Accessibility iseasy. Whose ideawas that?

Wiep Hamstra for NCDT

Utrecht, october, 29th 2014

Geef ons heden onze dagelijkse problemen

‘We moeten voldoen aan prio 1!’

‘Alle PDF’s zijn ontoegankelijk’

‘We willen een toptakenwebsite!’

‘Wie heeft dat CMS gekocht?’

Wiep Hamstra

Content strategist ♥ Accessibility

Wrote ‘Het Geheim van de Overheidswebsite’

Working in digital since 2001

Part 1.Accessibility

Things we can all agree on

Things we can all agree on

Accessible websites are great websites

Accessibility includes everyone regardless of• Hardware

or devices• Software• Abilities ?

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Things we can all agree on

Content is worthless when it is not accessible

Things we can all agree on

Content is worthless when it is not accessible

“Let’s make anapp!”

Good contentGinny Redish

Your website adds value when webvisitors:- can find what they need

Good contentGinny Redish

Your website adds value when webvisitors:- can find what they need- understand what they find

Good content Ginny Redish

Your website adds value when webvisitors:- can find what they need- understand what they find - act appropriately on that understanding in the time and effort they think is worthwile

Things we can all agree on

Selling accessibilityis perceived as hard

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Things we can all agree on

Accessibilityis about beinginclusive, not aboutexceptions

Things we can all agree on

Selling accessibilityis easy because it is the key to everything

Things we can all agree on

Working on accessibility is great

this isnot great!

Things we can all agree on

Working on accessibility is hard

(and why is it so hard?)

Part 2.

La pièce de résistance:

StrategyGovernanceManagement

What is strategy?

Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία stratēgia, generalship) is a high level plan to achieve one or more goals under conditions of uncertainty.

Information strategyBob Boiko

If we deliver the right information to the right people in the right way,

it will help us meet our goals.

Web managementErik Hartman

Web management is the systematic and ongoing process of planning, development, organisation,

distribution, evaluation and preservationof web content within an organisation.

Doing the rightthings

Web governanceLisa Welchman

Governance distributes authority for decision making for - strategy- principles, policies and- standards

throughout your entire digital team.

Who decides

onwhat?

Web governanceLisa Welchman

Governance determines who gets to sit around the table when decisions are made.

Web governanceLisa Welchman

Governance determines who gets to sit around the table when decisions are made.

And who has final decision-making authority when consensus cannot be achieved through discussion.

Management ≠ governanceGraham Oakes:

Management- making decisions

Governance- deciding who decides

Part 3.Why your work is so hard

Accessibility without governance is hard

Organisations wereformed before digitalexisted

The way things were organised

And still are (while not working)

”Please put this banneron the homepage.”

Blah blah any otheruseless request...

“Can you please addthis link in the webformto this new application?”

Accessibility without governance is hard

Because your web team is bigger than you think

This is your team

Lisa Welchman

Extended

Committees

Distributed

Core

Accessibility without governance is hard

This whole team is responsible for the web presenceof your organisation

Accessibility without governance is hard

Because you need strategy, policies and standards together

(and have them applied)

StrategyDigital services so good that people prefer to use it

Policies and principlesBuild for inclusion

StandardsIndustry standards, WCAG or Webrichtlijnen v.2

StandardsIndustry standards, WCAG or Webrichtlijnen v.2

Part 4.So, what can be done?

Good governance makesit easier apply standards

(such as accessibility standards)

Governance is not for sale

Lisa Welchman, Hartmancongres, 2013

Stop. Pointing. Fingers.At. Others.

Things you could do for good governance

Collaboration is needed

So start working on yoursoft skills

Collaboration will not happen by email

Things you could do for good governance

Start with doing

No strategy was everapplied without practice

Things you could do for good governance

Educate yourself on digital governance

(Because senior management is not going to)

- Paul Boag. Digital Adaptation (2014)- Kristina Halvorson. Content strategy for the Web (2010)- Jonathon Kahn on A List Apart: Web Governance: Becoming an Agent of Change (2011) and People Skills for Web Workers (2014)- Graham Oakes, on www.grahamoakes.co.uk- Lisa Welchman, Whitepaper Special Topic: Web Governance and Standards Compliance (2009) and her blogs- Gerry McGovern, The Stranger’s Long Neck (2010) and his papers/blogs- Hannah Nathans, Adviseren als tweede beroep (2005)

Things you could do for good governance

Know who is in your webteam

(Plot the team on roles,responsabilities etc.)

Paul Boag: Responsibity Assignment Matrix

Lisa Welchman: Digital Governance Framework

Things you could do for good governance

Be the agent of change

(so get out of yourcomfort zone)

Dalai Lama

There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done.

One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow.

More information? wiep@destaatvanhetweb.nl