Web accessibility is like a new toy that’s come out. It’s all the rage becoming popular in the design world, everyone is talking about but it’s expensive and only people who can afford it, buy it. Except it isn’t anything new and has been around for a long time and really doesn’t cost a lot.

I read a book when I first started working as a content designer. Inclusive design for a digital world, designing with accessibility in mind by Regine M Gilbert. I wanted to refresh my coding skills and knowledge and decided to learn more about how to make web pages compliant with web content accessible guidelines.

This book reminded me of when I was learning how to code in HTML at university, I was taught to always provide alternative text and use the alt tag when using images on a webpage. I was also taught to describe the image unless it was decorative as in; does not convey important information and only used to make the page look prettier also known as improving the design and look of the page.  At the time of learning I wasn’t as curious as I am now so I didn’t question using the alt tag when adding images to a webpage as it made sense. It is probably the most basic thing you can do to make your website a little more accessible and compatible for assistive technologies.

The main purpose of this book is to tell you how to include inclusive design principles really early on when designing digital products and services.  The book is split into 10 chapters and each chapter is carefully curated to explain accessibility to the reader in simple terms. You don’t need to be a web developer or a designer to understand accessibility. Think of it a starting point, a step by step guide. What I really like about this book it  doesn’t just focus on web accessibility but it also covers emerging technologies like virtual reality and augmented reality. 

Accessibility doesn’t just start online nor is it only for online, its also offline too. I used to teach English and whilst studying towards a teaching qualification, I learnt the value of teaching my lesson in an alterative way to those that needed it. It was a warm July early evening in central London on Oxford street and it was my turn to have my lesson observed by my tutor and fellow teachers. I had spent some time prepping for this lesson, prepping for whom I never knew. So it was a fun challenge to cater for students I didn't know anything about prior to meeting them other than they were there to take advantage of a free English lesson. The tutor had manage to recruit a range of students earlier that day and it always a surprise to see how many of them turned up later that day. I had a blind student join the class. It was my first time teaching a student who had a visible disability.

I remember thinking how on earth were they going to participate and learn something without see the worksheet and physical materials I had prepared or the whiteboard with my grammar point on display. I had no time to plan any specific adjustments that they might have expected and wanted like lesson materials in braille. I then thought to myself so what? They may not be able to read the lesson materials or write but they can communicate in other ways and that's going to be usable and accessible to them. This took me all of 20 seconds to figure out whilst trying not to look like I was panicking.

Because I was being observed, I was able to ask one of my fellow teachers to orally describe the worksheet and physical materials to them and listen to their responses and write them down. They didn't need to actually write anything down. By making this small teeny tiny adjustment, the student was able to participate using their productive skills, speaking and listening with little assistance from their helper.

Success, right? The student was provided the same information like everyone else was, but in a different way and in a way they expected to receive the lesson content so they could learn something new and develop their language skills. It worked at the time.

But now after sometime. I recognise this might not work for all blind students. What I could do next time is simply ask them what they needed and then make the neccessary adjustments instead of trying to panic and come with a solution that may not have been useful. Its something I apply now when designing digital services and products. Doing the right thing to me is listening to what someone needs and making sure that happens. It isn't making assumptions as every individual processes information in different ways.