WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: how do I find a developer who knows accessibility

for

From: Birkir R. Gunnarsson
Date: Apr 26, 2020 8:56PM

I've seen all kinds, but a great developer that has not studied
accessibility is not going to automatically start coding super
accessible content, but they can learn to do so, very much.

Developers that want to be truly accessibility aware can start with
the EDX Intro to accessibility course, decent background and basics.

Ultimately they need to be WAS (Web Accessibility Specialist) certified.
See the IAAP website http://accessibilityassociation.org (under
"certifications").
It costs $500 and you will have to sacrifice 40 to 80 hours of
studying, probably participate in development of a few projects with
an accessibility expert and you often have to try twice, but in my
experience of having worked with a large team of good developers, most
of which were new to accessibility initially, those who took the
certification started delivering some seriously good quality code and
asking some seriously relevant questions.
I have gotten around a dozen developers certified, about half needed
two tries, and the difference in understanding was incredible (and,
no, I am not IAAP affiliated so it's not a promotion for that
organization at all).
Developers can't be expected to understand designing for non-sighted
users, even if they know what a screen reader is, any more than I, a a
blind person, am expected to draw or design a cool looking logo.
It's a different mind set and skill, it's a hot skill so worth
investing in, but we have to understand each other that efforts are
required, to bring accessibility to developers and development to
accessibility.
We've all been frustrated, on both sides of the fence, and we all got
to vent from time to time.
Cheers
-B

On 4/26/20, Colleen Gratzer < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> Agreed, Sean. That's exactly why I created an online course for this.
>
> Bookwise, I have found Inclusive Design Patterns by Smashing Magazine's
> Heydon Pickering to be very helpful.
>
>
> Colleen Gratzer
> Certified Branding Expert + Accessibility Specialist, Gratzer Graphics LLC
> https://gratzergraphics.com
> Design Mentor and Host of the Design Domination podcast
> http://creative-boost.com
>
>
>
> On 4/26/20 6:45 PM, Murphy, Sean wrote:
>> A gap in this area for accessibility is books and videos which train
>> people in development and design do not cover accessibility fully. I've
>> read too many books that don't discuss it or it's only likely touched
>> upon
>>
>> Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>
>> >> From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > on behalf of
>> <EMAIL REMOVED> < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
>> Sent: Monday, April 27, 2020 7:35:30 AM
>> To: 'WebAIM Discussion List' < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
>> Subject: Re: [WebAIM] how do I find a developer who knows accessibility
>>
>> [External Email] This email was sent from outside the organisation – be
>> cautious, particularly with links and attachments.
>>
>> Supporting Steve and his original request. Although there was a bit of
>> snark
>> in his original post, we've found the same with web developers knowledge
>> of
>> accessibility.
>>
>> There ARE developers who know it well, but they are few and usually
>> booked
>> to the hilt.
>>
>> I'd love to find one or more who we can use for our own website and
>> recommend to our clients.
>>
>> - - -
>> Bevi Chagnon, founder/CEO | <EMAIL REMOVED>
>> - - -
>> PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing
>> consulting . training . development . design . sec. 508 services
>> Upcoming classes at www.PubCom.com/classes<;http://www.PubCom.com/classes>;
>> - - -
>> Latest blog-newsletter - Accessibility Tips at
>> www.PubCom.com/blog<;http://www.PubCom.com/blog>;
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of
>> Steve
>> Green
>> Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2020 3:44 PM
>> To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
>> Subject: Re: [WebAIM] how do I find a developer who knows accessibility
>>
>> Larry, I'm sorry if you took my comments the wrong way. In nearly 20
>> years
>> of testing and countless hundreds of projects, we have only seen a
>> handful
>> of pages that were fully WCAG AA conformant, and even the smallest and
>> simplest websites contained non-conformances. Many of those developers
>> would
>> say they know accessibility, but for some reason that knowledge has never
>> resulted in a conformant website. The next time your group is looking for
>> a
>> testing company we would be happy to do a couple of days' testing free of
>> charge.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Steve
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of
>> Larry
>> C. Lyons
>> Sent: 26 April 2020 20:17
>> To: Webaim Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
>> Subject: Re: [WebAIM] how do I find a developer who knows accessibility
>>
>> Steve,
>>
>> Your remark was uncalled for, and an insult to us developers who do
>> happen
>> know accessibility. The next time our group is looking for a testing
>> company, I am sure I'll take your snippy and insulting comment into
>> consideration.
>>
>> On Sat, 25 Apr 2020 at 14:04, < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>> From: Steve Green < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
>>> To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
>>> Cc:
>>> Bcc:
>>> Date: Sat, 25 Apr 2020 16:10:11 +0000
>>> Subject: Re: [WebAIM] how do I find a developer who knows
>>> accessibility Even if you believe in a multiverse where every possible
>>> outcome occurs in a universe somewhere, I'm still not sure you'll find
>>> a developer who understands accessibility.
>>>
>>> Steve Green
>>> Managing Director
>>> Test Partners Ltd
>>>
>>
>> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>
> > > > >


--
Work hard. Have fun. Make history.