The Design + Accessibility Summit 2024 is coming soon to a screen near you! Taking place online from October 8-11, this is the premier HOW-TO event for design professionals who need to understand and implement accessibility best practices (and that’s just about all of us these days). The 4-day agenda is packed with 24 valuable sessions by some of the world’s best accessibility experts. Here are six that I can’t wait to check out.
Breaking Barriers: Implementing Accessibility Programs
Alisa Smith
In many organizations, the initial challenge regarding accessibility isn’t technical, it’s winning the hearts and minds of those who have to fund, organize, and do the work. It’s only going to be successful if everyone is motivated and pulling in the right direction. So, I’m very glad that we’re leading off the event with this session by Alisa Smith to help you learn how to get that critical buy-in from all involved.
Demystifying PDF Accessibility in Adobe Acrobat
Chad Chelius
Understanding how to use the Tags panel in Acrobat is fundamental for producing accessible PDFs. And PDFs created from different applications can present different challenges. So, working with tags can be daunting at times. But there’s nobody better at unraveling the mysteries of Acrobat, and breaking down this job into simple steps than Chad Chelius.
Accessibility Remediation Superpowers with Third-Party Tools
Kathryn Collins
Remediating documents is a multifaceted task, requiring the use of some specialized tools. And while we cheer Adobe’s commitment to improving the accessibility features in InDesign and Acrobat, they’re still a long way from being everything you need. So, knowing what’s out there in terms of third-party tools is essential. If you have an accessibility task you’re struggling with, Kathryn Collins can recommend a better tool for the job.
Fostering Ownership: Building a Culture of Accessibility
Nandita Gupta
To me, this is a bookend session to Alisa’s Smith’s one on breaking barriers. It’s one thing to get the ball rolling, but in order to sustain that effort, you need to embed accessibility in the foundation of your workflow and ensure that it remains visible to all stakeholders across projects. Nandita Gupta’s session will help you think strategically about accessibility to bring about long-term success.
Decoding WCAG: Simplifying Principles for Document Accessibility
Dax Castro
Thinking about the effort required to make documents accessible can be anxiety producing for anyone involved in designing and delivering those documents. On top of that, you have the high-stakes legal requirements based on complicated standards such as the WCAG. But when I listen to Dax Castro talk about accessibility, I can feel my blood pressure dropping because I know I’m in good hands. Dax understands the standards and can teach you how to meet them in efficient, practical ways that will have you breathing a sigh of relief. He’ll take you from, “I just don’t get this,” to “I got this!”
Ensuring Accessibility in Recruitment and Hiring Practices
Sonya Lewis
Accessibility is all about expanding opportunities through access to information. And I think we can all agree that equal access to employment opportunities is a bedrock principle of a just society, right? This session by Sonya Lewis will showcase a vital real-world application of accessibility to level the playing field when it comes to finding employment.
This article was last modified on August 28, 2024
This article was first published on August 27, 2024
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