> TIL: abbreviation for today I [learned](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/learned "learned"): used in writing, for [example](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/example "example") on [social](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/social "social") [media](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/media "media"), before giving [interesting](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/interesting "interesting") new [information](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/information "information") Published: 21 Nov 2023 ### Thank you note I drew inspiration for today's blog post from one of my favorite accessibility advocates, Manuel Matuzović. He documents his TIL in [his blog](https://www.matuzo.at/til) and there are lots of findings on web accessibility. [I miss you everyday on Twitter](https://www.matuzo.at/blog/2022/twitter-ban/). My TIL is about disability, accessibility, words and people, more than anything. Here is goes: ### TIL: Pronouncing "a11y" Alena, really? Yes, I'm ashamed too. I learned that **a11y** is pronounced as "ay-eleven-why," not "al-eye." This abbreviation for accessibility follows the numeronym pattern, where the number 11 represents the letters omitted. [Ashlee](https://twitter.com/AshleeMBoyer) from [ashleemboyer.com](https://ashleemboyer.com/blog/what-the-heck-is-web-a11y) suggests using "accessibility" if you prefer it over the "a11y" numeronym. > If you like using the word "accessibility" more than you like using the "a11y" numeronym, please continue to do so. ### Document the screen reader user experience with... pencil and paper  Doing rough sketch of your component first, cross out elements that you don't need, add any extra elements, define the content order... All this steps I always missed and jumped straight to landmarks and focus order. [This BBC guide on user experience](https://bbc.github.io/accessibility-news-and-you/guides/screen-reader-ux.html) changed my perspective here on how we should design inclusively. (Thank you, [Jordi](https://twitter.com/iXorx), for sending this to me!) ### Normalising is not a goal >So many of our stories about technology and disability are about technologies are redemptive, as having the power to "overcome" our disabilities. They show us "better" living thought technology, where better means something pretty specific is how people exist in the world. I've been thinking about this a lot. Without specific outcome, but it made me change the way I see the purpose of technology for different needs. When we try to do things better (in our own, non-disabled minds) we don't necessarily consider needs of disabled people, we don't even listen to what they want, we try to predict what disabled person can struggle with. Rather than viewing technology as a means to "overcome" disabilities, consider it as a tool to meet diverse needs and an excuse for communication. Focus on listening to the needs of disabled users, promoting inclusivity and understanding. Challenge the notion that "normalizing" is the ultimate goal. ### Can I say "crip"? I've been exploring the concept of reclaiming language, such as the term "crip," as discussed in "Against Technoableism." >There is another term for disability that some disabled people like: "crip" - a derivation from "cripple". "Cripple" is a derogatory term for a disabled person. There's been a movement to "reclaim" the word "crip", in much the same way as we see the LGBTQIA2S+ community reclaiming the word "queer". Cristine talks about the [power of reclamation](https://www.cripriot.com/post/disabled-insane-crip-the-power-of-reclamation) and the mission of Crip Riot. >For me, Crip Riot represents a push towards a world that sees disability as diversity and not as a threat. Identifying as ‘crip’ drives us closer and closer to a fully inclusive, accessible society. We are unapologetic. We are disabled. We are [Crip Riot](https://www.cripriot.com/) ### Speaker Accommodations: Accessible Room Information Consider standardizing accessibility information for conference speakers, especially details about accessible rooms. >We have a way of saying this room has these dimensions and these door dimensions, we have the ability to explain everything. So, I’m a little bit on the understanding side of if we know what people need to have an accessible room, why can’t we have that be a standard? And why can’t, especially the main hotels follow that, but also even small hotels? Thomas Logan has been talking about [accessibility of hotel websites](https://equalentry.com/accessibility-supreme-court-case-hotel-websites/), and my friend [Ivo](https://twitter.com/ivoriginal)send me a room that he stayed at this morning that has been adapted for wheelchair. That made me think about conferences and that I've never seen the information about accessible rooms in Call for Papers info for speakers. ### Multilingual web accessibility Planning for accessibility and internationalization from the start can ensure robust multilingual web accessibility. [Ben](https://chat.openai.com/c/BenDMyers) shares