Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 1

How organizations implement accessibility

Chris M. LawSchool of Business Information Technology

RMIT University

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 2

Outline

1. Background and impetus

2. Organizational responses

3. Resources used

4. Practical implications of different types of responses

5. Preliminary conclusions

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 3

1. Background

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 4

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 5

Guidelines Committees

AccessibilityProgram Offices

Designer(s)

End-User(s)

Consultant(s)

We know a lot

We know little

Key

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 6

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 7

Make our website accessible?... not on list

website inaccessible

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 8

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 9

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 10

product

developm

ent

context

1. Start thinking about accessibility

2. Consider options

3a. Conclude, decide on design path

3b. Review, decide on revisions

4. Commit to decision

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 11

Research studies on organizational responses

• National Council on Disability, USA– 2004 report: "Design for inclusion: Creating a new marketplace"– 6 technology industry companies

• Universal Design in Practice (UDiP)– 3 year project at Georgia Tech, USA– 4 technology industry companies, 4 government agencies

• Business decision making and accessibility– My current PhD study, completed / scheduled so far:– 12 organizations with goods / services available to the public– 4 disability access organizations– 12 experts

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 12

2. Organizational responses

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 13

Organizational structure

Executives

Marketing

Management

Development:

Design

Programming

Sales

Customer Service

Others

Organization X

AccessibilityConsultancy

AccessibilityConsultant

AccessibilityPoint-Person

(APP) Disability

Organization

Accessibility

ProgramOffice (APO)

NCD: 4 of 6

NCD: "Several"

UDiP: 7 of 8UDiP: 1 of 8

UDiP: "Several"

None: 2

Business Decision Makingand Accessibility (Australia)

6 2

1

1

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 14

APP/APO (stand-alone)

Executives

Marketing

Management

Development:

Design

Programming

Sales

Customer Service

Others

Organization X

APP / APO

20/26

18/20

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 15

A

APP/APO (integrated)

Executives

Marketing

Management

Development:

Design

Programming

Sales

Customer Service

Others

Organization X

APP / APO

1/20 successfully completed1/20 currently attempting

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 16

3. Resources used

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 17

APP/APOProgrammer(s)

End-User(s)

Universal AccessGuidelines & Tools

Feedback& Data

SoftwareDevelopment

Recommendations

AccessibilityEvaluation

Questions

?

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 18

Rest ofDev't team

Accessibility Team Interface Designer(s)and Programmer(s)

End-User(s)

Internal & External Accessibility Resources (Consultants, Guidelines, Tools, Websites, Books etc.)

Feedback& Data

Support & Advice

SoftwareDevelop-ment

Recommendations

AccessibilityEvaluation

Questions

?

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 19

4. Practical implications of different types of responses

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 20

Accessibility in the organization is...

• Ingrained, or marginalized?

• Everyone's responsibility, or a select few?

• Part of the mission, or a hassle?

• Well planned, or haphazard?

• etc. etc.

• Customers are taken care of, or seen as a nuisance?

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 21

Staffing and skill-sets• A possible problem...

• Who do you hire to address accessibility problems?– start with consultants– hire a person or a team of people

• they know about technology and accessibility, but not necessarily about design, manufacture, programming, management, etc.

• but they have to then convince all of the people in those other roles of what to do for accessibility

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 22

5. Preliminary conclusions

(and further work)

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 23

Preliminary conclusions

• Rarely about money

• Often about Australia's position in the marketplace– e.g., computers post-508; buses post-ADA;

telephone hardware design limitations

• Organizational responses rarely planned– even with Disability Action Plans– more evolutionary and dependent on

organizational structure and staff

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 24

Resource gaps

• Establishing what is possible is difficult for novices

• Resources not really designed for the observed organizational responses

• Design guidance and standards in universal design - there are a number of unresolved problems

• The business case is not well documented

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 25

The ideal response?• Take time to find out what's physically,

technologically and sociologically possible in all areas

• Consider how to make the organization's accessibility message consistent– e.g., Architecture and technology priorities

• Conduct training, set internal 'best practice' guides

• Better if it is everyone's responsibility

Chris M. Law, WANAU meeting, RMIT University, March 26, 2007; Slide 26

Thanks!

chris.law@rmit.edu.au

www.udprojects.com

Acknowledgments:Funding provided by - Media Access Australia- Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarship- Victoria ICT Scholarship