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Onboarding staff

Effective Onboarding for an Accessibility Positive Workplace Anchor link

When hiring new staff, we cannot assume that they are knowledgeable about accessibility. To ensure that there is a
commitment to digital inclusion, we need to ensure that team members understand the basics. As a digital agency,
our focus is on web accessibility. Making our content accessible is a key part of customer centered design. A common
understanding allows our team to work better together. One in five people have a disability, so there is a good
chance someone on your team will have a disability.

Pre-workshop Tasks Anchor link

Trello card - Watch these short videos from this list: Anchor link

Bonus videos:

Curious how some other people engage with the web?

Trello card - Investigate CivicActions existing resources Anchor link

Our team has been working to extend the CivicActions Accessibility site and integrate key elements into the CivicActions Handbook. CivicActions believes in working in the open, so we also are leveraging tools on GitHub like the Projects board and Discussions pages.

Trello card - Install a web accessibility browser extension Anchor link

Install an accessibility browser extension. Take the time to learn the basics of whichever one you choose because everyone has a role in producing accessible websites.

Trello card - Install a color contrast checker Anchor link

Install a color contrast checker browser extension, such as ColorZilla for Chrome, ColorZilla for Firefox or use a free site like Coolors Color Contrast Checker

Trello card - Developers, install an accessibility linter in your text editor or Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Anchor link

Install an accessibility linter in your text editor, such as axe Accessibility Linter for VS Code - recommended. Please note, an accessibility linter is required for front end dev work.

Trello card for Design - Designers, install a color contrast checker in Figma Anchor link

Make sure all Figma projects include a color contrast checker, such as Contrast, or A11y - Color Contrast Checker. Make sure all Sketch/Invison projects include a color checker such as Stark. A color contrast checker that shows WCAG levels is required for design work.

Trello card for copywriting, press releases, blog/social posts presentation writing, etc - use a readability checker Anchor link

Make sure all copy is checked for readability levels. The recommended level is grade 7-8 for the general public in the US. We recommend using the Flesch Grade Level Readability Scale, or Hemingway. Microsoft's Office 365 also includes a checker based on Flesch-Kinkaid.

Trello card - Investigate and possibly configure accessibility settings in your operating system Anchor link

Apple, Windows, Chromebook, Linux desktop OS all have built-in accessibility features. So do mobile systems like Android & iOS.

Mac users - enable Full Keyboard Access to be able to test keyboard only navigation.

Trello card - Take this quiz with multiple-choice questions (include links to Google Forms): Anchor link

Onboarding Quiz (Internal) - Edit view and Participant view

  • Why is accessibility important?
    • It is a legal requirement
    • It is the right thing to do
    • It could benefit me now or in the future
    • All of the above
  • The Section 508 Refresh, is equivalent to what W3C Web Accessibility Initiative guideline?
    • WCAG 2.0
    • WCAG 2.1
    • WCAG 3.0
    • ATAG 2.0
  • Improving on accessibility can support people:
    • with low vision
    • who are hard of hearing
    • People using their laptop outside on a sunny day
    • All of the above
  • Which is not a tool that can be used to identify accessibility problems?
    • SSA.gov's ANDI Bookmarklet
    • Microsoft's Accessibility Insights
    • Firefox's Inclusive Widget
    • NVDA Screen Reader
  • There are many forms of disabilities that are not initially clear to an observer.
    • True
    • False
  • What are the 6 checks displayed in the summary when you run the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool on a site?
    • Errors, Contrast Errors, Alerts, Features, Structural Elements, ARIA
    • Errors, Navigation Elements, Alerts, Features, Headings, ARIA
    • Errors, Contrast Errors, Alerts, ALT Elements, Headings, ARIA
    • Errors, Contrast Errors, Alerts, Features, Structural Elements, Accessibility Score
  • Currently 50% of websites are accessible.
    • True
    • False
  • What are essential elements of writing in plain language?
    • Write for your audience
    • Put general information first, with specialized information or exceptions to the general information later
    • Write short paragraphs and include only one topic in each paragraph
    • All of the above
  • Attach a screenshot of a WAVE or Accessibility Insights report of a government website.
  • What is a best practice to engage with clients and team members that have disabilities?
    • Always speak loudly and make sure to overemphasize with your lips
    • With deaf people, look at the interpreter, not the person who you are talking with
    • Ask the person if there is anything you can do to communicate with them more effectively
    • All of the above

Trello card - Join the #accessibility Slack channel & report your score Anchor link

We want everyone at CivicActions to get an 80% or higher in this quiz. If you don't score high enough, feel free to engage with the Accessibility Team or retake the exam.

Trello card - Participate in our Basic workshop (1hr) Anchor link

Onboarding Deck (Internal)

5 - Introduction

10 - Why accessibility matters to our organization

10 - Atoms/bits and lived experience

10 - How we work, and impact on people with disability

10 - Digital accessibility & automated tools (catching the low-hanging fruit)

10 - Basic accessibility testing of sites with WAVE

5 - Questions

Role specific workshops (Optional) Anchor link

Each role in a company may need additional support in how they can best do their job. Our team has built on role based documentation provided by The UK's DWP Guidance for your job role and Digital.gov's Accessibility for Teams in the CivicActions Accessibility site. Additional training materials for roles like:

  • Business Analyst
  • Content Designer
  • Delivery Manager
  • Digital Performance Analyst
  • Interaction Designer
  • Product Manager
  • QA Tester
  • Software Engineer or Front-end Developer
    • Drupal Developer
    • Drupal Site Builder
    • Front-end Engineer (headless)
    • DevOps/CI Engineer
  • User Researcher

Conclusion Anchor link

Having accessibility in the orientation is key to ensuring that given some basic parameters on how the organization approaches accessibility. To fully integrate accessibility into the culture of an organization it is key that these initial messages are built on and enhanced. Building a champion network within an organization is one of the best ways of ensuring that an organization continues to learn, enhance and extend digital inclusion. Some of the leaders in this space include:

Additional resources/examples Anchor link

Supporting people with disabilities in virtual meetings Anchor link