UW GAAD 2019

UW Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2019

May 16, 2019
10:00am – 4:00pm
Odegaard 220

UW Global Accessibility Awareness Day sessions are open to everyone in the UW Community. Feel free to come to one or attend them all! Descriptions of sessions are provided below.

Lunch and Learn

Bring your lunch to the following sessions:

11:30 – 11:45: Selections from #A11y Rocks!
11:45 – 12:45: Learn How Assistive Technologies Provide Access to Devices
12:45 – 1:00: Selections from #A11y Rocks!

Session schedule

Time	Topic	Presenter(s)
10:00 – 10:30	Opening Keynote	Anna Marie Golden Karen Braitmayer
10:30 – 10:55	Improving Accessibility of Academic Content with Course Assessments	Ana Thompson
11:05 – 11:30	WCAG 2.1	Jeane Marty
11:30 – 11:45	Selections from #A11y Rocks!	Various Artists
11:45 – 12:45	Learn How Assistive Technologies Provide Access to Devices	Naomi Namekata
12:45 – 1:00	Selections from #A11y Rocks!	Various Artists
1:00 – 1:25	Are Social Networking Sites Accessible?	Terrill Thompson
1:35 – 2:00	Accessibility in Work Spaces, Student Organizations, and Courses	Grady Thompson Camille Hattwig
2:10 – 3:20	Video Accessibility	Terrill Thompson Jason Smith Doug Hayman
3:30 – 3:55	A11y for Canvas: What Students and Instructors Should Know	Gaby de Jongh
3:55 – 4:00	Closing	Anna Marie Golden

Session descriptions

Opening/Keynote

Anna Marie Golden, UW GAAD Organizer & IT Accessibility Specialist, UW-IT Accessible Technology Services
Karen Braitmayer, FAIA, Principal of Studio Pacifica

Karen is the founder and managing principal of Studio Pacifica, an accessibility consulting firm in Seattle. She and her team provide consulting services to local governments, school districts, architects, engineers, companies and individuals concerned with complying with Federal laws and State codes, as well as simply creating spaces that work for the unique needs of individual users. Karen also leads presentations and workshops around the country to further educate professionals about codes, standards, and inclusion.

Early in her career, it occurred to Karen that as an architect and a wheelchair user, it was possible for her to make a unique contribution to the field. Her professional focus on accessibility and her advocacy efforts for inclusion have certainly done that!

As a registered architect, Karen was admitted to the prestigious College of Fellows by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). In 2010 she was appointed by President Barack Obama to the United States Access Board, a policy position that she still holds today. Most recently she was awarded the 2019 Whitney M. Young Jr. award by the American Institute of Architects in recognition of her leadership in civil rights for people with disabilities, social sustainability, public policy and universal design. She will receive the award and speak at the AIA National Convention in June. Karen is also an active volunteer and non-profit board member.

Back to schedule

Improving Accessibility of Academic Content with Course Assessments

Ana Thompson, Learning & Access Designer, Office of Digital Learning & Innovation, UW Bothell

In this presentation, you will learn about a new service offered by the Office of Digital Learning & Innovation at UW Bothell, Accessibility Assessments. This process allows for evaluation of course materials (PDFs, Office documents, Canvas pages), course navigation, and images. Level 1 Assessment evaluates course documents starting with PDFs. Level 2 includes course navigation, image use and alt text. After an assessment is done, a combination of basic remediation, training and support is provided to increase content accessibility while empowering faculty to continue creating accessible content.

Improving Accessibility of Academic Content with Course Assessments (PowerPoint)
Back to schedule

WCAG 2.1

Jeane Marty, Senior Front-end Software Engineer, UW Bothell Web Services

Learn about the new WCAG 2.1 guidelines recommended by the W3C. This talk will include a high-level overview and practical examples.

WCAG 2.1 Highlights
Back to schedule

Learn How Assistive Technologies Provide Access to Devices

Naomi Namekata, Assistive Technology Specialist and iCC Program Manager, Washington Assistive Technology Act Program (WATAP)

Learn how individuals use various types of Assistive Technologies (AT) to access their devices. Demos will include a screen reader, Braille display, eye gaze system, and even software that you “smile” at to operate your computer.

The Washington Assistive Technology Act Program, (WATAP) is a resource available to all Washington state residents to demo and try AT for free. Learn more about how to access these services.

Learn How Assistive Technologies Provide Access to Devices (PowerPoint)
Back to schedule

Are Social Networking Sites Accessible?

Terrill Thompson, Technology Accessibility Specialist, UW-IT Accessible Technology Services

Are social networking sites accessible? Yes and No. This session will focus on the six social sites featured in the UW Boundless footer: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

Are Social Networking Sites Accessible? (PowerPoint)
Back to schedule

Accessibility in Work Spaces, Student Organizations, and Courses

Grady Thompson, Universal Design Consultant, ASUW Student Disability Commission & Student Assistant, UW-IT Accessible Technology Services
Camille Hattwig, Public Policy and Advocacy, ASUW Student Disability Commission

Grady and Camille are Interns with the ASUW Student Disability Commission (SDC). In this session, they will discuss the SDC’s advocacy and programming efforts. In addition, they will provide strategies for maximizing accessibility and universal design in work spaces, student organizations, and courses.

Accessibility in Work Spaces Student Organizations and Courses (PowerPoint)
Back to schedule

Video Accessibility

Terrill Thompson, Technology Accessibility Specialist, UW-IT Accessible Technology Services
Jason Smith, Multimedia Consulting Lead, Learning Technologies
Doug Hayman, Technology Specialist, UW-IT Accessible Technology Services

This session will provide quick but practical instruction on how to make your videos fully accessible. It will cover: How to caption videos in YouTube, Panopto, Canvas, and Zoom; when and how to add audio description to videos; and how to ensure your media player is accessible.

Video Accessibility (PowerPoint)
Back to schedule

A11y for Canvas: What Students and Instructors Should Know

Gaby de Jongh, IT Accessibility Specialist, UW-IT Accessible Technology Services

Just before Spring Quarter the UW rolled out a plug-in tool for Canvas called A11y. This tool gives feedback to instructors on how accessible or inaccessible the documents they have uploaded to their Canvas courses are. This tool also gives students the ability to choose alternative formats for downloading materials that instructors have uploaded to the course. During this session, participants will get an overview of A11y for Canvas and how Students and Instructors can use this tool to create or modify instructional material to include accessibility.

A11y for Canvas: What Instructors and Students Should Know (PowerPoint)