NYU Digital Accessibility

Things I already Knew

Before diving into NYU's resources on digital accessibility, I already had some foundational understanding of the topic thanks to my Full Stack Development course with Professor Matura Govindarajan at NYUAD. In this course, we focused on various practices to make web development projects more accessible. Among the key points discussed were:

• Adding alternative text for visual elements: This helps screen readers interpret and vocalize what the image is about, thereby aiding visually impaired users. It also acts as an aid for everyone in case the image is unable to load.

• Following hierarchical and semantic HTML structuring: Semantic elements like headings and lists help screen readers make sense of the webpage's layout and content.

• Adding closed captions to videos: This not only assists the hearing impaired but also enhances user engagement and SEO.

Things I would love to explore

I was pleasantly surprised by the university's extensive guidelines and how-to documents that cover a wide range of platforms. The thing that particularly caught my attention was how we could make documents accessible. This is something I hadn't given much thought to, but as someone who uses documents daily, knowing how to create accessible Word or PDF files could be incredibly useful.

Another aspect that has piqued my interest in NYU's digital accessibility resources is the section on usability testing for accessibility. Usability testing is an essential part of designing an inclusive digital experience, as it provides direct feedback from users who have disabilities. While it's one thing to follow best practices during the coding process and run automated tests, usability testing can uncover real-world issues that might not be apparent otherwise