tips on [his blog](https://benmyers.dev/blog/multilingual-web-accessibility/), including responsive design and supporting custom gestures. A couple of tips from [Ben](BenDMyers) on [multilingual web accessibility](https://benmyers.dev/blog/multilingual-web-accessibility/): - Follow responsive web design best practices instead of striving for pixel-perfect layouts - Avoid capping elements' dimensions to maximum widths or heights - Give your UI elements plenty of room to grow should they need to accommodate longer text - Build layouts that anticipate text wrapping onto new lines - [Ensure design comps reflect the messy asymmetry of the real world](https://www.bennadel.com/blog/4102-embracing-asymmetrical-design-and-overcoming-the-harmful-effects-of-text-overflow-ellipsis-in-css.htm) from the get-go, rather than only demonstrating cases where content follows symmetrical, neat, tidy, elegant happy paths. ### Gaming and Accessibility [Mario's Accessibility is Simply Wonder-Ful](https://www.ign.com/articles/marios-accessibility-is-simply-wonder-ful) made me super happy! Celebrating the positive strides in game accessibility, such as the options provided in Super Mario Bros. >Players have the capability to activate motion controls, deactivate rumble, and even alter the buttons and motions they use to run, jump, and ground-pound. While not as robust as other games with dozens of accessibility features, being able to select these options provides some level of choice and prevents physically disabled players from needing to alter their Switch controller settings for a specific game. I want to be able to comfortably control my experience with every game. And for the first time with Mario, Wonder lets me decide how to play.  Not exactly related, but visionOS has this article on [improving accessibility in visionOS apps](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/visionos/improving-accessibility-support-in-your-app)and many of the principles are shared: - Alternative inputs - Support for custom hand gestures - Captions - Limited motion and most importantly... - Respecting user preferences >But it’s becoming more common for publishers to release accessibility information ahead of release, and Bethesda’s out-of-touch move contrasted with a cohort of AAA developers—including Sony and other studios at Bethesda parent Microsoft, as well as indies—pushing for greater transparency around accessibility. [The future of game accessibility](https://www.wired.com/story/future-of-game-accessibility) is very optimistic! ### Common ARIA mistakes Good old classic: **using ARIA incorrectly can actually make a website less accessible** so it's important to revisit the theory from time to time. That of course comes with what I said before - we should always listen to our users first, test and only then we can be sure that our experience adapts to their needs (and not the other way around), but I still think that we need to know out tools well. This is not new, but I loved the example from this article. [What you need to know about ARIA and how to avoid common mistakes](https://blog.pope.tech/2022/07/12/what-you-need-to-know-about-aria-and-how-to-fix-common-mistakes/). `aria-label` renames the element. As we saw above, a screen reader would announce an HTML `<nav>` element as “nav.” But, if the `<nav>` element has `aria-label="Primary Navigation"`, the screen reader announces it as “Primary Navigation.” ``` <nav aria-label="Primary Navigation" class="left-sidebar"></nav> ``` For forms we need to be much more careful. Screen reader will announce aria label, instead of semantics. This HTML form uses labels and **has ARIA that isn’t needed**. ``` <form action="/action_page.php"> <label for="fname" aria-label="First name">First Name</label> <input type="text" id="fname" name="firstname" placeholder="Your name.."> <label for="email" aria-label="Last name">Email</label> <input type="email" id="email" name="email" placeholder="Your email.."> <input type="submit" value="Submit"> </form> ``` Because this form has an HTML `label` for each input, we actually don’t need `aria-label`. Assistive technology will use the `label` text. So, the problems we often see are: 1. Even though `aria-label` isn’t needed, it’s still used. 2. The `aria-label` is wrong like the email input above, which has `aria-label="Last name"`. ### The soul is not disabled. Unexpected but interesting to read about Bomvana community's perspective on disability, spirituality, and traditional knowledge systems in [this study](https://theconversation.com/ubuntu-offers-lessons-in-how-to-treat-people-with-disabilities-a-study-of-bomvana-rituals-216780). The Bomvana community's understanding of disability is linked to spirituality and traditional knowledge systems, viewing disability as something outside the body. The concept of ubuntu aligns with South Africa's constitutional bill of rights, emphasizing equality before the law and viewing disability not as a problem to be fixed but as a state of being deserving of humanity and equality. I'll wrap up now and go do other things. See ya!