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My notes from A11y Camp 2021

Last week was A11y Camp, which was excellent as usual. I watched a lot of talks and took notes for some of them. Here are my sketchnotes (with text alternative immediately after them) and my top three takeaways.

My personal top three takeaways

  • Become more aware of my biases (because they create barriers to access)
  • Help people employ a healthy level of scepticism about assuming things are accessible (so that they test more thoroughly)
  • Think more about learning pathways (to keep people engaged)

My notes from a few of the talks

Eloise Cleary and Samuel Yu - The I in Inclusion (video on YouTube)

Sketchnotes for Eloise Cleary and Samuel Yu - The I in Inclusion

Text version of sketchnotes for "Eloise Cleary and Samuel Yu - The I in Inclusion"
  • 3 dimensions of Inclusive Design
    • Recognise diversity and uniqueness
    • Inclusive process and tools
    • Broader beneficial impact
  • Pre-engagement
    • Looking at you and the (diversity of the) people around you. Diversity footprint.
    • Cognitive biases
    • Our background and the people around us make up who we are
  • During engagement
    • Power, choice, control. Not only in the room.
    • Respect. Inclusive Listening.
  • Post-engagement
    • Look back, reflect
  • Inclusive Playground
    • Can I get there?
    • Can I play there?
    • Can I stay there?

Josh Goldberg - Accessible Accessibility (video on YouTube)

Sketchnotes for Josh Goldberg - Accessible Accessibility

Text version of sketchnotes for "Josh Goldberg - Accessible Accessibility"
  • 1 Motivations
    • Moral, Legal, Business
    • Choose which will be most effective
  • 2 Processes
    • Enthusiasm and knowledge increase over time
    • documentation, presentations, checklists
    • static analysis, dynamic analysis
    • user tests, pairings
  • 3 Design Systems
    • Make doing it right easy and doing it wrong difficult

Allison Ravenhall - Don’t believe the hype (video on YouTube)

Sketchnotes for Allison Ravenhall - Don't believe the hype

Text version of sketchnotes for "Allison Ravenhall - Don't believe the hype"
  • “It’s {big co}, it must be accessible!” is seldom true. They’re teams of people (that can make mistakes), just like us.
    • submit bugs
    • extend instead of reinvent
  • Employ a healthy level of scepticism (aka Trust No One)
    • Ask for evidence
  • Assume nothing

Zoë Rose - Accessibility for bad guys (video on YouTube)

Sketchnotes for Zoë Rose - Accessibility for bad guys

Text version of sketchnotes for "Zoë Rose - Accessibility for bad guys"
  • Bad guys have henchmen, so they have good leadership skills, and are good at actions
  • Bad Guy Principle (BGP) #1: exploit existing resources
  • BGP #2: destroy barriers to success
  • BGP #3: be alert to potential evil schemes
  • BGP #4: don’t create your own competition
  • BGP #5: be ambitious
  • BGP #6: exploit other people’s resources
  • BGP #7: always be recruiting
  • Attitudes. Fighting bias is exhausting
    • Confirmation bias
    • Affinity bias
    • Benevolence bias
  • Disability = Impairment + Barrier. Biases create barriers.

Sagar Barbhaya - Expand Your Outreach with an Accessibility Champions Program (video on YouTube)

Sketchnotes for Sagar Barbhaya - Expand Your Outreach with an Accessibility Champions Program

Text version of sketchnotes for "Sagar Barbhaya - Expand Your Outreach with an Accessibility Champions Program"
  • Shared knowledge
  • Distribute the work
  • Recognise people’s achievements
  • Have champion levels, with specific tasks
  • Keep champions engaged
    • Learning pathways
    • Chats with customers
    • and more!

Frankie Balfour - How to get large organisations to prioritise accessibility (video on YouTube)

Sketchnotes for Frankie Balfour - How to get large organisations to prioritise accessibility

Text version of sketchnotes for "Frankie Balfour - How to get large organisations to prioritise accessibility"
  • Large organisations are overwhelming
  • Focus on the why, not the WCAG: the people, the humans!
  • Get people to experience it themselves to build empathy
  • Ask for funding for experts
  • Create a working group