Be A Digital Ally: Accessibility for the Rest of Us

Accessibility for the Rest of Us

Imagine that you're a small business owner who just designed your first website. You're pleased with what you've created and are looking forward to all the business your new site will bring in. But then disaster strikes. You receive a complaint that your beautiful website isn't accessible to someone and they're threatening to sue!

What now? Do you ignore the complaint? Do you spend money that you don't have to hire a professional to fix the issues? Do you give up and take down your website because you can't afford a lawsuit? WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO COMPLICATED?!?

Calm down, take a deep breath and know that there are things that you can do to address accessibility issues on your website without being an expert. Join Knowbility's Julie Romanowski as we step through a fictitious website designed to demonstrate a variety of common accessibility problems. Together we will identify issues, discuss how these issues may impact people with disabilities, and learn ways to fix these issues so that this fictitious small business can reach the greatest number of customers possible.

We recommend installing the following tools prior to this session:

• Accessibility Insights for Web: Chrome/Edge version
• Web Developer: Chrome/Edge version, Firefox version
• NVDA screen reader

Have questions you would like to send ahead of time or a specific problem you are struggling with on this topic? Email us at events@knowbility.org.

Learner Objectives

Participants will:

• learn about at least 3 common accessibility problems;
• learn how to better identify accessibility issues; and 
• learn methods to remediate these accessibility issues.

About Be a Digital Ally

Whether you are responsible for your small business's website or you're a social media creator who wants to ensure your content is available for everyone, this series is intended for you. Be a Digital Ally provides entry-level training on the basic principles and skills needed to make any website accessible. Be A Digital Ally is a free monthly series that covers the basic skills and principles of accessible digital design. It is meant for people who regularly interact with and create digital content and are newer to accessibility.

About Knowbility 

Knowbility is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create a more inclusive digital world for people with disabilities. We help make the internet and other technologies accessible to people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or hearing impaired, have mobility impairments, and cognitive or learning disabilities. Our goal is to create a barrier-free world of information technology so that people with disabilities can fully participate in digital spaces.

We pursue our mission through three priorities:

• Education
• Awareness
• Advocacy

Accessible technology matters for the one billion people with disabilities around the world. Improved accessibility means access to healthcare providers and appointments, information technology, digital classrooms and learning, social inclusion and networking, shopping, entertainment, and travel arrangements, voter registration and civic engagement, banking and financial inclusion, & career training and employment.

Accessible digital design means everyone has access to unlimited opportunities to reach their full potential.

Your donation funds our critical work, including this free event! You can make a difference in closing the digital divide and improving digital equity, access, and opportunity for people with disabilities. 

You can read more about our programs, and the work we do on the Knowbility website.

Knowbility is committed to creating a safe, hospitable work environment. Everyone involved with Knowbility events, programs, and services must follow our Code of Conduct, including in related online communities and on social media.