Piloting User Testing for Digital Accessibility at McMaster

Date & Time

Friday, March 17, 2023 - 11:20 AM PST  

Location

Grand GH  

Description

This presentation seeks to share the use of a disability-centered process in developing a user testing pilot program at a research-intensive Canadian post-secondary institution to engage in digital accessibility end-user testing. We will provide the audience context within which the program was formally solidified in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the shifting of in-person work to remote environments; how the team of Disabled staff and students, as well as allies, were assembled with a primary focus on recruiting fluent assistive technology users for university website end-user testing; our student partnership approach to developing testing methodology and program workflows; and how the team has worked to adapt the knowledge-base produced to other digital contexts on our campus. During the first two years of this Program, we have been successful in generating a grassroots service delivery model, working with key campus partners to test their web assets for accessibility and assistive technology compatibility and to educate them about digital accessibility and quality assurance. To date, the team has worked to test and provide feedback on 10+ institutional web projects, over half of which were strategically aligned with institutional priorities or will have a high impact on campus life for equity-deserving community members. The completion of these projects has also led to the creation of trainings and templates that can be implemented in future programs.

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 March 24 2023, 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

• Higher Education
• Information & Communications Technology
• Disability Specific
• Research & Development
• Legal

Audience Level

Intermediate  

Session Summary (Abstract)

Learn about the creation of a user testing pilot at McMaster University that foregrounds the integration of Disabled Knowledge, assistive technology users, and community-engaged relationships in digital accessibility and quality assurance work.  

Primary Topic

Digital Accessibility  

Secondary Topics

• Design
• Education
• Emerging Technologies
• Evaluation & Remediation

 

Session Type

General Track  

Presenters

• Kate Brown
  McMaster University
• Jessica Blackwood
  McMaster University
• Akshay Aggarwal
  EY Consultants
• Aditi Pathengay
  McMaster University

Add to Outlook/iCal (How it works)

Back to Session List