AXSChat Podcast with Abi James Senior Accessibility Consultant at AbilityNet.

Abi James is a researcher of assistive technology and digital accessibility and senior accessibility consultant at AbilityNet.  Diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of nine, Abi has used computers and technology to help her succeed throughout her education and in employment. Her work at AbilityNet focusses on helping organisations such as schools, universities, public sector bodies and companies to create websites and apps that are accessible and inclusive for everyone. She also works closely with policymakers and researchers to understand how assistive technology can be used effectively within the education system and the role standards and regulation play in improving access to a digital society for all users. She is Chair of the British Dyslexia Association Technology Committee. She collaborates with the University of Southampton to identify best practices for supporting assistive technology and accessible content including contributing to the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative.

Transcript

 

AXSChat with Abi James 15th November 2019

NEIL:  Hello and welcome to AXSChat, and I'm delighted to welcome back Dr Abi James, Abi is a long-time friend and former colleague of mine, so we worked together for the best part of two decades. So, yeah, giving away our age there. Yes, we started at primary school, so, Abi, great to have you with us, you're now working for AbilityNet which is one of the UK's pan-disability charities, and the topic today is really we're focusing around the recent changes in legislation for Web accessibility because in the last couple of months the public sector web accessibility regulations have come into force, and this is a big change, so welcome back.

ABI:  Thank you Neil, great to see AXSChat has grown so much in the few years since I was last on, and really pleased to contribute.

NEIL:  Yes, thank you, we're five years by the way, amazingly.  Five years of doing this.  I know!  Everyone says I like the sound of my own voice; I won't lie.

ABI:  I know that!

NEIL:  Excellent.  So, the will let's stop me talking and let's talk about the web accessibility directive.

ABI:  Yeah so the EU word which is a difficult word to talk about in our UK context but essentially, now a few years ago, three years ago next month EU released the web accessibility directive which was requiring all member statements make their public sector bodies meet accessibility requirements, and also, critically publish accessibility statements on their websites and mobile applications and that is now rolling out across the EU, including the UK, because it is well into our law last year, so, there's also UK law and will remain UK law wherever we are, and also, now the EU states like Norway are also looking at moving it into their regulation, so, for Europe it is quite a big change for many countries it is the first time we've got specific accessibility regulations, although we've already had a lot of disability and equitability legislation, this is actual technical standards.  So, it is interesting to see it roll out.  There seem to be lots of countries and organisations grappling with the actual mechan