AzureFunBytes Episode 55 - Programming for Accessibility with @rorypreddy
Tags: a11y, software, cloud, azure
Published: 2021-09-02 19:16:19

AzureFunBytes is a weekly opportunity to learn more about the fundamentals and foundations that make up Azure. It's a chance for me to understand more about what people across the Azure organization do and how they do it. Every week we get together at 11 AM Pacific on [Microsoft LearnTV](https://cda.ms/226) and learn more about Azure.

![AzureFunBytes animation](https://res.cloudinary.com/practicaldev/image/fetch/s--Z7BxBMz1--/c_limit%2Cf_auto%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_66%2Cw_880/https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/j2xzw2g664tj31jij13t.gif)

This week on AzureFunBytes we're talking about how to create applications for everyone.  Accessibility is the design of products, services, and devices that focus on making environments the most welcome and usable to any user.   Different people have different methods they may interface with the applications you create.  By focusing in on accessibility earlier in your software development process, you make for a more available product to everyone.  What software developers create should include considerations for vision, hearing, neurodiversity, mobility, and even mental health.  Through the use of assistive technology, AI, and cognitive services we can strive to consider all of our differences in order to improve accessibility.

To help me further understand the benefits of accessibility in our software development, I've tapped Senior Cloud Advocate [Rory Preddy](https://twitter.com/rorypreddy) for some help.  

Our agenda:

- Accessibility concepts
- Achieving accessible milestones
- Measure and automate
- Tooling

{% youtube sFCkRSKeiLM %}

[00:00:00 - Intro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFCkRSKeiLM)
[00:02:32 - Microsoft Accessibility video](https://youtu.be/sFCkRSKeiLM?t=152)
[00:05:29 - Let's meet Rory](https://youtu.be/sFCkRSKeiLM?t=329)
[00:15:35 - Accessibility is about improving everyone's quality of life](https://youtu.be/sFCkRSKeiLM?t=935)
[00:20:28 - What is Accessibility?](https://youtu.be/sFCkRSKeiLM?t=1228)
[00:22:48 - The Hydra](https://youtu.be/sFCkRSKeiLM?t=1368)
[00:25:42 -Disability does not equal personal health condition](https://youtu.be/sFCkRSKeiLM?t=1542) 
[00:28:44 - How legislation impacts Accessibility](https://youtu.be/sFCkRSKeiLM?t=1724)
[00:31:41 -  Persona Spectrum](https://youtu.be/sFCkRSKeiLM?t=1901)
[00:35:42 - Tools for improving Accessibility](https://youtu.be/sFCkRSKeiLM?t=2142)
[00:36:39 - Demo time](https://youtu.be/sFCkRSKeiLM?t=2197)
[00:41:36 - Shifting left with DevOps](https://youtu.be/sFCkRSKeiLM?t=2496)
[00:45:50 - Immersive Reader Demo](https://youtu.be/sFCkRSKeiLM?t=2750)
[00:51:57 - Enabling better image recognition](https://youtu.be/sFCkRSKeiLM?t=3117)
[00:54:42 - Conclusion](https://youtu.be/sFCkRSKeiLM?t=3282)

Here's a description of what we cover in Rory's own words:

*"My life is a hilarious roller coaster of miss-intended programming bugs because at 4 foot tall and 65 kilograms I completely fall off your radar.* 

*What did my scale call me! Why does facial recognition see me as a child? These are all valid questions I often ask myself as I navigate my weird and different world. Have you heard the phrase “You have to be this tall for Micro-services”? well, what about: “You have to be this tall to operate a mobile phone?”. I am finding it harder and harder to reach any button except for “#” and “9”.*

*Building accessibility into the planning stages of programming can eliminate barriers for participation and create an inclusive environment for people with disabilities. Programming for diversity serves as an unquestionable indicator that your software embraces the diversity of your users and cares about their safety and comfort.*

*Join me on a fascinating and thought-provoking look at how you can program for accessibility."*

So check out this important session that Rory was kind enough to take part in and let's make our software experiences glorious for everyone!

------

Learn about Azure fundamentals with me!

Live stream is normally found on Twitch, YouTube, and [LearnTV](https://cda.ms/226) at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET Thursday. You can also find the recordings here as well:

[AzureFunBytes on Twitch](https://twitch.tv/azurefunbytes)
[AzureFunBytes on YouTube](https://aka.ms/jaygordononyoutube)
[Azure DevOps YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-ikyViYMM69joIAv7dlMsA)
[Follow AzureFunBytes on Twitter](https://twitter.com/azurefunbytes)

[Get $200 in free Azure Credit](https://cda.ms/219)
[Microsoft Learn: Introduction to Azure fundamentals](https://cda.ms/243)
[Microsoft Learn: Accessibility Fundamentals](https://aka.ms/accessibility-fundamentals) 
[Microsoft Learn: Digital accessibility](https://cda.ms/2wL)
[Microsoft Learn: Configure Microsoft Teams meetings and calls for inclusion](https://cda.ms/2wQ)
[Experience the web as personas with access needs](https://alphagov.github.io/accessibility-personas/)
[Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview](https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/)
[Computer Vision](https://cda.ms/2wK)
[Speech Translation](https://cda.ms/2wG)
[Accessibility Insights Tools](https://accessibilityinsights.io)
[Accessibility Technology & Tools - Microsoft](https://cda.ms/2wN)
[Chief Accessibility Officer Jenny Lay-Flurrie: Stories from inside Microsoft’s journey to design a more accessible world](https://cda.ms/2wP)
[No Caps](https://nocaps.org)