Introduction:
As digital technologies become increasingly embedded in daily life, ensuring that they are accessible and inclusive is crucial. Digital accessibility ensures that individuals with disabilities can use digital products and services, while digital inclusion focuses on removing barriers for all people, regardless of their abilities or background. This course will explore the principles, practices, and tools necessary for creating accessible and inclusive digital environments, including websites, applications, and content. Participants will learn about global accessibility standards, inclusive design principles, and practical techniques for designing and testing digital solutions that serve a wide range of users.

Objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the importance of digital accessibility and inclusion in technology development.
• Learn about the legal and ethical obligations around digital accessibility.
• Explore the principles of inclusive design and how they apply to digital products and services.
• Implement accessibility standards (WCAG) and tools for testing digital accessibility.
• Develop strategies for integrating accessibility into the design, development, and testing phases of digital products.
• Create accessible and inclusive digital content and interfaces for a broad range of users.

Who Should Attend?
This course is designed for professionals in design, development, and management roles who are responsible for creating and maintaining digital products. It is ideal for:

• Web developers, designers, and product managers.
• User experience (UX) professionals and content creators.
• IT professionals involved in software development or digital transformation.
• Legal and compliance officers focusing on accessibility regulations.
• Anyone interested in learning about the importance of accessibility and inclusion in digital environments.

Day 1: Introduction to Digital Accessibility and Inclusion

Morning Session:

• What is Digital Accessibility and Inclusion?

  • Defining digital accessibility and inclusion.
  • Why accessibility matters: Legal, ethical, and business reasons.
  • The role of technology in supporting diverse populations, including people with disabilities and marginalized groups.
  • Accessibility as a part of inclusive design: Ensuring equality for all users.

• Legal and Regulatory Frameworks

  • Overview of global digital accessibility laws: ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), Section 508, WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), and international standards (EN 301 549, AODA).
  • The impact of non-compliance: Legal risks, lawsuits, and public relations issues.
  • Ethical responsibilities in making digital content accessible to all users.

Afternoon Session:

• The Four Principles of Accessible Design

  • Perceivable: Making content available to users in multiple formats (e.g., visual, auditory).
  • Operable: Ensuring users can navigate and interact with the interface regardless of their input method (e.g., keyboard, mouse, voice).
  • Understandable: Ensuring that content and functionality are clear and easy to comprehend.
  • Robust: Ensuring that digital products work across diverse devices, platforms, and assistive technologies.

• Hands-On Lab: Evaluating a Website for Accessibility

  • Using accessibility tools to evaluate a website’s compliance with WCAG.
  • Identifying common accessibility issues (e.g., missing alt text, poor color contrast, keyboard navigation).

Day 2: Inclusive Design Principles and Techniques

Morning Session:

• Inclusive Design Principles

  • Understanding the needs of diverse users: People with disabilities, elderly users, people with low literacy, and people from different cultural backgrounds.
  • Designing with empathy: Creating digital solutions that consider the challenges faced by all users.
  • Universal design and its application in digital products.

• Accessible Design Practices for Websites and Applications

  • Creating accessible navigation: Clear structure, logical flow, and consistency in design.
  • Text readability: Using proper font sizes, contrasts, and line heights.
  • Creating accessible forms: Labeling, error handling, and interactive elements.
  • Making multimedia accessible: Captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions.

Afternoon Session:

• Testing for Accessibility

  • Manual accessibility testing techniques: Keyboard navigation, screen reader checks, color contrast evaluation.
  • Automated accessibility testing tools: WAVE, Axe, Lighthouse, and other tools.
  • The role of user testing in improving accessibility: Testing with users who have disabilities.
  • Best practices for conducting accessibility audits.

• Hands-On Lab: Testing an Application for Accessibility

  • Using accessibility testing tools to analyze a mobile app or website.
  • Creating an accessibility improvement plan based on test results.

Day 3: Advanced Accessibility Features and Tools

Morning Session:

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

  • Overview of WCAG 2.1 and its application in digital accessibility.
  • Understanding the different levels of compliance: A, AA, and AAA.
  • Key success criteria in WCAG: Text alternatives, navigability, and multimedia accessibility.
  • Understanding and applying the guidelines for different types of content (images, video, forms, etc.).

• Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA)

  • Introduction to ARIA: Making dynamic content and advanced user interface controls accessible.
  • Using ARIA attributes to improve accessibility of JavaScript-driven websites.
  • Understanding roles, states, and properties in ARIA.
  • Best practices for ARIA implementation.

Afternoon Session:

• Assistive Technologies and Their Role in Accessibility

  • Overview of assistive technologies: Screen readers, magnifiers, speech recognition, and alternative input devices.
  • How assistive technologies interact with websites and applications.
  • The importance of designing for compatibility with assistive devices.

• Hands-On Lab: Implementing ARIA and Testing Assistive Technology Compatibility

  • Adding ARIA attributes to a sample website or application.
  • Testing how screen readers and other assistive technologies interact with web content.

Day 4: Accessibility in Content Creation and User Experience

Morning Session:

• Creating Accessible Content

  • Best practices for writing accessible text: Clear language, headings, and descriptions.
  • Accessible images and graphics: Providing alternative text and context.
  • Designing accessible videos: Captions, subtitles, and audio descriptions.
  • Making PDFs and documents accessible: Structure, tags, and compatibility.

• UX Design and Accessibility

  • Integrating accessibility into the UX design process.
  • The importance of collaboration between designers, developers, and accessibility specialists.
  • User-centered design and how it can benefit all users, including those with disabilities.

Afternoon Session:

• Cognitive Accessibility and Mental Health

  • Understanding the needs of users with cognitive disabilities, dyslexia, and neurodiverse conditions.
  • Designing for simplicity, clarity, and ease of navigation.
  • Tools and techniques for testing cognitive accessibility.

• Hands-On Lab: Designing Accessible Content and UX

  • Creating accessible text, images, and videos.
  • Designing a webpage or application with an inclusive UX approach that prioritizes usability for all.

Day 5: Implementing Digital Accessibility and Future Trends

Morning Session:

• Accessibility Strategies for Organizations

  • Building an accessibility culture within an organization.
  • Policy development for digital accessibility and inclusion.
  • Accessibility training for teams: Developers, designers, content creators, and managers.
  • Creating an accessibility roadmap for digital transformation.

• Monitoring and Maintaining Accessibility

  • How to ensure ongoing compliance with accessibility standards.
  • Continuous testing and monitoring tools for maintaining accessibility.
  • Regular audits and updates to ensure long-term accessibility.

Afternoon Session:

• The Future of Digital Accessibility and Inclusion

  • Emerging trends: Artificial intelligence and machine learning in accessibility.
  • How new technologies like VR/AR and 5G will influence accessibility.
  • Accessibility in smart cities and IoT.

• Hands-On Lab: Building an Accessibility Strategy

  • Developing an accessibility plan for a company or project.
  • Setting accessibility goals, implementing testing, and evaluating progress.

• Final Q&A, Course Review, and Certification Exam

  • Recap of the course content and final Q&A.
  • Certification exam to assess participants’ understanding of digital accessibility.
  • Awarding certificates to successful participants.