Accessibility Consulting

Filed Under: General Web, Journal.

Web developers need to consider user testing when building accessible sites. Even if a developer tries to test a site themselves, they will invariably approach their designs with both biases and a lack of understanding of how users most in need of accessibility cope with the world on a day to day basis.

Such a principal begs the question, who really designs a site? Might the design process, especially for a public space, be best executed in a democratic fashion? People have diverse needs in accessing information - why not let those in need speak about their needs?

By democratic, I do not mean that a committee amalgamates all their ideas into one heap of a design. I speak about open forums where people speak about their needs, then work together to compile priorities of accessibility. Those priorities are then translated into a design by a designer or design team. Then, throughout the design process, open discourse is made about the limitations of that design.

I am curious as to whether people who have great experience with assistive devices might be interested in becoming consultants who could give designers a concise report on their design’s limitations in accessibility.

I suppose that this is an open call, as I would like to know if accessibility consulting is a common practice, or that people with the necessary experience would be interested in contributing to a (tentative) design project.

In addition, how can these ideas be expanded?

I would like to gain a greater understanding of how these principals can be applied to expanding the public sphere. The internet’s potential, in my opinion, lies in its ability to disseminate information to people with diverse interests and needs. Might alternate models of how that information is disseminated need to be created in order to actualize such a potential?

Published: 4 years, 9 months ago