“You can be compliant without being accessible.”
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Show Notes/Transcript
Host: Tas The Artist
*Intro Music*
Welcome to Tas Talks. In today’s episode, we’re going to be talking about compliance versus accessibility as well as it is September, which is Deaf Awareness Month. So let’s get into it.
Accessibility is a hot topic right now, and it should always be a topic that is discussed. Unfortunately, I notice a trend happening where people might not quite understand what accessibility truly means and the difference between compliance and accessible. So let’s break this down. When you talk about accessibility compliance, this refers usually to the WCAG or the EAA rules and requirements for things like websites.
You also have on the other side the ADA here in the U.S., which covers things related to physical accessibility as well. Things like isle ways and ramps and having accessible types of information for patrons. We’re going to focus on digital specifically just because that is my specialty. So when you are looking at something like a website, let’s say you’re building a site, you’re going to have certain compliance requirements that you need to follow by law, but by the law just, you know, you have to do it right.
Things like your site needs to work with screen readers. You need to have good color contrast that follows the regulations. Your font needs to be compliant, etc. but this is where it gets complicated. For people that aren’t familiar necessarily with the world of accessibility.
You can be compliant without being accessible. Here’s why. When you’re looking at a set of boxes, you’re checking it off okay.
Color contrast? Check. Font check. Screen reader access? Check. But one size doesn’t fit all when you’re looking at compliance. That is the bare minimum that a company needs to do by law, which is not the same as being accessible and inclusive of various barriers that people might have using your content.
So let me explain. You can have a website that is compliant but is not accessible for people with seizure disorders. Let’s say you add motion GIFs in there within the WCAG requirements of the flashes per second, but there is always a chance it’s using things like strobe lights, flashing, quick moving GIFs can still trigger seizure. Photosensitive seizures and other types of seizure disorders can be triggered by that period. As someone with a seizure disorder. I know firsthand how one GIF, one meme, one video can just create and trigger seizures. So.
You have to look at the person when you’re designing. What is the highest level of barrier that someone could experience on your website? If you design for that in mind, you’re creating accessibility, not compliance. Compliance is important because of the law, but it isn’t the same as creating a space that is accessible.
Looking at vestibular disorders, for example, which I have personal experience as someone with Meniere’s Disease, is bright colors, parallax effects, different things of that nature could trigger a vertigo attack that will last me hours, capacity, days.
Again, you may be compliant, but you’re not accessible. When I’m doing my work as an accessibility auditor. I will never intentionally create a design that would be inaccessible. Accessibility isn’t a thing you can perfect. It’s something that’s continually evolving, so everyone is going to make content at some point that is not accessible to someone. But the key is learning and adapting and changing.
And I think that’s the part that’s hard for people because they get hooked on things that things that they like, whether it’s color schemes or motion effects, video content and it prevents them from looking outside of themselves. It’s unfortunately human nature, it just is and I think for me, when I’m working as an accessibility consultant, I am coming at things from the perspective of inclusive content and considering the barriers and the user experience, not just the compliance of it, because the compliance, everyone can do that.
Everyone can be compliant. And I think for me, my difficulty when I’m navigating this landscape as a autistic professional is my point of view from an ethics standpoint versus the view of whatever the company or organization is and what their their goals are. If I feel things are misaligned, then I am not going to work with that place.
I can audit anybody. I can do an audit. But when it comes to implementation of change, if you’re looking at compliance only, I can’t do that. I can make you compliant. But for me, as a disabled professional, I feel like I’m then excluding people. If there’s not a willingness to be accessible. It’s it’s my my line I guess, my line in the sand.
You can be aware of the issues in. It’s up to you what you do with them. And a lot of companies will just be compliant. That’s the law. That’s what they do. They’re compliant. But I think that’s the problem I have is it stops there. I had an experience this year, very negative experience of a company that chose to ignore the the accessibility issues that they had.
They just completely ignored. They didn’t want to change anything. Absolutely nothing. I’ve spoken of this experience before on LinkedIn and I see those inaccessible designs popping up in my recommended feed constantly of this company, and that just upsets me. Still, when I see it, because, they aren’t even. Well, in this case, they’re not even compliant. Let me preface it with this.
They didn’t even try to be at the minimum which is compliant. They didn’t. They’re not even that. But just the willingness to ignore and exclude an entire group of people because of your unwillingness to change. And that’s the biggest barrier to to having inclusive access is the unwillingness to change. It’s an ever evolving landscape. And if I had one set of advice for people that are wanting to become inclusive and in their content, don’t just stop at compliant.
Be accessible. Start from the beginning with your design, including people and thinking of the users that would be on your site. Your demographic. Setting up those user personas to understand what barriers people may face that goes beyond compliance. Is it work? Yeah. I’m not going to tell you it’s easy. It’s not easy. It’s a lot of work. It’s time.
It’s commitment, but it’s the right thing to do. And I think for me, when I see places outright refuse, like in that one example that I experience this year, when I see places just outright refuse to do anything. And then on the flip side, when I see places that are compliant or want to be compliant, but that stops there.
It’s sad. It makes me sad. I can’t pretend it doesn’t. As a disabled person navigating the world, it makes me sad. Performative actions, inflexibility and just complete and utter chosen ignorance. And it’s sad. This is an so all I can do is continue to do the audit, encourage the change. And beyond that, there’s nothing I can do.
But the emotional ramifications of doing accessibility consulting work stays with you, especially when you are part of the demographic that people ignore and choose not to include.
Well, that was an episode, am I right? Okay, well, if you liked this episode, please give it a thumbs up. Leave a comment. Share the podcast. If you wished you. And as always, I will catch you in the next episode.
*Outro Music*