Learning about accessibility since 2001
Working as a producer of CD-ROMs and websites, in 2000 I heard of a legal case in Australia where a blind user wanted to use the Sydney Olympics website to check the schedule and results table, but couldn’t because the site was not accessible. He won the case against the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) on the grounds of discrimination, and they paid him damages. I’d never thought about how blind users could use the internet before, and became fascinated by this case and started to find out more about ‘web accessibility’ for disabled users. I was overwhelmed by the lack of access at this time and wanted to do something about it so set up on my own in 2001.
Impact of digital barriers on users
The technology has improved slowly in the last 20 years, but there is a long way to go. From user consultation I understand the impact of inaccessibility – and the frustration felt by users and the impact of this waste of their time. There is no excuse for this – accessibility is not hard to do. The biggest barriers we face are barriers in attitude – I hope my work helps to change this.
Collaborating with partners
I enjoy ‘joining the dots’ and forging collaborations between digital agencies, test participants and clients who need support, so the users’ voice and experience is built into digital projects. I analyse what clients need, create access test plans and recruit, manage and run user testing with test participants. I bring dozens of users’ points of view with me in all my work, and encourage clients to join our tests and observe user testing as assistive technology users are the real experts.
The power of user consultation
I can work with your own access groups or recruit test participants from my own database of contacts, built over years’ of access testing. I’ll create a bespoke test plan with your target audience, which could be in person or online and include:
- one-to-one testing with assistive technology users
- paired or group testing
- focus groups with wide demographic
All types of testing is run with the aim of removing digital barriers to make change.
I am passionate about promoting accessibility, equality and inclusion both professionally and personally, and committed to making digital work for everyone. As the parent of a visually impaired (VI) teenager, I’m especially connected to organisations supporting children and adults who are blind or partially sighted. I’m a member of the Nystagmus Network https://nystagmusnetwork.org/, VICTA (Visually Impaired Children Taking Action) https://www.victa.org.uk/ and LOOK UK https://www.look-uk.org/. These fantastic user-led organisations provide support and information and raise awareness of eye conditions and the practical implications in education, at work, and in life in general.
I’m proud to be a voluntary trustee for Blatchington Court Trust, a Brighton-based charity which supports young people with sight loss across Sussex https://www.blatchingtoncourt.org.uk/. We advocate with young VI people to get equal education and employment. And have fun at social clubs and running days out to Legoland and activities like rock climbing and race-car driving.