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On a Roll: What Roller-Skating Can Teach You about Digital Accessibility

taught by: Kylie Pollock


Session Summary

Digital accessibility can feel hard when people first start on their journey, it can take you on odd turns and sometimes you are going to stumble or even need to go backwards to learn how to go forward with confidence. Don’t you wish someone would explain the basics of digital accessibility in an easy-to-understand way? Well put on those skates and lets learn through analogy of skate culture.


Description

In this session we will discuss the basics of digital accessibility through the analogy and remarkable similarities of learning to skate as a 30+ year old who has the motor control skills of an elephant on ice. Trust me it sounds a little out there but after this session you will be walking away with some great knowledge and a great way to explain the complexities of digital accessibility in easy-to-understand comparisons and analogies to skate culture. Ideas which will stick in your head like the theme song from Xanadu, but will make sure you remember the key principles of digital accessibility in a way that you can explain to even the least technical of folks in your organisation.

So if you hate reading long boring documents (honestly have you seen how long the versions of the WCAG are?) and you are up for a little fun come along to this session. It’s guaranteed to be one of a kind.


Practical Skills

  • No one likes standing still. Attendees will understand the importance of digital accessibility and the easiest way to start and stay on a roll.
  • You have a forward trajectory but how do you handle roadblocks? Attendees will learn what are the most common digital accessibility roadblocks and how to maneuver around them so you still achieve your goals.
  • Identifying when to upgrade. Your tech needs to work for you, how do you identify when you are ready for an upgrade or start learning new tricks and when should you instead take a step back and re-focus on those fundamentals.