I spoke at Write The Docs Portland on August 11, 2020 about creating accessible documentation.

Abstract

Accessibility is a crucial part of product creation. Every team member, from engineer to technical writer, must have at least a basic understanding of what accessibility means for their role in product development. Often, writers leave it to engineers to build accessible products but don’t take into consideration how to make their documentation accessible, too. We can and must do better as writers in thinking about accessible language and content design.

Instead of focusing on empathy and why accessibility is important, this talk will focus on how we can actually make change in our work.

In this talk, we’ll discuss:

• Accessible style guides and a11y-friendly words
• Writing accessible HTML (it’s more than ARIA)
• Testing for accessibility in docs
• Advocating for a11y as a priority

You’ll walk away with some easy wins you can have right now in your documentation and product to make it better. After all, accessibility is for everyone.

Skills: Writing