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No Usability Without Accessibility – Commonalities and Differences Of Usability and Accessibility
Usability and accessibility are closely related aspects of web development. Some mistakenly think that these two terms are interchangeable, even though they are different, their goals, approaches, and guidelines can overlap significantly, and one (accessibility) can exist without the other (usability)...
But what about internal software?
With panic levels about the European Accessibility Act (EAA) rising, I keep encountering people who are certain this doesn’t apply to them because they work on internal tools ...
Preventing Color Contrast Errors with Effective Simulation Testing
Designing and developing for various visual impairments can be challenging, especially when one doesn’t know exactly how people with visual impairments perceive colors and content on the web. Google Chrome DevTools offers a simple solution by simulating these impairments, thus helping to ...
See you at uxcon vienna
At this years uxcon in Vienna, Laura and Julia are holding a workshop about how to create and test website to not only fulfill requirements but go far beyond the checklist ...
Monthly a11y newsletter
There are a lot of resources and events that can be hard to find outside the online accessibility bubble. Gatekeeping is the opposite of accessibility, which is why I send out (approximately) monthly newsletters about upcoming events in web accessibility...
Why fulfilling the WCAG is not enough
Everybody and their work mom is talking about the European Accessibility Act, and many are longing for clear instructions on what the heck to do. Not to rain on your work laptop, but even if you follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines ...
2023 has been eventful here at Accessibility First
2023 has been eventful here at Accessibility First! Laura has joined the party, a brand new website, march for inclusion, and much more ...
Define project
On October 10, we took part in the presentation of the DEFINE project. Define stands for Digital Equipment For Inclusive Empowerment. The mission behind it is not only to bring low-cost assistive tech to the market but also to improve digital literacy in the process...
How do people learn to use a white cane?
At the first real user trial, we finally put our actual prototype on an actually blind person, instead of a blindfolded engineer. The participant gave us a great tip: to get in touch with an orientational mobility officer.Since there is no industry standard for haptic...
Why blind people in Vienna hate trashcans
When I first started doing research for Hope Tech’s Sixth Sense, we quickly encountered the challenge of “What exactly should we define as a threat and what would just be an obstacle? For the classification of threats, my mind went immediately to traffic, moving cars,...
Deaf blindness
When you hear the word deaf-blind, you might think “How do you communicate then?” And if you have ever studied anything related to communication, I’m sure your old professor is haunting you right now with Paul Watzlawick’s “One cannot not communicate” with that uuh spooky echo uuuh...
Accessibility First collaborates with UX Researcher Laura Wissiak
Some paths should not be walked alone. I’m excited to announce that Accessibility First welcomes a new face to its previously one-man team. When I started Accessibility First in the summer of 2022, my goal was to create content about accessibility, design, ...
Blind, visually impaired, or low sighted?
There is an ongoing debate about what to call it. Visual Impairment or blindness? What is correct: A blind person or a person living with blindness or a person with low vision? But what is the right word? Well, I doubt there is just one...
Vulnerable customers
Did you know? 300,000 people in Austria have no or limited knowledge of German. For 56% being able to communicate in their first language is more important than the price point! 7.1% of 16 to 65-year-olds have quite low ...
Accessibility: The What, Why & How
Web accessibility has fortunately been getting more and more attention lately. But many people still don’t know what web accessibility actually is and why it’s so important. Let’s get an overall understanding on accessibility by introducing you to this topic ...
Accessibility Testing Part 1
Today I’m starting my very first accessibility check. I’ll be auditing websites to see how well they implement accessibility and pointing out the problems and items that need improvement...
POUR - The 4 Web Accessibility Principles
To qualify your website and web application as accessible under the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) established by the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Accessibility Initiative (W3C WAI), the content must meet these four principles (which form the acronym POUR)...
Benefits of Accessible Design
In my last article on Myths and Misconceptions about Accessibility, I talked about how people believe that only a few people would benefit from accessibility. The fact is that accessibility benefits a wide range of people, society and the economy...
Myths and Misconceptions about Accessibility
In this article, I will address common myths about and objections to accessibility by presenting evidence and examples that debunk them and support reasons for accessibility....
Web accessibility for better togetherness
The Vienna district where I live organizes an event called “Miteinander in Mariahilf” (en.: Together in Mariahilf), where locals can contribute different ideas for a better living together. This is where my specialty web accessibility comes into action. Let me share my thoughts....