Notes # 3: ZeroCon26, YouTube, United Nations...

Personal Notes

Last week, we were at #ZeroCon26. With Turkish Technology, we attended to two panels as speaker. The first one is Accessible Aviation Forum and we talked about importance of accessibility on airline digital touchpoints. The second one is Accessibility Skills Development panel hosted by IAAP - International Association of Accessibility Professionals. We mentioned our efforts on Turkish Technology to mainstream accessibility in main workflows with trainings. We organized so much 1-on-1 meetings and couldn’t listen other panel sessions. I will watch them on Zero Project YouTube channel this weekend.

News

Massachusetts Digital Accessibility and Equity Strategic Plan: While the ADA Title II April deadline is rapidly approaching, the Massachusetts State Government has published a digital accessibility strategic plan. The planning phase began in 2023, and the plan outlines their journey and goals from 2024 to 2027. The plan comprises 13 strategies under 6 main goals, ranging from procurement to training. Given that it also includes valuable external links, such as the state's accessible design system and procurement policy, the plan appears to be a valuable resource not only for government agencies but also for large private sector organizations. This plan provides a clear summary of what needs to be done, prioritized, and when.

Remove The Paywall for YouTube's Lyrics Option – Change.org: Copying from the campaign text: “The issue at hand is YouTube's decision to place the "lyrics" feature behind a paywall as part of their premium service. This means that a significant portion of the population—specifically those who are deaf or hard of hearing—are unable to access a fundamental aspect of the music experience that we often take for granted. Lyrics aren't just words to a song. They convey emotions, stories, and messages that can change and uplift one's spirit.” Accessibility should not be a premium feature, it is a human right. So, please support the campaign.

Cuts To Sign Language and Interpretation Spark Pushback at UN Rights Council: It is approved that UN would not be providing International Sign interpretation and live captioning in its meeting until further notice due to widening financial gap caused mainly by the US, but also by other states failing to pay their dues on time. So, as persons working in the field of accessibility field, there is no organization that we can fully trust. We have to be creative all the time. May be this decision creates ways for AI and sign language intersection. I know that AI supported sign language interpreters are useless most of the time but I am hopeful.

MIB Sets OTT Accessibility Rules: New caption and audio description requirements for streaming platforms from India. “Platforms have up to thirty six months to ensure that all newly released content carries accessibility features.” Rules also covers accessibility of streaming platform’s website or app. Monitoring will be based on viewer complaints, which must first be submitted to the streaming platform. If the issue is not resolved, a complaint can then be filed to the self-regulatory body and, finally, government. Personally, I am not a fan of this monitoring approach. Given that there is a clear standard and platforms are informed of their responsibilities, I believe it is unnecessary for viewers to have to track the status of their complaints and contact multiple institutions. This kind of three-tier compliant systems put so much responsibility to individuals and time consuming for accessibility.

Inspirations

The Mistake Of CES’s Accessibility Stage: In the last issue I mentioned Accessibility Stage of CES and I approached this segregated corner with a positive attitude. Lucy Greco helped me look at the issue from a different perspective. She wrote: “This separation made finding these products incredibly difficult, and mainstream media largely ignored both disability-specific items and the accessibility of mainstream technology.” And she shares her hope for integration. True. On the other hand, I still believe the value of spotlighting accessibility solutions in a dedicated space. I found CES thanks to this stage like many other non-western accessibility professionals. In the long run, I agree with Lucy but I believe our advocacy power and we still need say “accessible” for something to find it.

How The Same Content Always Has Multiple Different Versions: Sometimes showing what accessibility means is much more easier than talking. This is a great article includes visuals showing how same content perceived differently by different users including colour blindness, low vision or dyslexia. Universal design tips are also included.

A Screen Reader User’s Online Banking Disaster: I love user story articles rather than technical ones on standards. This is the summary of what a blind user experienced in a mobile banking app and this is a very clear explanation of how accessibility issues impact users. I think Accessibility 101 courses should start with this kind of user stories rather than standards.

An Article From Me

I wrote about accessibility overlays. I summarized their usability issues, legal aspects and recommendations. Are Accessibility Overlays Really Meaningful?