Interview with Shawn Jordison, The Accessibility Guy
Q&A with Shawn Jordison, who is presenting at the 2023 Design+Acessibility Summit for CreativePro
Shawn Jordison, better known as ‘The Accessibility Guy’ on YouTube, is a seasoned expert in assistive technology, alternate media, and document remediation. His impressive 13-year career in higher education has uniquely positioned him as a leading specialist in this complex field. Over the years, he has developed and honed an innovative approach to solving intricate accessibility workflows.
Shawn is also speaking at our upcoming online event, The Design + Accessibility Summit, which takes place November 14-17, 2023. We thought it would be fun to get to know him better with some Q&A.
What is the biggest mistake designers often make when creating accessible Word Docs?
The biggest mistake that I see people make with MS Word accessibility is the reliance on the built-in accessibility checker. The Word accessibility checker does not check things like accurate alternate text, properly formatted hyperlinks, or the use of headings. All of these things must be manually tested.
What’s the one accessibility tool that you wouldn’t want to live without?
The tool that I personally use every day for accessibility work is the Color Contrast Analyzer: It’s available for both Mac and PC. I use it to quickly test colors against WCAG standards.
What’s your best suggestion or tip for anyone new to the world of accessibility?
My biggest tip for people new to accessibility is to encourage them to start with whatever project they are working on today. It can be overwhelming to think about all the past work you have done, but really the best advice is to start small and continue to improve your accessibility knowledge over time. And don’t be afraid to ask for help!
What are you most excited to share in your upcoming session?
I am most excited to share how simple the process can be for making Word documents accessible and easy to place into InDesign. Specifically, I’m excited to show how to customize your styles.
This article was last modified on March 29, 2024
This article was first published on September 18, 2023
Commenting is easier and faster when you're logged in!
