation of an external standard written specifically for your internal audience?

Tim
-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED> [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Bryan Garaventa
Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2014 1:47 AM
To: 'WebAIM Discussion List'
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] internal accessibility guidelines

That's true, I've seen it go both ways actually.

I've also seen situations where UX and business departments make
accessibility decisions unilaterally as the result of pressure from their
marketing department, which didn't end well.

I'm not saying that all companies are like this, but the practice of doing
this is a risk.

-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED>
[mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Elle
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2014 7:25 PM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] internal accessibility guidelines

Bryan:

Your concern about internalized standards implies that those organizations
wouldn't also actively be updating them based on their own user research.
In my experience, companies have the ability to respond quicker to a
changing environment (with devices, browsers, and specific user needs) if
they are allowed to approach their accessibility standards in the same
manner as their UX and brand standards.


Respectfully,
Elle



If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the people to gather wood, divide
the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and
endless sea.
- Antoine De Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince


On Fri, Jun 6, 2014 at 2:30 PM, Bryan Garaventa <
<EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> I have seen this done before, and I think you described it correctly
> when you said "massaged them for internal consumption and use as opposed
to".
>
> As time goes on and technologies change and evolve, the W3C updates
> best practices and guidelines accordingly to best fit these new
> developments, and AT venders and browsers use these guidelines to
> ensure that everybody stays on the same page between developers,
> browsers, and ATs. This is the only way to maintain consistency and
> reliability.
>
> So, the danger in deviating within isolated environments, is that the
> customized guidelines will eventually no longer remain synchronized
> with what browsers and ATs support.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: <EMAIL REMOVED>
> [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Jennison
> Mark Asuncion
> Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 8:44 AM
> To: webaim-forum
> Subject: [WebAIM] internal accessibility guidelines
>
> Hi there,
>
> Curious to get a feel for how many of you maintain internal
> accessibility guidelines or standards (i.e., you have taken WCAG or
> other guidelines/standards and massaged them for internal consumption
> and use as opposed to pointing folks to what's already out there) for:
> 1. web development,
> 2. web design,
> 3. mobile development,
> 4. mobile design,
> 5. other technology(ies development and 6. other technology(ies)
> design.
>
> Feel free to email me off-list and I am happy to compile (without
> mentioning
> companies/orgs) responses and share results.
>
> Jennison
>
>
> --
> Jennison Mark Asuncion
> LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/jennison Follow me on Twitter
> www.twitter.com/jennison Organizer, Bay Area Accessibility and
> Inclusive Design www.meetup.com/a11ybay Organizer, Accessibility Camp
> Bay Area www.accessibilitycampbay.org Co-Founder, Global Accessibility
> Awareness Day www.globalaccessibilityawarenessday.org
> > > list messages to <EMAIL REMOVED>
>
> > > list messages to <EMAIL REMOVED>
>
messages to <EMAIL REMOVED>