Schedule
Tuesday March 4
- 9:00 – 9:15 am – Welcome
- 9:15 – 10:15 am – Building accessibility community and systems for the long haul
- 10:15 – 10:30 am – Break
- 10:30 – 11:30 am – AI and Accessibility
- 11:30 am – 12:30 pm – Lunch (provided for in-person attendees)
- 12:30 – 1:30 pm – WCAG May Not Just be a Guideline Anymore
- 1:30 – 1:45 pm – Break
- 1:45 – 2:45 pm – Evaluating Accessibility When Time is Scarce
- 2:45 – 3:00 pm – Day One Wrap-Up
Wednesday March 5
- 9:00 – 9:15 am – Recap & Welcome Back
- 9:15 – 10:15 am – Using Word to Create Accessible PDFs for Beginners
- 10:15 – 10:30 am – Break
- 10:30 – 11:30 am – Managing up and setting priorities: Getting leadership buy-in for your accessibility initiatives
- 11:30 am – 12:30 pm – Lunch (provided for in-person attendees)
- 12:30 – 1:30 pm – Don’t Make Me Read! Writing in Plain Language for Digital Accessibility
- 1:30 – 1:45 pm – Break
- 1:45 – 2:45 pm – The Impact of the ADA Title II Updates on Website Architecture and Content Design
- 2:45 – 3:00 pm – Closing Remarks
Session Details
- March 4 | 9:15 am
- Devon Persing
- Download Devon's Slides
Building accessibility community and systems for the long haul
One of the most important parts of creating sustainable accessibility programs is community, because none of us can do this work alone. However, attracting and fostering a community isn't always easy, and it can often fall by the wayside in pursuit of solutions that focus on tools and quick results. In this talk, Devon will share principles and resources for balancing people and systems to maintain a vibrant accessibility community through good and bad times.
- March 4 | 10:30 am
- Lucy Greco
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AI and Accessibility
In this talk, Lucy will explore some of the major accessibility problems with current AI tools. She will also give an overview of how AI can be more inclusive, and explain how to look for and avoid bias in an AI tool.
- March 4 | 12:30 pm
- Judith Risch
WCAG May Not Just be a Guideline Anymore
In less than 14 months, all public colleges and universities must meet new digital accessibility standards under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Additionally, any schools that get funding from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will also have to follow updated digital accessibility rules under Section 504.
In this session, you'll learn how these new requirements will impact you and how you can meet them. Judy will also discuss updates that could affect private colleges, the possible impact of the new presidential administration, and current and future legal challenges to these regulations.
- March 4 | 1:45 pm
- Rob Carr
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Evaluating Accessibility When Time is Scarce
Testing a website to find out if it is accessible can be lots of things: daunting, complex, time-consuming, upsetting, intriguing, highly technical…the list goes on. For many, testing accessibility is not a full-time job. That compounds things. Let’s talk about some strategies and tools that you can use to add value to the accessibility conversation without accidentally stopping it.
- March 5 | 9:15 am
- Chad Chelius
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Using Word to Create Accessible PDFs for Beginners
In this session, learn how to use one of the most popular content creation applications in the World–Microsoft Word–the right way to create accessible PDFs without needing to be an expert. All it takes is a few simple steps. Join us to see how easy it can be to make documents that work for everyone!
- March 5 | 10:30 am
- Jay Wyant
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Managing up and setting priorities: Getting leadership buy-in for your accessibility initiatives
Most accessibility initiatives start somewhere other than the executive suite. And when the execs do initiate it, they are unfamiliar with the subject and may need help setting priorities. This session will: present key steps every organization should take; provide strategies for obtaining leadership buy-in; and identify priorities for resource allocation. Because there is no one size fits all, this session will rely on audience interaction to: identify the stages of attendees’ organizations; highlight major pain points; and promote discussion of strategy and priority recommendations.
- March 5 | 12:30 pm
- Glenda Sims
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Don’t Make Me Read! Writing in Plain Language for Digital Accessibility
Digital spaces are full of information—but how much of it is truly accessible? For millions of people with disabilities, hard to read and poorly structured content is more than just frustrating—it’s a barrier to access. This session will explore how plain language and good design are critical for digital accessibility. We’ll cover: Why plain language is an accessibility essential; readability best practices for accessibility; logical design for digital inclusion; and scannable content techniques. Attendees will leave with techniques to create content that is not only readable but also accessible to everyone. This helps ensure that people of all abilities can find, understand, and use the information they need.
- March 5 | 1:45 pm
- Christina Adams
- Download Christina's Slides
The Impact of the ADA Title II Updates on Website Architecture and Content Design
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) recently added new digital accessibility rules. These new rules apply to all state and local government websites and digital content. Christina will explain the new rules and how to build and organize your websites and digital content to meet them. You will learn the benefits of being proactive and will leave with practical steps you can take to start meeting the new rules today! Everyone involved with web maintenance or creating web content will learn something new!