37th Annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference Has Concluded

Dinosaur Accessibility: How to Unearth Legacy Code Problems

Date & Time

Tuesday, March 15, 2022 - 1:20 PM PST

Location

Platinum 7-8

Description

When auditing older websites, there are accessibility problems we frequently encounter while excavating the layers of code built up over time. The oldest code on the oldest sites may be fairly accessible, as semantic HTML was likely used. Ugly, but accessible. The next layer is frequently the least accessible as designers and developers tried to get fancy, ignoring semantic HTML and usability best practices. The most recent layers may be more accessible as more modern code libraries become available and more accessible.

Using code examples, we will strip styles away to see what the application looks like to the user. Just like digging up a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, we will discuss tactics in digging out and stripping down the code, and putting it back together in a way that meets both the business and accessibility requirements. We discuss how accessibility remediation is not a one-and-done process; dinosaur code may require digging through many layers to find all the problems, and remediation may take multiple iterations.

Join Nerdery’s accessibility Nerd and amateur paleontologist on this journey through digital time. We’ll dig through layers of code to examine some of the most common issues we encounter with legacy code, including navigation menus, using <div> elements for buttons, and custom-built checkboxes and radio buttons, and discuss how we build them back up to be accessible.

We will examine the layers of buy-in required from all levels of the organization to make an accessibility remediation project successful in the long-term.

This Presentation Link is provided by the Presenter(s) and not hosted by the Center on Disabilities at CSUN. The Center on Disabilities has confirmed, as of April 1, 2022, content linked is relevant to the presentation, but has not been reviewed for accessibility nor will the Center on Disabilities attempt to remediate any accessibility issues in the linked content. Please contact the Presenter(s) with any accessibility concerns.

Audience

Information & Communications Technology
Marketing

Audience Level

Intermediate

Session Summary (Abstract)

Join Nerdery’s amateur paleontologist on this journey through digital time. We’ll dig through layers of code to examine some of the most common issues we encounter with legacy code, including navigation menus and custom-built checkboxes and radio buttons, and discuss how we build them back up to be accessible.

Session Type