Those of us who work in technology know how to work with multifaceted and diverse teams to solve complex issues for our end users. Becoming stronger, more empathetic communicators who foster diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across the organization is a continuous goal and many would say we are all a work-in-progress. In this talk, we ask “How do we better foster a sense of inclusion and allow for different types of people, with varied abilities and skills, to work together to solve problems for the future?” We'll present ten tips for fostering more inclusion in technology, based on a compilation of tips presented through a previously-published blog series.

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Why We Need More Accessibility Designers

Anna E. Cook (she/her or they/them)

Many accessibility defects originate in design, so why do the bulk of accessibility considerations fall to developers and quality assurance? In this talk, we will discuss why we need more accessibility designers, what it means to be an accessibility designer, and the day-to-day responsibilities of an accessibility designer. Learn how you can advocate to create accessibility designer roles and begin to train yourself to specialize in accessibility as a designer.

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Shattering Assumptions About Deafness

Meryl Evans (she/her/deaf)

Do all deaf people know how to read lips? Know sign language? Can they drive? There are many misconceptions about deaf and hard of hearing people. Meryl will set the record straight on common misconceptions. Come to this A11yTalks session to get the facts about deaf and HoH people to enrich your accessibility and inclusion efforts.

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Bridging the A11y Gap: Mental Health & the Next Generation

Albert Kim (he/him)

Two of the biggest gaps in digital accessibility include lack of accessibility guidelines around mental health and how to bridge the knowledge divide between advocacy and professional. Albert Kim, the founder of Accessibility NextGen and a W3C invited expert on mental health, will be discussing his digital accessibility journey and the role Accessibility NextGen is playing to help people in the early stages of their accessibility journeys learn and grow together.

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Whole-to-Part versus Part-to-Whole: How Sighted and Blind Web Navigation Differs

Michele Williams

Designing with blind consumers in mind can be difficult for sighted team members, often leading to disregarding best practices that benefit blind visitors. To help turn this around, this presentation will break down a key difference in page navigation approaches (“whole-to-part” vs. “part-to-whole”), and explain design and code components that make exploration easier for everyone.

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