Whether you’re totally new to accessibility or you’ve been around awhile, there’s always more to learn. Tag trees, reading order, PDF remediation, alt text, artifacting, WCAG guidelines… What does it all mean and where do you start?! Join us for this beginner-friendly overview of the language, process, and workflow of accessibility, along with a look at the basic guidelines, tools, and information you need to get started.

We live in a diverse world and the content we create should reflect that fact. As design professionals, we help shape societal norms and shift society’s status quo. With such great power comes the equally great responsibility to create accessible content that authentically reflects the lived experiences of a broad audience.

But what are we really talking about? How do you do it? And most importantly, how do you know if you're succeeding? In this session, Susan Parker, Executive Creative Director and Co-Founder of the Media.Monks Inclusive Marketing Practice, shares her insights on:

• What it means to create content that’s truly accessible, diverse, and inclusive—and why it matters
• How to make more inclusive choices (and recognize when you’re not)
• Mistakes to avoid when it comes to representation
• How to set up creative teams for success

When it comes to accessibility, the words you choose and the editorial decisions you make are just as critical as the images you choose!

Join accessibility expert Sheri Byrne-Haber as she shares her tips for avoiding discriminatory and ableist language with topics including:

• Ten ways to make your content more accessible to people with disabilities
• Why plain language is essential
• How to check and write for a specific reading level
• Recognizing exclusive language and making it more inclusive
• How ChatGPT and Web3 are changing the game

Grab a bite to eat, and come chat at our “virtual table” along with our speakers and experts in the community from around the world.

Screen readers are often used by people with visual or physical disabilities to access documents and websites. As designers, it's crucial to understand how to design and test for screen reader compatibility. But what's all involved? How does it all work? And, more to the point, what happens when it doesn't? In this session, Dax Castro will introduce you to the basics of designing and testing for screen readers.

You'll learn:

• The 10 most common design flaws that impact screen reader users
• Shortcut keys you need to know when testing your documents
• How to test your document without significant impact to project deadlines

Do you freeze up when attempting to write alt text? Not sure what to include? Or maybe you struggle with creating a workflow that actually works? Caroline Desrosiers is here to help with everything from alt text fundamentals to ideas for making the process smoother and easier.

You'll learn:

• The different varieties of alt text and when to use them
• How to write meaningful and contextually relevant descriptions
• How to go beyond the basics to describe what makes an image unique and distinctive
• Where and how to input and integrate alt text in your favorite Adobe apps
• How to build a better workflow

Designing with an accessible color palette doesn't have to be limiting. Instead, it's an invitation to get creative with color in a new way! Discover what color accessibility is all about, why it matters, and how to create exciting and workable possibilities.

You'll discover:

• Who is affected by your color choices
• Essential guidelines for success
• How to test your designs and resolve issues without starting over
• How to guide clients, colleagues, and stakeholders about color choices

The most beautiful, well-crafted type in all the world will still fail if your audience can't read it well. As a designer, you have the power to make choices that can make a world of difference to people with limited vision—young and old. Discover how to effectively set type to minimize challenges and maximize accessibility.

Whether you’re distributing Microsoft Word documents to your readers, exporting from Word to PDF, or preparing text to import into InDesign, it’s critical that you understand how to set up your documents properly. Learn to make the most of Word by building your documents from the ground up with accessibility in mind.

Topics include:

• Using heading styles, lists, and columns for improved organization and ease of navigation
• Making the most of alt text, accessible hyperlinks, and Word's built-in accessibility checker
• Correctly exporting Word documents for seamless import into InDesign, with emphasis on table accessibility and customization of heading styles

Adobe InDesign is one of the most powerful tools for creating accessible PDFs—but that doesn't mean the process is straight forward! In Part 1 of this 2-Part series, you’ll learn the basics of creating clean, accessible PDF files from InDesign.

You’ll learn how to:

• Build an InDesign document correctly from the start
• Streamline the path to accessible PDF output
• How to avoid common pitfalls
• Take advantage of powerful, time-saving features

Grab a bite to eat, and come chat at our “virtual table” along with our speakers and experts in the community from around the world.

In Part 1, you learned the basics of creating accessible documents with InDesign. Now, in Part 2, let’s explore what you need to know to make them the best they can be.

Topics include:

• Working with accessible colors
• Best practices for accessible tables
• Accessible hyperlinks
• Exporting to PDF
• Checking for compliance

Understanding and working with tags in Acrobat is key to making accessible PDFs. But what exactly are tags? Where do you find them? How do you fix them? Join accessibility expert Dax Castro for an exploration of tag fundamentals, along with common mistakes (and how to avoid them) when working with tags.

Topics Include:

• The most common tags and what they mean
• Alt text, Actual Text, and Expansion Text: When, where, and why
• Applying global fixes with the Preflight tool in Adobe Acrobat

Ideally, we could export perfectly accessible files straight from InDesign and call it a day. Until then, we can count on the job security that comes from the touch-up work that's often required in Acrobat. Join veteran InDesign trainer and accessibility master Chad Chelius as he takes us through the steps of fixing and finalizing your PDF documents.

Infographics distill complex data into a story told through a combination of text and images. But infographics inherently come with visual and/or cognitive accessibility barriers. Fortunately, there are solutions!

