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Axe-Con 2023 Recap

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Summary

Axe-Con 2023 was an annual accessibility conference hosted by Deque, covering topics such as design, development, management, testing, accessibility experts, and legal. Three of the most impactful sessions discussed the importance of access to the web for all people, the WCAG 2.2 and 3.0 update, and the accessibility of mega menus. The main takeaway from the conference was to ensure wider access when thinking of design patterns and to make sure not only sighted mouse users are accounted for. All sessions from the conference were available to watch on-demand.

Q&As

What message stood out to the author from Bruce Lawson's talk?
The message that stood out to the author from Bruce Lawson's talk was the importance of ensuring that the web remains open, affordable, and accessible to all people.

What is the median mobile and desktop web page size, according to httparchive.org?
The median mobile and desktop web page size, according to httparchive.org, is 2.04 MB and 2.32 MB respectively.

What changes are expected to be included in WCAG 2.2?
The changes expected to be included in WCAG 2.2 are some changes in success criteria.

How does WCAG 3.0 differ from previous versions?
WCAG 3.0 differs from previous versions by making the guidelines easier to understand, adding broader support for disability needs, keeping up with technologies, and better reflecting real-world accessibility. It also includes a new conformance model with a sliding scale and a rating system between 0 and 4.

What accessibility considerations should developers keep in mind when implementing mega menus?
Developers should keep in mind conformance levels, usability, keyboard support, providing status information, element semantics, choosing between links and buttons, and testing with users with disabilities when implementing mega menus.

AI Comments

👍 This article is an incredibly detailed and thorough recap of Axe-Con 2023. It provides a great overview of the topics covered and the key takeaways from the talks.

👎 The article is overly long and many readers may find it difficult to get through the entire piece.

AI Discussion

Me: It's a recap of Axe-Con 2023, Deque's annual accessibility conference. It covers topics like design, development, management, testing, accessibility experts, and legal. It focuses on the implications of the rise of modern JavaScript frameworks and how they might be leaving a hefty amount of legwork to the end user's device. It also talks about the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and how they are changing with the introduction of WCAG 2.2 and 3.0.

Friend: Wow, that's a lot of information. What implications does this have?

Me: Well, the article points out that with the rise of modern JavaScript frameworks, we must be aware that there is a disparity between access to data and access to fast devices. This means that people with low-powered devices, limited access to data, and slower internet connections may be blocked from accessing certain content. We need to ensure that the web is open, affordable, and accessible to all people to ensure that everyone has equal access. Additionally, WCAG 3.0 has a new conformance model that uses a sliding scale and rating system, rather than the A, AA, AAA conformance levels of WCAG 2.0 and 2.1, which allows for assessing the overall accessibility level of a website more realistically.

Action items

Research WCAG 2.2 and 3.0 to understand the changes and updates to the guidelines.
Consider the implications of the rising web page size and modern JavaScript frameworks on user experience.
Test the accessibility of your website with users with disabilities to ensure a better user experience for everyone.

Technical terms

Accessibility: The degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible.
Web Consulting: A type of consulting service that focuses on helping businesses create and maintain a successful online presence.
UX & Design: User experience (UX) and design are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but they are actually two distinct concepts. UX is the process of creating products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users, while design is the process of making products aesthetically pleasing and functional.
WCAG: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are international standard documents that explain how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities.
Conformance Levels: Conformance levels are the criteria used to measure how well a product or service meets the requirements of a particular standard.
Hover Menus: A type of menu that appears when a user hovers their mouse over a particular item.
Click Menus: A type of menu that appears when a user clicks on a particular item.
ARIA: Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) is a set of attributes that define ways to make web content and web applications more accessible to people with disabilities.