When you consider accessibility during the design phase, it’s possible to dramatically improve the inclusivity of most any infographic.

Overcome common barriers by learning how to:

• Evaluate infographic solutions quickly
• Develop accessible decision trees and flow charts
• Overcome colorblind barriers in your designs
• Provide inclusive and user-led interactions

If working with tables gives you a headache—you’re not alone. They’re one of the most tricky things to get right when creating accessible documents—especially when we don’t have as much control as we’d like. But where there’s a will, there’s a way! Join Dax Castro to see how the pros do it as he explains the ins and outs of creating and working with accessible tables, shares his tips on snags to watch out for, and spills the beans on all his top tricks for getting it done faster.

Dax will cover:

• What exactly makes a table accessible?
• Key solutions for complex tables
• Building accessible tables with color, symbols, and graphics

Designing PDF forms is hard enough… but now you need to make them accessible? No problem! Learn how to use InDesign and Acrobat to create PDF forms that are usable with screen readers.

Topics include:

• Accessibility requirements for forms
• Creating a fillable form from an existing PDF
• Creating a fillable form with InDesign
• Acrobat Reading Order panel selection tricks

Grab a bite to eat, and come chat at our “virtual table” along with our speakers and experts in the community from around the world.

We already know we should all be making our social media more accessible. But how? The various social media platforms sure don't make it easy to find (or figure out how to use) the few accessibility features they offer. This session provides a guide to best practices for accessible social media, along with specific how-to’s for creating accessible content for:

• Instagram
• X (Formerly Twitter)
• YouTube
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

Have you ever wanted to watch a video but couldn't find your headphones, so you turned on the captions? Or maybe you didn't quite catch the last few talking points from your favorite podcast, so you decided to read the transcript instead? If so, you probably understand the importance and convenience of having alternative ways to access audio and video content.

 This session will teach you about the four main alternative media types and specific WCAG standards for audio-only, video-only, and multimedia content. We will explore methods and services for generating and managing captions and transcripts in your media, and provide resources to help you get started with making inclusive media content.

This knowledge will also help you design and build the appropriate layouts and features in your digital products to accommodate users with different environmental and sensory needs, such as the millions of people with hearing loss or visual impairment worldwide.

Artificial intelligence is changing the way we do everything—including accessibility. Where do things stand now and where might they be headed? Tech CEO Caroline Desrosiers stands at the cross-roads of AI and accessibility and shares her insights on this rapidly developing field and how we might make the most of it.

Topics include:

• The most common types of automated technologies used for images
• How those automated technologies are doing at meeting image accessibility requirements
• How to scale with AI + human-powered image workflows

WCAG 2.2 is coming with new standards, but what do they mean and how do they affect your presentations? Join PowerPoint accessibility expert Stephy Hogan for a full rundown of the WCAG standards in plain English.

You'll learn how to engage the widest audience by making the most of:

•  Preset layouts
• Readable fonts
• Descriptive links
• Alternative text
• Color contrasts
• Captions
• And much more!

You may have created an accessible slide deck, but the reality is that you probably aren’t the one who will actually be presenting the deck, right? So how can you help your boss/team/client deliver a presentation for a wide audience in an accessible way?

What tools and services are there for delivering a live presentation accessibly? What are the best practices to keep in mind for presenting inclusively?? Stephy Hogan is back to help us present our slide decks accessibly.

Topics Include:

• What not to do and why
• What to do instead
• How to pushback on pushback

At Microsoft, we’ve been on a journey for more than two decades to design technology with and for people with disabilities. We have made a culture of accessibility part of our DNA – from creating innovative technology solutions, changing hiring practices, to partnering with third-party providers to help make things possible for people with disabilities. 

Our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more has never been more relevant or pressing.

In this session, you'll hear Microsoft's approach to raising the bar on accessibility through:

• Designing inclusive technology
• Expanding skilling and hiring opportunities
• Partnering to accelerate awareness and usage of accessible technology
• Advocating for policies that advance accessibilities as a fundamental right
• An early look into upcoming features that make it easier to create accessible content

Grab a bite to eat, and come chat at our “virtual table” along with our speakers and experts in the community from around the world.

We rely on email on a daily basis for important information. When email isn't accessible, a surprisingly large number of people are left out. That's not only far from awesome and bad for business, it's just plain wrong. But how do you fix it? Najee Taylor has some ideas you can implement right away to create more accessible emails starting now.

Topics Include:

• Industry best practices
• Understanding the user experience
• Why Accessibility is imperative to your marketing strategy

Even with the best intentions, designers often avoid learning about web accessibility because it can feel overwhelming and hard to even know where to start. Thankfully, a little bit of know-how can go a long way and a few simple changes can have a big impact on accessibility.

Join Colleen Gratzer as she demystifies accessible design for the web with topics including:

• Best practices for page elements (headings, hyperlinks, icons, and more)
• How contrast guidelines apply on the web
• Tools and methods to check your work
• What you need to know about accessible themes
• Automated site checkers: what they can (and can't) do

Looking for ways to take your accessibility workflow to the next level? Join us for this final session where we share some of our favorite tools and resources for working smarter and faster.

Includes:

• Scripts you just have to have
• Web services you should bookmark
• Easy-to-use utilities every designer should have